The FJ Cruiser Is Awesome (Editorial)

It's been a little over four years since the first FJ Cruisers started showing up at dealerships. I've been driving an FJ since August of 2006, so I've been an enthusiast since nearly the beginning. One thing occurred to me last weekend when I was helping work on a couple of the very first FJ's to arrive in Colorado: we've come a long way!

From the beginning, Toyota designed the FJ Cruiser to be very aftermarket friendly. From the OEM holes for rock rails to easily replaceable skid plates, they've always had upgrades and mods in mind. Today there are so many modifications and upgrades available for the FJ, we have a hard time picking the which ones to write about. The only vehicle I can think of that has more aftermarket parts & accessories available is the Jeep Wrangler family, and they've been around for decades.

Off the top of my head I can think of at least five businesses that owe their inspiration and success to the FJ Cruiser. This vehicle really does inspire great people to do great things. Nearly every Toyota aftermarket manufacturer & vendor has multiple products available for the FJ, and the list keeps growing!

When it comes to participation, the FJ Cruiser community is second to none. We meet new FJ people at every event we go to, and every online community has thousands of owners & enthusiasts sharing their know how and knowledge. The annual FJ Summit is one of the largest Toyota gatherings in the country, and it's comprised nearly 100% of FJ Cruisers. It truly is remarkable that we have such an amazing vehicle to use in any way imaginable.

So it's my sincere hope that Toyota sees the value in our dedicated group. I expect that if we continue to voice our admiration for the most unique and well equipped 4x4 on the market, they will continue to evolve for years to come. In about 6 years I'll be looking to add another FJ to the family, hopefully it'll be a 2015 model!