A New Adventure Awaits
How do you turn a bunch of mature, responsible automotive journalists into a pack of silly, grinning teenage misfits? Easy, let
Dirt bikers know exactly what I mean; there are few better ways to spend an afternoon than in a vacated gravel pit. Three pre-planned course were set out, the first easily being the most fun. More or less it was a high-speed romp through
Still, as much as I tried to use momentum to overpower any chance for adhesion, the FJ did a remarkable job of spoiling my efforts - a good thing. Its grip is just that persistent. And control, unlike the many wild and wooly experiences
The second off-road stint was purposely designed to slow us down, immediately starting with a steep hill made up of smart fortwo-sized boulders. Hmmm, the quintessential rock climb, designed to separate pretenders from real 4x4s... could the FJ jam with the lifted 4Runner and modified Land Cruiser BJ70 that stood nearby? No problem. A walk in a Kyoto rock garden for the mighty FJ. Of course, Toyota didn't set up the trail so that the FJ would fail, but in talking with the third-party course designer, he wasn't really sure what to expect because he didn't have any FJ Cruiser's on hand to test out before it was too late to change anything. He was told to make it tough, but was literally crossing his fingers
But it wasn't the rock climb he was worried about, or the steep downward grade that did a good job of showing off the FJ's fabulously short front and rear overhangs and resultant 34 degree approach angle and 31 degree departure angle, or for that matter the radical upward climb on loose sandy gravel that made use of all 239 horses and 278 lb-ft of torque while apportioning drive power each clamoring wheel when needed. No, it was the outrageous swamp buggy contest that ensued at the end of the day. Recent Articles
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