Forza Horizon: The Fun & Joy Cruiser...

For the first time ever in console gaming history, I can finally drive the Toyota FJ Cruiser on Forza Horizon thanks to the February Jalopnik Car Pack and what can I say? Maybe the FJ in the FJ Cruiser name really stands for Fun and Joy. It's a Fun and Joy cruiser but never mind the buzzcocks, ladies and gents, because there's a hundred reasons why I'm always wanted to drive one of those and that's too much so let's shorten things up...

Yeah right, it really was a Japanese Hummer!

The Eastern Steel

The main downside about the FJ Cruiser is...well not in terms of mechanical details,...is this car's getting a bit old. This car has been with us for seven years (three years since its Japanese debut in December 2010) but despite its age, there has been numerous buyers for this JDM off-roader. A Japanese off-roader with an American accent, the FJ Cruiser sure knows that it has always been the Asian-American party goer for the adventurous Horizon players. I once drove this one at the Carson Golf Course, which is near the Media Center, and in the game of Infection, the FJ Cruiser sure knows how to evade a supercar and wait a minute...supercars really don't work on a place like these. They may have more power and work only on asphalt but in such conditions like the Carson Golf Course because of rough terrain, it's difficult to keep a high-powered ride survive through these conditions and in the game of Infection....total disaster.

This FJ Cruiser though, although its not a good substitute to the V6-powered Wrangler, it sure loves the jumps and humps of the Golf Course and thus making a game of INFECTION a little more interesting. Don't thank the off-roader, thank the X-REAS that served as the foundation for the FJ Cruiser's handling.

The Beast of the East strikes Horizon!

City Slicker

Even though Forza Horizon is a car-enthusiast's sandbox, the FJ Cruiser really turns Horizon into an ultimate hunting ground because sometimes the hunted has became the hunter. It may not be a good idea to race against other Speedo Boys in their high-performance cars but in playground games, this leviathan really hunts down its prey. Is it a hunter or the hunted? You decide the fate for the FJ Cruiser...

Finding the ultimate hunting ground

Toyota FJ Cruiser (GSJ15W) (Japan Spec)

2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser

First appeared as a concept car at the 2003 Detroit Motor Show, then it made its official sale in North America in 2006, the Toyota FJ Cruiser is a remarkable off-road behemoth and was dubbed the Japanese Hummer because of a similar look. Most of them think that the FJ Cruiser is a copy of the Hummer H2, except for the doors. Even Filipinos rarely bought an FJ Cruiser from a grey market import just so they can enjoy their off-road adventures throughout the toughest terrains in the Philippines. At the end of 2010, the FJ Cruiser is finally at the place where it was born, Japan.

Why Japan? Some Japanese off-road enthusiasts bought the Toyota FJ Cruiser (the North America-spec) from grey market imports, for example, is BUBU, a Mitsuoka Motor-owned specialty for grey market cars from North America., and why Toyota did not sell the FJ Cruiser officially even when this was built by Hino Motors. For after four years in North America and a few countries such as China, Toyota officially start selling the FJ Cruiser starting this early December, under the chassis code GSJ15W.

On its outer appearance, try to even think that the FJ Cruiser is the carbon copy of the deceased Hummer, but the grille wears a literal Toyota badge spelled it out, paying homage to the legendary Toyota FJ40. What surprises them is the suicide half doors at the rear.

The interior is also a copy from a Hummer, however, the JDM-spec FJ Cruiser doesn't have some dashboard peripherals in the middle like the North American spec has. Unfortunately, the legroom for the driver is simply too tight to get through. Getting through the FJ Cruiser's driver's seat can be frustrating. I wonder how did someone fit in the FJ Cruiser's driver's seat? Well, many dream to have the FJ Cruiser but only a few can fit in the driver's seat of the FJ Cruiser.

The FJ Cruiser is powered by the 1GR-FE (4.0-litre V6 DOHC Dual VVT-i engine) that powers up to 276PS/5,600r.p.m. at the torque of 38.8kg-m/4,400r.p.m. This spartan engine was not spartan enough to tackle various distances because the fuel economy of the FJ Cruiser goes to a frugal 8.4km/L. The Part-Time 4WD System allows the user to switch various modes at the shift of the lever. It looks similar to the Mitsubishi Pajero Field Master, but experimenting with various modes depending on the terrain can be somewhat of a challenge. To get a grip through the rocky roads, the FJ Cruiser is armed with the X-REAS (Relative Absorber System) supplied by Yamaha.

My thoughts about the FJ Cruiser:
Not possibly a good SUV for the aficionado, but this makes a good partner in the eyes of politicians, celebrities (especially rappers), gangsters (Mafia, Triads, Yakuzas, Vory, whatever these criminals were), and adventurers. The forte of the FJ Cruiser is to deliver off-road excitement from the deserts, rocky roads, muddy pavements, and city streets. From the Arabian desert, the Grand Canyon of the USA, and now cruising through Hokkaido with the Japanese debut of the Toyota FJ Cruiser. Now, most Japanese will never come looking for a grey market FJ Cruiser anymore because all Japanese Toyota dealerships will start selling the rugged joy of the FJ Cruiser this December. Remember, FJ stands for Fun and Joy!

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation