All signs are pointing towards the Toyota FJ Cruiser making a comeback, with the latest reports from Japan claiming it'll enter production by 2025.
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According to Best Car, Toyota's new off-roader is due to start rolling off the production line in November 2024 – the first time the legendary model's return has had a loose date attached to it.
As with previous reports, such as those by Autocar India, the latest from Best Car Web says the model – expected to be be called FJ Cruiser or LandCruiser FJ – will be based on the Toyota HiLux Champ, a low-cost ute which uses a number of parts from the larger HiLux in a smaller package.
There's been questions about what would power the Toyota FJ Cruiser, given the HiLux and HiLux Champ are offered with a range of turbo-diesel and naturally aspirated petrol four-cylinder engines.
Best Car reports it'll be a 2.7-litre four-cylinder petrol engine under the reborn off-roader's bonnet. Known by the Toyota codename 2TR-FE, it produces up to 122kW of power and 245Nm of torque in the current HiLux Workmate.
This would represent a significant drop on the first FJ Cruiser, which managed 200kW and 380Nm from its 4.0-litre V6 engine, at the time also shared with the LandCruiser Prado and now previous-generation HiLux.
However, the new FJ Cruiser is expected to be smaller than its predecessor, measuring 4500mm long, 1830mm wide and 1850mm tall on a 2750mm wheelbase. That would make it 170mm shorter, 75mm narrower and 20mm lower with 60mm less distance between the axles.
Toyota Australia earlier this year filed to trademark the 'LandCruiser FJ', with its filing currently accepted and awaiting any opposition.
We don't know what the model will look like, but Toyota previewed a small SUV (above) which could join the LandCruiser family at last year's Prado reveal, first thought to be a production version of the Compact Cruiser concept.
While the Compact Cruiser was an electric concept, its front end design is quite similar to the HiLux Champ, which has also been reported to gain a battery-powered variant in the future.
If the reports do come to fruition, it'll mark the return of the FJ name which was synonymous with early LandCruisers and the later Prado-based FJ Cruiser.
The FJ name first appeared in 1951 on the Toyota Jeep FJ, the brand's own take on the Willys Jeep for military use – later being used across the heavy duty LandCruiser range until 1984.
We've also seen the FJ Cruiser name on a standalone model, produced between 2006 and 2023 as a retro-styled off-roader based on LandCruiser Prado underpinnings.
While the Toyota FJ Cruiser wasn't a smash hit when it was sold in Australia between 2011 and 2017 – selling just 12,170 examples – it has since become a cult classic, with used examples retaining their value due its strong off-road credentials.
Its retro styling was also arguably ahead of its time, with the new 250 Series LandCruiser Prado adopting a boxy design akin to models of old.
Best Car speculates the Toyota LandCruiser FJ will go on sale in Japan with prices between 3.5 to 4.5 million Yen (about $35,000 to $45,000).
Though it's unlikely that the model would be that cheap if it did come here, it would undoubtedly undercut the new LandCruiser Prado which is priced from $72,500 before on-road costs.
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
