When I bought the FJ; I was looking for a secondary vehicle to my Toyota Camry and a vehicle that could handle Minnesota winters on my lengthy (80 miles of rural driving) daily commute. In Minnesota, winter can start in October and last all the way into April. Temperatures can drop to 20 below and it is not uncommon to get 6 to 12 inches of snow from a storm. The FJ has gone through it all. It has started right up after sitting outside all night in minus 20 degree weather. Driven through blizzards where visibility was less than 1/8 of a mile. Busted right through three foot high snowdrifts and easily drives through 12 to18 inch deep snow. The heater and defrosts are excellent, a must for winter driving, with the interior being comfortable within five to ten minutes. I have upgraded the FJ with the off-road suspension package and off-road tires. Would definitely buy another one if Toyota decides to re-start production.

This SUV/Truck was great for me as a snowboarder. There were many days when I would go up the mountain with no chains or anything in 4wd of course and would never get stuck even if I had to go off the road into some deep snow (3-4 feet). I pulled people out of ditches all the time with it no problem too. It was really fun to drive, but had bad aerodynamics on the freeway in high crosswind and the windshield was very vertical straight up and down so it chipped and cracked a lot from rocks flinged up from semis. Mileage was OK for a truck I suppose. Back seat had very little room for passengers legs but most of the time I had the seats folded down anyway to carry my snowboards back there cause I was to lazy to put them on the roof. Pretty comfy and good ride and sound system. Blind spots weren't terrible but did exist on right side but the big mirrors helped; its just the small back windows could have been bigger to fix this. Lots of power, definitely recommend as a good daily driver and off roader in mild to medium conditions.

Overall, the vehicle is a great buy. Paint finish still looks new, even at 10 years old. Interior is good, but seats could have had an option to purchase leather instead of cloth. Gas mileage is normal for midsize SUV. Engine performance still like new even with over 150,000 miles. Cargo area is very spacious as I've hauled numerous large items with the rear seat folded down. Not really spacious in the back seat for an adult. I really like this automobile and would definitely recommend to a friend.