Full Test: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser

If your first thought when gazing at the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser is something along the lines of, "Oh great, another retro vehicle," you're not alone. Between the Volkswagen "New" Beetle, Mini Cooper, Ford Mustang and recently unveiled Dodge Challenger, it could be argued that automakers have run out of new ideas and are simply living off their past glory.

But there's a flaw in that line of thinking. Simply put, Toyota is having plenty of success with its current SUV lineup. Even the company's oldest off-road design, the Land Cruiser, continues to win awards and accolades, including Edmunds' 2006 Most Wanted SUV over $45,000. So unlike the companies building those other retro vehicles, Toyota doesn't need the FJ Cruiser to revive interest in the brand. In fact, the original FJ concept vehicle was designed at Toyota's Calty Design Research center in Newport Beach, California, and shown at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show as a pure concept study, with no serious plans for production.

However, with consumers doing cartwheels around the FJ Cruiser's show stand, and the automotive press writing rave reviews, Toyota decided to put it into production six months after the concept debuted. The first prototype was built on a modified Prado (4Runner/GX 470) platform in the summer of 2004, and the final production models will be in dealerships by March 2006.

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