An Extended Drive Event
San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, driving across the state in the FJ Cruiser
Last week I spent way too many hours strapped inside a car, it started with my typical 2 hour round-trip drive on Monday, then a three hour trip to San Diego and back on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday I drove to work again and then drove to Sacramento that same night and came back to LA on Sunday. That is just too many hours on the road for me.
The only plus side of doing so much driving is that I was able to do some of it in the Toyota FJ Cruiser. For our trip to Sacramento we tested out the FJ Cruiser to see how it handled as a family vehicle. The kids instantly fell in love – but who doesn’t driving a new car.
Even though our trip was only a weekend turn around for me, I had to pack extra clothes for the kids because they were staying in Sacramento with their grandparents for a week. And the Hubs well we had to pack ALL his clothes because on the way home I had to drop him off at the airport.
I was impressed with the amount of trunk space the FJ Cruiser had, we were able to store our large roller bag, a carryon roller bag, duffel bag, camera bag, camera equipment, and three backpacks. And we still had plenty of room left over – something that never would have happened with my small SUV.
The FJ Cruiser sits higher up on the road then my Hyundai Santa Fe so it took some time to get used to the new height – but once I did the Cruiser is a pretty easy drive. It felt more like a truck when driving then a car – but that was intentional I’m sure. This is definitely the vehicle you would want to take on a camping trip or to the beach. The sound system is amazing. The care-free and rugged interior makes it easy to clean up sand, food and dirt.
During our trip to Sacramento we stopped to fill up the gas tank once. I normally can’t stand the drive to Sacramento but this time it wasn’t so bad. The kids comfortably fell asleep in the back seats.
The Things I Love About the Toyota FJ Cruiser
The trunk space is amazing, plenty of room to store your luggage and camping gear. The high-end sound system will keep you awake during the longer drives. Or open up the trunk while you are at the park and start your own dance party.
It was 104 degrees outside during our trip and you would never know from the inside of the FJ Cruiser. Gas mileage was expected.
This is definitely a car you would want to go road tripping with or even off-roading if that is more your flavor.
The Things I Didn’t Love About the FJ Cruiser
My biggest complaint about the FJ Cruiser is that it felt like I was too small for the car. For example, the sun visor and mirror was just a teeny bit further than arms length away. So it took more effort to reach those things. My other issue is that it felt more like I was driving a truck then a car – but again that’s my person preference.
All in all the FJ Cruiser was a fun vehicle to drive especially when you driving longer distances.
If you are heading a road trip this summer be sure to check out Exit the Freeway. To learn more about the FJ Cruiser visit www.toyota.com.
Where would you take the FJ CRUISER?
Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.