2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser

• Overall
• Prices
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability
• Photos & Videos

Interior - What the Auto Press Says

The 2010 FJ Cruiser gets mixed reviews for interior comfort and style. The back seat is cramped and difficult to access, and the interior materials leave something to be desired.  In fact, the FJ's interior falls in the bottom half of its class when compared to other off-road SUVs. Off-roaders in the FJ's price range with significantly better interiors include the Kia Borrego and Ford Explorer. A plus side for the FJ Cruiser, however, is its extreme functionality. The cabin comes standard with water-resistant seats and a rubber-type floor and deck mat.

• "Interior decor is more functional than rich. It includes washable rubber-like flooring, water-resistant fabric trim, faux metal, body-color painted accents, and some low-budget plastic panels." -- Consumer Guide
• "Like the exterior, the cabin exudes simplicity, echoing the feel of the earlier FJs with cloth seats, a body-colored radio surround and large, easy-to-operate controls." -- Road and Track
• "A rectangular, truck-like dashboard incorporates a prominent square panel with stereo and climate controls. A compass, outside temperature display and vehicle pitch readouts are available in an optional gauge cluster that sits above the middle air vents. Door inserts and dashboard panels can be matched to the FJ Cruiser's exterior color." -- Cars.com
• "The interior isn't quite as retro as the exterior aside from a dashtop-mounted trio of gauges - a compass, an inclinometer and an outside temperature gauge - but it's functional and fairly comfortable." -- Left Lane News

Seating

Most reviewers find the 2010 FJ Cruiser's front seats comfortable enough, but they have very few good things to say about the rear seats. Both the Suzuki Grand Vitara and Ford Explorer boast roomier rear rows. On the plus side, all seats come with water-resistant fabric.

• "More good six-footer headroom [in the rear], but three adults are squeezed for shoulder space and feel closed-in by thick roof pillars and small side windows. Legroom is tight with the front seats set far back. Ditto entry and exit passages, even though FJ's access doors swing out 90 degrees." -- Consumer Guide
• "While the opening to the cabin is wide, getting in the backseat could be a lot easier." -- Cars.com
• "Don't plan on taking a crowd. The back seat is almost insufferable for adults, just OK for kids. It's reached via a small, rear-hinged door that forces some squirming and twisting to get in or out." -- USA Today
• "Headroom is an astounding 40-plus inches in the FJ, but three adults in back sit closely. And everyone -- front and back -- has a bit of a climb to get inside the 6-foot-tall FJ." -- MSN
• "The back seat is small relative to exterior dimensions, but the suicide-style mini-doors make getting in and out a breeze for a two-door." -- Left Lane News

Interior Features

Reviewers often complain about the cheap plastics in the FJ Cruiser's cabin. On the plus side, its features are easy to use and durable. Some standard features include air conditioning, an AM/FM CD player with MP3 playback capability and six speakers and water-resistant seats. Toyota's voice-activated navigation system is not available with the 2010 FJ Cruiser, though a trail-programmed Garmin system comes with the Special Edition trim.

• "Even if it did keep the price down, the car is clad with way too much cheap-feeling plastic -- what's with the flimsy plastic bumpers anyway? -- and it has a cloistered, gun-turret feeling inside." -- San Francisco Chronicle
• "The old Land Cruisers had few creature comforts, but the FJ Cruiser has plenty of standard comfort and convenience items. They include air conditioning, a tilt wheel, a manual height-adjustable driver seat, console with cupholders, an AM/FM/CD audio system with 6 speakers, skid plates and power windows and door locks. Three windshield wipers sweep almost every inch of the glass." -- MSN
• "Most controls are simple, handy, and large, despite a dashboard that's a show of box-shaped modules. Pushbuttons for various secondary functions are buried low and ahead of the shift lever, however. The main gauges are fine, but legibility of the extra-cost compass, thermometer, and inclinometer are compromised by their small size and dashtop placement." -- Consumer Guide
• "The 2009 Toyota FJ Cruiser adds active front head restraints and roll-sensing side curtain airbags. An optional backup camera and auto-dimming electrochromatic mirror are added to the Convenience Package." -- MSN

Cargo

The FJ Cruiser's cargo capacity measures 66.8 cubic feet behind the front seats and 27.9 cubic feet behind the rear seats -- figures some reviewers say aren't quite enough to go with the FJ's functional persona. Though the FJ holds slightly more cargo than the Suzuki Grand Vitara, it can't compare to the Ford Explorer's 85.8 maximum cubic feet of space. Small storage is sparse and includes four cup holders and two bottle holders. A huge plus for carrying messy items is the rubber-type floor and deck mat.

• "Maximum cargo space in back, with the rear seats folded, is 66.8 cubic feet, which is comparable to that in many SUVs." -- MSN
• "Given the FJ Cruiser's size and weight, there's not much cargo room inside." -- Autoweb
• "Rear access to the cargo area is through a door hinged on the driver's side of the vehicle instead of a typical roof-hinged hatch-style closure." -- New Car Test Drive
• "Useful cargo bay, but volume is subpar for the midsize-SUV class. Rear seatbacks won't fold flat without the seat cushions removed. The cargo door opens from the curbside, but feels heavy and clumsy with the weighty bolt-on spare tire. The tire greatly hampers loading through the opening window. Ample in-cabin storage." -- Consumer Guide