I've owned my FJ for a year now. Although around town I'm not impressed with my mpg, out on the highway I commonly get nearly 25mpg. I drive 'conservatively', with blue highway speeds between 55 and 60mph. Out on the interstate (at 75mph) my mpg drops to the 19-21mpg range. So far I love the FJ. I had it out to Moab last fall. I didn't have any problems. This car is a beast.
Some FJ thoughts as I just turn 5000 miles..........
+'s
-Very nice to drive
-Attention getter
-4wd is an awesome performer
-climbs hills well
-articulates well
-Mileage not bad (20 +/- mpg)
-Easy low maintenance interior
-'s
-Poor driving visibility
-Windshield is CRAP ! ! ANY LITTLE "DING" causes it to break. VERY expensive to replace
-Paint chips excessively
-After market stuff is expensive
-Back seat is uncomfortable for passengers on a long haul
First week with the new FJ. Overall, love it. Feels big and small at the same time. Handles like a car, but feels like a jet cockpit or Hummer type vehicle. Toyota engineering is superb. Noticed water drip shields on interior electrical components, lots of wiring support brackets- neat little things like that. Manuals are really well written and I found them to download on the internet. Dealer wanted $450 for set of three. Handy for taking interior apart or tinkering. My 4th Toyota, so I expect no real service to be needed. The vehicle just screams for customization, but little out there for it yet.
A few bugs noticed along with the popular complaints of visiblity, rear entry, etc... No map lights. Can't see the lower center dash at night. I stuck a couple "Panasonic Button" LED battery powered ones up to the headliner. Work well. Only one 12V socket inside?? I added one in the glove box above the wheel and two in the back of the console. Visor is too short- needs an extender for side use. Lights in outside mirrors- so little light -other than unique nighttime frontal signature. Would be cool to have HID spots directable by the mirror controls. DTR lights aren't like my Corolla that sense darkness and are on all day, with dash lights and bright headlights coming on at night. You still have to turn on headlights at night. (Makes me leave headlights on at dawn...) Trailer wiring- no pre-wiring for trailer brakes. manual says it wasn't designed for towing- just as a passenger vehicle... but who buys a truck like this and doesn't take the toys?? Hard to install 7-wire brake plug where it won't get torn off off-road. Bumper is right behind facia. Cavern under tail of vehicle just begs for an aux tank or creative toolbox add-on accessible from inside. Dealers know nothing about the car- tell me to search the web- (Thank you for being here, tundraSolutions..)...Still, with all this, the balance scale tips with a resounding "clunk" to the positive side. Beefy, reliable, comfortable, affordable, practical truck designed by guys with my mindset.
After three months of ownership, I like the FJ better all the time. I'm kind of ticked off at Consumer Reports for the Review they give the FJ. Especially about the Blind Spot, sure the view is impeded a little. However, My Wife and Myself flew into Boise had to rent a Dodge Durango SUV (nothing else was available and we almost didn't get to rent anything, Firefighters rent cars like Crazy) What a BLIND SPOT Havin, LUMBERIN, AWKWARD HOG to drive, definitely a P.O.S. I really thought it would be kind of cushy, as it was loaded. It rode like a truck, wallowed when you maneuver it. It had horrible mileage and the GPS System was a joke. I am SOOO THANKFUL I got the FJ!!!!!!! You don't hear about the blind spot in the Durango, much much worse than the FJ. When you make that look to your left all you see is door post, you have to scooch forward to see and the mirrors are not nearly as well placed as the FJ. You can really see why Toyota is the better Rig. Fit and Finish on the trim and interior pieces left a lot to be desired( this rig was new 13,000 miles on it) things were falling off, some missing. Not my idea of a durable long lasting rig. GO TOJO !!!!!
__________________
Toyotas, Slow Birds, Pointing Dogs and SxS Shotguns, It doesn't get any Better!
I got mine 9 months ago. Using regular gas, I average 21 mpg or about 8.91 km per liter, average speed 70 m/h or or 112 km/h. Most of my driving is highway, very little in the city. During winter I was averaging about 18 mpg.
i had put on over 9000 km on my fj, when i drive i get just over 630 km on a tank. when my wife drive it she gets 570 km per tank, that were all hiway,
she drive over the speed limit, i drive under the speed limit.
I am trying to figure out why they are showing up on used car lots here? 07's? thats surprising? almlost got one recently and according to my better half i made a mistake in NOT getting one. She ended up with a Scion TC 2007 and should be trading it in soon one of these days i will listen when i think
I've got a 6 speed FJ so it's perpetually in 4wd...I've kept a spreadsheet of every mile, fill ups, and mileage since new. I've run 91 octane or better for every fill up. IN the first 1000 miles, mileage was about 15mpg. At 10,000 miles, mileage has improved to about 18mpg. I can only assume that it's loosened up a bit and some of the internal frictions have decreased.
Today I finally sat down to sort out my gas receipts and do a little calculating on the gas consumption of my '07 FJ, 4x4 automatic.
Since August '06 til now I've put on 26033 km, and burned 3301.66 litres of fuel, all regular gas except one tank of #1.
That gives me an average mileage of:
•12.68L/100 km or 22.27 mpg Cdn or 18.54 mpg US
Total fuel cost: $3292.66, or 12.64¢ per km/20.22¢/mile
My best tank was 26 mpg Cdn. The warning light is usually on at about 540 km.
All of my mileage has been town and highway, none off-road, often with the vehicle literally packed to the roof with equipment, and less than 30 miles towing a boat.
To date I've met all of my service requirements, had no repairs, no problems with paint chips, one flat tire, (a deck screw from a cottage project) and recently received a tiny nick high in the windshield which I'm watching nervously. Everything has worked since I bought it. The seats still look like they are brand new- a great fabric. I put down a plywood template when filling the back with equipment, so it's holding up well.
Do I still like the FJ?
I love driving it! Though visibility is still an issue for my wife, I'm very comfortable with it. The lack of forward courtesy lighting is a nuisance, I'd like a sunroof as an option to the wind roar when the windows are open, and I wish it had the extra 6-8 inches in length that my Jimmies and Blazers had.
But the fit and finish and ride and performance are superior to any of the many GM's I've had. I was hoping that this calculation would bring a mileage surprise, but I guess it's reasonable for all-round driving for 16 months of ownership.
Gas was $1.04/L at the last fillup, up 30¢/L since I bought the FJ, and the outlook is gloomy for '08, with big increases yet to come. (Thank you GW Bush!!) But I expect to keep the FJ for at least 5 more years.
Of 19 new vehicles we've owned, this is the best.
Re: FJ Mileage and overall impressions
one of these days i will listen when i think
Update at 26000 km
Linear Mode
