The folks at Q CARS rendered the yet-unconfirmed 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ in the form of a two-door electric sport utility vehicle. Instead of getting your hopes up for a zero-emission alternative to the short-wheelbase Ford Bronco two-door, bear in mind that nothing concrete is currently known about it.
Back when Toyota unveiled the Land Cruiser 250 series, which continues to be advertised under the Land Cruiser Prado moniker in Australia and New Zealand, the Japanese automaker previewed an upcoming off-road vehicle with a smaller footprint. Said overlander also features a spare wheel out back, whereas the mid-sized Land Cruiser 250 does not.
Originally believed to be revealed in the metal at the Japan Mobility Show 2023 earlier this month, the Land Cruiser FJ was further expected to drop under a different name, that being Land Hopper. Said moniker was trademarked in Japan back on August 8. Two months later, Toyota filed the Land Cruiser FJ nameplate with Japan's trademark and patent office.
Be it Land Cruiser FJ or Land Hopper, the world's largest automobile manufacturer by volume is developing a small off-road sport utility vehicle. The peeps at Q CARS look forward to an EV, although that seems like wishful thinking. Toyota still doesn't have a proper EV platform and proper battery technology, hence the abysmally poor sales of the bZ4X and e-TNGA platform siblings Lexus RZ, and Subaru Solterra. They're joined by the China-exclusive bZ3, a sedan made by FAW Toyota.
Regarding the upcoming model's name, Land Cruiser FJ sounds much better than Land Hopper. It also harks back to the FJ Cruiser from nearly two decades ago, a mid-size SUV with rear-hinged rear doors and many underpinnings from the Land Cruiser Prado.
Photo: Toyota on YouTube
Offered between the 2007 and 2014 model years in the United States, the FJ Cruiser soldiered on through 2022 in the Middle East and other markets. Available with either a manual or a torque-converter automatic, the FJ Cruiser featured a naturally-aspirated sixer.
Originally gifted with VVT-i, the 4.0-liter V6 received Dual VVT-I for the 2009 model year. The FJ Cruiser packs 260 horsepower and 271 pound-feet (367 Nm), whereas the all-new Land Cruiser 250 produces 326 hybridized ponies and 465 hybridized pound-feet (630 Nm) of torque. Built around a 2.4-liter turbo inline-four lump, the hybrid powertrain might be carried over to the FJ Cruiser's successor.
Without hybrid assistance, said engine belts out a respectable 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet (430 Nm). Being a turbocharged four-cylinder mill, one could argue that it's not going to be as reliable as the 4.0-liter V6 of the FJ Cruiser. On the other hand, bear in mind that Toyota wouldn't have poured millions over millions of dollars into the research and development of this engine had it not been forced to do so by ever-stringent fuel economy and emission regulations.
Alternatively referred to as Compact Cruiser after the namesake concept, the long-awaited heir apparent of the FJ Cruiser is certain to sell by the truckload. As to when this off-roader will go on sale, fingers crossed it's late 2024 to early 2025 for the 2025 model year.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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