First-Ever 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ TRD and EV Come Rugged From the Virtual Realm

If we only think about the American market, the company introduced lots of great models – Corolla Cross Hybrid, Prius 'Hybrid Reborn' in Prime plug-in hybrid form, an ever-expanding roster of Nightshade special editions, a trio of GR limited series (GR86 Trueno, GR Corolla Circuit, GR Supra 45th Anniversary), and superstars like the 2024 Grand Highlander three-row crossover SUV or the N400 Tacoma.

Currently, we are still waiting for some of the announcements from last year to pan out – the 2024 Tacoma with i-Force Max hybrid power, the 2024 Land Cruiser, or the 2025 Camry and Crown Signia crossover SUV, among others. But the rumor mill is still impatient about what comes next – from revivals of Stout compact truck nameplates to reborn sports cars like the MR2. Of course, a massive component of the report cards is also about the next SUV ideas.

For example, many believe that Toyota will finally bring out an all-new 4Runner based on the TNGA-F body-on-frame architecture to act as a sibling for the N400 Tacoma and J250 Land Cruiser. Others, including the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, just can't get enough LC in their lives. As such, the good folks over at the Car Review Channel and Q Cars channels on YouTube want to unleash their visions of the next compact Toyota SUV that will take over the (adventure) world.

There have been countless rumors about Toyota expanding the Land Cruiser family below the J300 and J250 iterations with a compact model either called 'Land Hopper' or 'Land Cruiser FJ' to honor the potential legacy of the defunct FJ Cruiser. As such, no one really settles down on just one moniker – but they all talk about the same vehicle.

For example, the resident pixel master from the Car Review Channel has envisioned it in rugged TRD form with help from AI software, and we have quite a few unofficial visions that the FJ Cruiser directly inspired. Some are rugged, some are modern, and some are stylish – but they're all fake, unfortunately.

As a counterpoint, the virtual artist behind Q Cars thinks the Toyota 'Compact Cruiser' will come to fight the Ford Bronco Sport for the title of rugged compact SUVs directly as an EV – skipping the ICE-powered and hybrid powertrains altogether. Their vision is also highly hypothetical, but at least it's much cleaner and has fewer exaggerated elements. So, which one do you think will come to market – a rugged TRD or a sustainable EV? And which is your favorite?