Our FJ

by James
(Perth)

Having a fish at Little Lagoon in Shark Bay a month after buying the FJ

Harvey Hill Climbs

Chilling down at White Hills

Riverside at Murchison House Station in Kalbarri

We took delivery of our new Toyota FJ Cruiser in July 2013

Factory rock sliders and OEM roof rack

We immediately set it up with suspension lift kit (OME), ARB steel front bar, and a tyre swap to some 33" BFG All-Terrains. It hardly had 20km's on the clock at this time.

The same week, we took it out to Dwellingup for a bit of a bash through the bush trails, and to the beach for a run, to get a feel for it all.

Over the next couple of months I added some "Drifta" rear-cargo drawers, redarc dc-dc charger, aux battery, Engel fridge, ORS slide, 'springtail' cargo barrier, N-Fab side steps (easy bolt on/off the OEM sliders), ARB on-board compressor, ARB side awning, ARB rear awning, GME UHF, and a pile of other supporting gear (like recovery gear, rated recovery points, first aid, fire extinguisher, etc.).

I would say it is a tourer. It is daily driven (our only car) which was partly the reason we went all-terrain rather than mud tyres. We like to mix it up with any kind of off-roading. Sand (beach), mud, bush, rocks, trails, etc. Bonus if we can do all at the same time! We head out at least fortnightly with the kids in tow for some fun.

Our first decent shake-down was a trip up to Shark Bay for two weeks via Dongara and Kalbarri. I learned a lot about the configuration and took notes on things I wanted to do or change around. I was really stoked with the setup and glad I chose the mods/accessories that I had chosen thus far.

In the time we've owned it (7 months), we've been to Dongara, Shark Bay (Cape Peron, etc.), Kalbarri (Murchison House Station), Dwellingup numerous times, Harvey (tracks on 4wdinWA), Brunswick/Collie, all the south-Mandurah beaches (tims thicket to Myalup, etc., numerous times for a relax and/or fish). Albany coastal trails (two peoples bay, gull rock, Nanarup), Mt Barker, Denmark (boat harbour and various bush trails).

The best part about our FJ: Probably the size and power. It is a mid-size vehicle, the wheelbase is excellent for most kinds of terrain, the 4L motor, while petrol (boo), packs a lot of punch.

I like that there is no carpet (good for kids, and touring). I like the factory options (rear e-locker on diff, a-trac, crawl control, sub-fuel tank and really easy to work on (mechanically and electrically). I think that for the money it is difficult to find a vehicle as capable as this (new price)

The worst thing: Is also the best thing, the size. It is often too small for long-duration touring. You cannot really tour comfortably with the family unless you take a camper trailer.
Once the Engel and dog are in the back, there is not much space for anything else. I am probably going to toss the OEM roof rack and get a good full-length flat rack so I can get more gear on board.

Next mods.. Snorkel, winch, more external lighting (spot/led)

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Oct 26, 2015
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FJ summit
by: Bryce

Awesome! I will do. Thanks

Oct 26, 2015
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Nat FJ Summit
by: James

Hey mate, thanks for the comment. W.A. is hosting the FJCC national summit for 2016, be sure to keep your eye on the website for info how to come along. We just wrapped up our W.A. state summit at MOA. It was epic! Cheers

Oct 24, 2015
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joined the FJ club
by: Bryce

Love reading up about the FJ, we just got one, well we are waiting on delivery...amazing story about it if we ever meet.

We will get it in November a few days before we head overseas (which im excited and also disappointed about...it will sit in the garage untouched until we return :(

I am not new to 4wd as I used to drive one around for work however I am definitely no expert. Especially test driving the FJ I think it will take some time to get used to auto, petrol, crawl control (the sound) and the extra features that I didn't use/have with the work truck (manually lock the diffs and head on out).

Hoping to join a few tours next year...hope we can catch up and grab a few pointers over some beers about the FJ.

Bryce

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Our FJ

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