If you’ve met or befriended members of the FJ Cruiser Toyota Trail Team at one of the many off-road events they have attended across the country, you know these enthusiasts are full of dedication for what they do. Who wouldn’t want to be paid to enjoy the outdoor community in a capable off-road vehicle?

Coming together from all over our great land and trails, ORC was able to locate road warriors Tim Scully (East Coast Team/Lead Driver), Chris Nelson (Central Team/Lead Driver) and Rod Ness (Central Team/Lead Producer) in between events, time zones, and doing laundry. These drivers might be working for the betterment of Toyota’s newest vehicle, the FJ Cruiser, but each hail from such an esteemed 4-wheel world they would sooner quite touring trails than tell an off-road fib about a vehicle’s capability. Read on for the full truth when hired professionals get behind the wheel of the FJ Cruiser.

Q & A SESSION FROM THE FJ TOYOTA TRAIL TEAM

What really impresses you about the FJ Cruiser?

The East Coast Trail Team with the FJ at Badlands

Tim: The ability for the FJ to conquer terrain is what really impresses me. The A-TRAC System is great technology. It’s a system that gives you the ability to go further on a trail than most vehicles and drivers would be capable of controlling. It’s that good. After the initial testing, I was convinced we could do a lot. The East Coast Team’s FJ is bone-stock, no lift, with the Toyota Upgrade TRD Wheel Package (BF Goodrich tires).

Chris: The heritage impresses me. I own a couple vintage Land Cruisers. It’s like a cult following. And the reliability impresses me. Toyotas in general are long lasting vehicles and are put together well. The A-TRAC System improves the traction and performs very nicely. It’s much less stressful on your drivetrain components. When a wheel spins, it starts to apply brakes. It allows other tires to start turning. Using rear locker differential is an option.

Traction is not an issue with the FJ's A-TRAC System

Rod: I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the A-TRAC. Coming into it, I thought the A-TRAC System was a nice little gadget some engineer came up with and wouldn’t be useful. It’s effective to the point where we don’t even use the rear locker differential. It really dedicates the vehicle as an off-road vehicle. I love aesthetics, so I love the looks. It grows on me and brings people up to me at the gasoline station to ask questions.

Where has your particular FJ Trail Team been?

Tim: Where haven’t we been – the East Coast Trail Team has attended events on 90 percent of major trail heads in the U.S. We’ve gone to Aspen, Tellico, Badlands, the New England area, and Florida.

Chris: We’ve been all over. We’ve driven over 31,000 miles from Hollister Hills, California to Tellico Plains, Tennessee. We do the most driving of the teams.

Rod: Most recently we were at a Red Rock 4-Wheelers campout in Moab, Utah for three days. Before that, it was Iowa, and then before that the Turkey Bay Off-Road Vehicle Park in Kentucky.

What has been your favorite FJ trail trip and why?

The FJ went straight up the middle on Slickrock

Tim: There are so many great ones. The May trip to Tellico for the Great Smokey Mountain Trail Ride where we went up Slick Rock stands out. So many people were outright convinced we couldn’t take the FJ on the tires we had. They wanted to see it crash and burn. Skeptics set up winching points on the trail for us. It is a really difficult trail, but I ended up grabbing all the tree savers and putting them in the back of the FJ. Coming up to the Slick Rock obstacle, there was a vehicle stalled and broken down. We used our winch to get him off. Spin your wheels on Slick Rock and you’ll spin off the rock. There are lines to take on the far right and left, but we took the most difficult line up the middle using A-TRAC. The FJ didn’t spin out of control.

Chris: It was the Cruise Moab TLCA-sanctioned event in Moab, Utah for many reasons. We’ve enjoyed the TLCA events the most because the Land Cruiser community embraces us the most. Moab is a phenomenal place to go. It’s also been a longtime dream to go to Cruise Moab.

Rod: I have to say I peter back and forth between the Rubicon, which is the toughest trail we’ve done, and the Mile High Jeep Club event in Colorado. The wheeling wasn’t as hard, but there were the most gorgeous vistas I’ve ever seen. Being a flatlander from Iowa, it was beautiful.

What kinds of FJ aftermarket products catch your eye?

Tim: I’m really impressed with the All-Pro Off Road Bumper. TLC made some skid plates that cover our FJ’s undercarriage. There’s a Gobi Roof Rack. Toyota made the decision to get the vehicle out there for exposure before it hit the ground so aftermarket products more available.

