FJ Cruiser well on its way to a million klicks

Article content

Postmedia photographer Mike Drew has covered more than 800,000 kilometres in his beloved 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Article content

“I’ve got 808,000 kilometres on it now, and I’m on the homestretch to the next big milestone of a million kilometres,” he says.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

FJ Cruiser well on its way to a million klicks Back to video

Since 1991, Drew has taken photos and written words for his ‘On the Road with Mike Drew’ feature in the Calgary Sun , and now on the Calgary Herald website. He’s traveled thousands of back roads across Southern Alberta, Southeast Saskatchewan and Southwest British Columbia. Prior to the border closing, he’d even dip south into Montana and Idaho. Along the way, he stops and photographs anything that catches his eye, from birds and wildlife to prairie grasses to sunrises and sunsets and dilapidated rural buildings.

His images, taken with his favoured Canon cameras and Sigma lenses, are always captivating. But, as he says, “You can have all the lenses and equipment you want; unless you have something to get you out there, it’s not any good.”

Article content

Born in B.C., his family moved to Alberta when he was four years old. They relocated to several rural towns, including Grande Prairie, Crossfield, Olds, Gleichen and Milk River.

“Growing up rural,” Drew says, “makes you appreciate life in the grand sense, from the grass to the sky and everything in between. We were living in Milk River when I got my driver’s licence, and my dad trusted me with the car.”

“My favourite thing to do was get up at 3 a.m., when the sky is just starting to brighten, and drive the rural roads with the windows down, smelling the wet grass or the cattle in the field. I did that before I had a camera.”

Article content

When Drew, who was working as an assistant partsman at an International Harvester dealership, tired of the job he took photojournalism at the Lethbridge Community College. In 1978, he started working for the Lethbridge Herald as a news photographer, and then in 1985, with The Sun . However, when he wasn’t on assignment, he returned to his roots, driving the backroads, recording and documenting his journeys on film. He drove whatever he had, from a series of second-hand slant-six powered Chrysler products with three-on-the-tree transmissions and many other cars until 1989, when he bought his first new vehicle.

The Isuzu Space Cab pickup truck took him and his dog Ansey on many adventures, but Drew soon lost them both. Ansey died in 1997, and the truck didn’t last much longer. To keep Ansey’s memory alive, he hung the dog’s scarf from the rear-view mirror of whatever he was driving. For a short while, that was a Ford Ranger, soon followed by a Toyota Rav4.

Article content

“A soulless machine,” is how Drew describes that base model Rav4 with standard transmission, and while he wasn’t technically unhappy with the vehicle, it had well over 300,000 kilometres on it and was going to need some work.

“I clearly remember the first time I saw a Toyota FJ,” Drew recalls. “In March 2006 I was on assignment shooting the International Auto & Truck Show for The Sun and in the Toyota display there was an FJ.”

That, Drew says, caught his eye. The FJ Cruiser was first displayed in 2003 at the Chicago Auto Show as a concept vehicle. Inspired by the original Toyota FJ-40 Land Cruiser – a rugged vehicle launched in 1960 – the new FJ Cruiser was updated for the 21st century. Styling cues clearly borrowed from the FJ-40 included a white roof, wraparound rear windows and upright grille with a bold TOYOTA badge.

The FJ entered production and went on sale in 2006 as a 2007 model-year vehicle. Based on the same platform that underpins the Tacoma pickup, the FJ Cruiser is powered by a 4.0-litre V6 engine that delivers 239 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque. Across the trim lines, there was a choice between a six-speed manual transmission with full-time four-wheel drive or a five-speed automatic with shift-on-the-fly part time four-wheel drive.

Article content

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 8 Photos

1 of 8

All 8 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Back to Drew’s Rav4. Late in 2006, the Toyota was popping out of fifth gear and needed a new clutch.

“Fed up, I drove over to Stampede Toyota to see what they had,” Drew says. “They had this FJ there with 3,200 kilometres on it as a demo, and I took it for a test drive and asked if we could do a deal. That was in December 2006.”

Although he test-drove the FJ, he says it was hard to tell what the truck would really be like, especially on gravel, snow and ice.

(T)he personality of the truck meshes so perfectly with mine.

“The only shock was it feels like you’re in a cave because the windshield (with Ansey’s scarf hanging from the rear-view mirror) is far ahead of you, and it’s almost straight up and down,” he says. “I was worried about gas mileage, but even with its cinderblock aerodynamics, it’s actually not that bad.”

Article content

Mechanically, the FJ with its automatic transmission just keeps on ticking. Drew’s replaced all shock absorbers and it’s on its second set of CV joints. It’s had one alternator replaced, one water pump and three serpentine belts. It’s still running on its third set of spark plugs, and Drew changes the oil every 12,000 to 20,000 kilometres. He has only ever installed two new sets of tires: disappointed in the wear he got out of them, Drew now gets slightly used tires mounted to the rims.

“The FJ doesn’t owe me anything, and the personality of the truck meshes so perfectly with mine,” he says. “It doesn’t care about crawling through mud or crawling down a gravel road; it just does what I want it to do, and it’s become an extension of me. It will be a very sad day when we do have to part, but I’d really, really like to get to one million kilometres.”

Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or gregwilliams@shaw.ca