Christian Wardlaw’s Opinion of the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser’s Comfort:
Face it, you’re not thinking about comfort if the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser is on your shopping list. Fortunately, the FJ delivers more than expected for front-seat occupants, thanks to firm and supportive front seats, a softly padded inboard armrest for the driver, and a meaty tilt and telescopic leather-wrapped steering wheel to grip. The door panels, both the sills and the integrated armrests, are hard plastic, so don’t look for these to help improve comfort levels. And it’s not easy to get into or out of the front seats, thanks to the ride height and the wide sills.

Neither are you thinking about rear seat accommodations if the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser is on your shopping list. First, getting in and out is a hassle because of the clamshell door design. In a tight parking space, these doors are unwieldy. Once you get ‘em open, loading human cargo between the thick B-pillar and the front seatbacks isn’t easy, and the larger your passengers the harder it is to squeeze everyone inside. Once they’re inside, prepare for complaints about leg room and how hard it is to see out.

Cargo loading is also compromised, in this case by a heavy swing-out tailgate with the full-size spare tire mounted to it. At least it swings to the left instead of the right to make it safer and easier to use when parallel parked. Given the FJ Cruiser’s size and weight, there’s not much cargo room inside. To fold the rear seats, the bottom cushions must flip up first or the load floor won’t be flat. Note that the front passenger’s seat doesn’t fold in half to accommodate longer items, an oversight in my opinion.

Thom Blackett’s Opinion of the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser’s Comfort:
It may be a competent off-roader, but the FJ is far from perfect in terms of comfort. Your first hint comes when trying to get in, as you step up to the running board and floor while lowering your head to clear the flat, low roofline. There’s an A-pillar grab handle that’s a bit too far forward to be useful, so use the steering wheel as a hoisting point. Rear-seat passengers have it even tougher with a small clamshell door, a tight gap for squeezing in, and an absence of grab handles that necessitate using the front headrest and C-pillar for leverage. Put your mother-in-law back here and kiss away any chance of ever being more than a worthless scumbag in her eyes. Once seated, average-sized riders out back enjoy decent room, a comfortable bench, and three adjustable headrests.

The FJ’s front bucket seats are fairly flat except for the nice back bolsters. A tilt steering wheel allows for a proper fit, as does a ratcheting driver’s side padded armrest. There’s plenty of space for the driver and front passenger, both of whom will enjoy the wide window sills for resting elbows. However, those sills and the door armrests are covered in hard plastic. The glovebox is positioned low, and its hard plastic door opens onto the front passenger’s shins.

Brian Chee’s Opinion of the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser’s Comfort:
Sitting in the back of the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser is like sitting in a black hole. That much hasn’t changed after two tours with this vehicle. It’s hard to get back there, and once there you wish you were somewhere else. My five-year-old daughter loves all cars, but especially loves big and brightly colored vehicles – and our FJ was yellow. When she saw it, she just had to have a ride. So she begged. She pleaded. She even pouted, all for a ride in what she thought was the sweetest ride EVER. Sadly for the future sales prospects of the FJ Cruiser, that was before she climbed in the back and sat down. It was strange, watching the odd look come over her face, when, after looking around, she said – and with a fair amount of attitude: Daddy, I can’t see outside. What’s WRONG with this car? But hey – what does the kid know? Her favorite car is a princess push car. And the FJ Cruiser is a lot more comfortable than that thing, at least up front, where the seats are firm, sturdy and comfortable, there’s a telescoping steering wheel as well as ample room for legs, hips, shoulders and heads. Comfort is a bit compromised by the amount of plastic inside the cabin, however, especially in areas where most drivers touch on a consistent basis, and a driving position that takes some getting used to. The daily commute felt more tiresome then it should, however, especially when driving a new vehicle, a sensation probably the result of its straight-up vehicle layout and driving position.

Russ Bartlett’s Opinion of the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser’s Comfort:
The 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser's eight-way power driver’s seat provided plenty of adjustment to ensure a perfect driving position, with seat cushions that were firm, comfortable and seemed pretty durable. The front seats offer a tremendous amount of head room which should accommodate the tallest of drivers; the rear seat is adequate for two adults, but I wouldn’t want to spend more than an hour back there. The driver’s side armrest is very convenient, though I wished the passenger side came standard with one as well. Large climate control dials might look a bit chunky, but you’ll appreciate being able to crank up the heat on a sub-freezing day without having to take your gloves off to operate the correct knob or button.

I really liked the 115-volt/400-watt power outlet (a typical home appliance plug type), which allows you to take a variety of power tools along with you and utilize the FJ Cruiser as your power source. What I didn’t like was the distance between myself and the interior rearview mirror, which when coupled with the small rear window, made for poor rear visibility.