Land Cruiser FJ – the baby Toyota Land Cruiser

The Toyota Land Cruiser is one of the legendary models in the automaker’s history. Like the Hilux, the Land Cruiser has a strong and proven reputation of reliability, durability, and off-road performance.

In some markets like Malaysia, it was the model that introduced the Toyota brand decades ago. It also helped Toyota establish the brand in America in the late 1950s with its ruggedness, overshadowing the inadequacies of the first sedans that Toyota wanted to sell there. The cars did not cope well with the constantly high speeds possible on the freeways and Toyota had to re-engineer its products. But the Land Cruiser made a positive impact with its tough and capable character.

Over 70 years, the Land Cruiser has been constantly improved based on global, real-world customer usage, and it continues to evolve to this day. With cumulative sales of about 12.15 million units (including the Lexus versions known as the LX and GX) in over 190 countries and regions around the world, the Land Cruiser has provided reliable mobility for people everywhere.

Until now, the Land Cruiser line-up has consisted of 3 distinct series. There’s the Station Wagon that always showcases the latest technologies and has evolved into the flagship model (currently the 300 Series); the Heavy-Duty model with outstanding durability and serviceability as a workhorse (the 70 Series); and the core Land Cruiser model that was created in 2024 as a return to the car’s origins (the 250 Series).

Throughout its history, there have been variants of the Land Cruiser with long and short wheelbases, the latter having two doors. These have essentially been shortened versions for customers who required a more compact 4×4 vehicle. Though compact like the SUVs that came out in the mid-1990s, they were as ‘hardcore’ as the full-sized Land Cruiser.

Now, 4 years after showing the Toyota Compact Cruiser EV concept, Toyota is finally ready to offer a genuinely compact new member of the range – the Land Cruiser FJ. Many will recognise the suffix from the FJ Cruiser, a SUV that was sold between 2007 and 2022. With its retro styling, it was popular and not many might know it was actually a project Akio Toyoda had been secretly involved in and gave his support to bring it to the market.

The FJ Cruiser drew on the design elements of the original Land Cruiser FJ40 which is considered one of the more significant Land Cruiser generations, while also having unique styling that won many fans. While its main market was in North America, it was also a popular model sold by parallel importers in many countries.

When Toyota ended production of the FJ Cruiser, it was hoped that there would be a second generation but that’s not coming since the market dynamics have changed. Instead, there is the new Land Cruiser FJ which loosely associates with the FJ Cruiser but is a totally new product which continues the move to return to the model’s origins with the 250 Series. Incidentally, ‘FJ’, we are told, stands for ‘Freedom & Joy’.

The exterior design of the new FJ follows a similar form as traditional SUVs with slab-side styling and a silhouette that emphasizes a square cabin. This shape provides the habitability and cargo capacity that successive generations of Land Cruisers have prioritized.

The compactness of the SUV is evident when looking from the front. Both front and rear corner bumpers are segmented and easily removed, allowing only damaged parts to be replaced to improve repairability.

Like the Hilux Champ, there’s also a lot of customizability possible to allow owners to personalise their Land Cruiser. Options that support customization will be introduced sequentially during the model life.

The cockpit layout shows the same functionality that has been present in all Land Cruisers. There is  instant recognition and steering across a wide range of driving conditions, with a horizontal instrument panel that makes vehicle attitude easy to recognize, a monitor and switches that consolidate functions to minimize eye movement, and a shift knob that allows natural operation. Good forward visibility is achieved through a low-set cowl and instrument panel, contributing to safe on and off-road driving.

Using the platform developed for the IMV models (Hilux, Fortuner and Innova), Toyota says that the FJ will have off-road performance worthy of a Land Cruiser. With generous ground clearance and approach angles as well as wheel articulation equivalent to the 70 Series, the FJ can travel over all types of rugged terrain. The addition of braces under the floor and higher body rigidity ensure excellent handling stability.

The shorter wheelbase of 2580 mm (270 mm shorter than the 250 Series) allows good manoeuvrability with a minimum turning radius of 5.5 metres. The body measures 4575 mm in overall length and 1855 mm in width, so it’s shorter than the Fortuner but has the same width.

The Land Cruiser FJ will make its debut at the Japan Mobility Show at the end of this month and is scheduled to go on sale in mid-2026.

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