2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser Review – Be all you can be, with the FJ Team Trails Special Edition

2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser Team Trails Edition
By David Colman

Likes:

Go anywhere rig
Startling appearance
Huge HVAC dash knobs

Dislikes:

Droning exhaust note
Cheesy emergency jack
Impeded rear vision

Ten-hut you army wannabes! Fall in you Hummer chums! Toyota has a new dog tag for camouflaged ammo fans. It’s called the Trail Teams Special Edition Package (Upgrade Package 3 @ $3,650) on the $26,880 FJ Cruiser. Check the box for “Army Green Exterior Color” and Toyota will send you packing with an FJ that looks like a 5 gallon Jerry can. Instead of the usual white roof, yours will be olive drab, just like the rest of the body, the interior door trim, the seat fabric inserts, and the face of the dashboard. Items that would normally be silver or chrome, like bumpers, exterior mirrors, grill, door handles and even the TRD 6-spoke Special Edition alloy wheels, are all matte black on this special FJ. Only the six lug nuts holding each steel wheel in place are chrome. The subdued colorless combo transforms the FJ from a pastel Lego brick into an MP bulldog.

2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser Team Trails Edition

Although looks can be deceiving, the FJ’s military dress tells no lies. This Cruiser is fully capable of performing off- road maneuvers that would leave some tanks dead in their tracks. The makings of a ferocious outback attacker are apparent the moment you step tall into the FJ’s cab. Directly in front of the gated 5-speed automatic shift console is another stubby lever in charge of the FJ’s 2-speed transfer case. This mechanism allows you to select Low Range 4 wheel drive, or High Range 2 and 4 wheel drive. If you need special traction assistance in Low Range 4WD, you can lock the rear differential by simply depressing a button on the dash. Likewise, you can push the “A-Trac” button on the center console to activate traction control at creeper speeds. If you anticipate special circumstances which might tip the FJ over while crawling through rocks, you can even disable the side curtain airbags by depressing the RSCA (Roll Sensing Curtain Airbag) button to the left of the steering column. In other words, Toyota has covered all the angles in tailoring the FJ for wilderness travel.