Chris: The All-Pro Off Road suspension catches my eye. The ARB Bumper we have is nice in terms of protecting the vehicle. I’m a big fan of the ET9.0 Winch by Superwinch.

Rod: I like the Fab Fours Front Bumper and rumor is they are working on a back bumper. At an event, I stumbled upon the owner and we toured the business. It’s higher-end quality stuff. There’s the ARB Bumper. I like the looks – could be because we’ve been married to it. The ARB bumper, especially for Midwestern riding, gives extra protection to keep you away from trees when things get muddy.

How do you interact with the off-road community in person and on the Internet?

Tim: My team or myself posts information on I8HMUD (www.ih8mud.com), the FJ Cruiser Forums (www.fjcruiserforums.com), and Pirate 4x4 (www.pirate4x4.com). We try to be interactive. We do cookouts at a lot of these events and grill hamburgers for around 200 people. We play movies and show pictures on our 16x9 foot blow-up air screen. It blows up just like an air mattress.

Chris: When we go to events we try not to overshadow, just compliment. That’s our theme. As a team we size up the event, feel the vibe, and then how we can fit in. This ranges from handing out information and going on a trail drive to actually hosting a slide show. With some of the newer FJ owners, I’ve offered instruction. I’ve spotted a lot of people and helped negotiate through difficult areas. As for a forum presence, we’ll often offer our two cents. I don’t think there are many owners with more miles than ours. With so much time in the vehicle and in different situations and environments, I like to think we are an asset.

Rod: One of the great things about being on the team is to meet individuals and have one-on-one time. Increasingly, I find myself seeing the same people as the tour matures. You’re developing friendships, exchanging emails, and sharing pictures with groups and individuals. I’m active on the I8MUD and FJ Cruiser Forums sites.

What important information could the public make a general misconception about the FJ?

Tim: People are hesitant about the independent front suspension. Most of the off-road community wants a solid front axel. Independent front ends are more expensive to lift. However, we’ve put 25,000 miles on the vehicles and I’ve broken an axel on only one of the vehicles – I was backing up with the wheels turned all the way, which is a very vulnerable position.

Chris: The tail lamps get comments about being ‘bubbly.’ At events, people tell us we’re going to crunch them. The tail lamps haven’t been a problem. It’s a misconception you’re always going to do damage when you take a vehicle on the trail.

Rod: I think one of the things that surprise me about the FJ is that the price points are as reasonable as they are. A nicely equipped vehicle goes for about $28,000 and it’s capable of going where you want to go.

What’s it like traveling with the Toyota Trail Team?

Tim: We’ve become a family in the five to six months we’ve gotten to know one another. There were growing pains in the beginning. We work together as a team and have a strong bond. The SEMA show in Vegas signifies the end of our journey. Some of us are talking about going to the Baja 1000 afterwards.

Chris: It’s great. It’s a dream come true to see the country and see the grassroots places. I love the interacting. We’ve racked up the miles on this world-wind tour. We have met some incredible people.

Rod: With our particular team, we’ve become really good friends – like a family. It’s a positive if you’re hanging out with the guys you want to hang out with and you also get to work with them. You’re never really working, but you’re always working, you know? I get a couple days off and I then want to get back to my team members.

What are the FJ plans for next year?

Tim: We’re already talking about next year. The first year, the plan was to get out and get with off-road enthusiasts. Next year the FJ is going to a wider range of downhill biking events and ski slopes in order to market to our outdoors demographic. We’ll represent at professional rock crawl competitions. I’m putting together a proposal for Toyota to sponsor a rock crawl vehicle.

The Central FJ Trail Team in Moab

Chris: There are things I’d like to see happen. I’d like to see Toyota have a driving school that promotes good land use and to have an experience with the Toyota product. Something of a central location for the community. Other automotive manufactures have done this in the past and been successful. A lot of new FJ owners are coming to the events we put on because the team is there. To stop embracing the community would be a letdown to the 4-wheeling community.

Rod: The goal for next year’s marketing is more about the mainstream and less about wheeling. One of the cool things about being on the team is getting to know the off-road community and building a relationship with Toyota. We successful introduced a car to the off-road market. We created a connection. Little clubs are seeing themselves as a part of something bigger. It’s a built a loyalty for Toyota. We’re making a bigger, unified off-road community.

Have any further questions about the FJ Cruiser for these experienced off-road drivers? Catch Tim, Chris and Rod at an event near you or log onto one of the sites they frequent and drop an email. Supportive by nature and loyal to nature, you can count on these conscientious off-road drivers to continually cross your trail path in many different ways, shapes, and forms.