Renoca Phoenix Is a Retrofit Toyota Land Cruiser Purpose-Made for Beach Fun

As a bit of much-needed background, Flex has been around since 1967, not anywhere where you could have stumbled upon it, but all the way over in Japan. It has always specialized in remaking Toyota SUVs and trucks, with a special focus on some of the Japanese company's most popular models, the Land Cruiser and Hiace.

Not long ago, Flex decided to target the U.S. market as well and launched a corresponding website, from where to sell retrofitted Land Cruisers to Americans hungry for cool-looking, old-school, yet modern machines. A physical dealership is to follow, and it will be located somewhere in San Diego.

Until this week, the brand’s offering when it comes to modified Toyotas only had two models, the Land Cruiser 100-based Renoca 106, and the Renoca Wonder, which started life as a 60 Series. As of now though, you can add a third model to the list, the Renoca Phoenix.

This particular ride began as a Land Cruiser 80 and, per the shop’s own admission, it gets heavily modified to fit the lifestyle of “beach-goers and those who love the coastal lifestyle.” Naturally, most of these changes are visual in nature, but the entire package is not something to be discarded in any way.

We’ll start with the Phoenix’s invisible bits and tell you that under the now-rounded hood of the SUV sits an inline-six engine capable of delivering 212 hp and 371 Nm of torque. It’s tied to a 4-speed automatic transmission.

Visual modifications are not necessarily extensive, but they are effective. Flex has remade the front end, including the hood that lowers over the engine, and goes for unique paint jobs to make sure the Land Cruiser lights up any and all beaches. In the case of the Wonder, we’re talking about a two-tone paint job that always includes white. This is associated with “popping bright colors” that can be anything from yellow to blue.

It’s the options list for the SUV that makes the Flex offering something worth considering. Because it’s meant to support beach activities, the Land Cruiser can be equipped with roof and bike racks, a variety of lift kits, side steps, and even fog lights, you know, in case you use it for things other than going to the beach.

The interior comes with fresh colors for the seats and dashboard, and a wood steering wheel for that touch of excitement. Don’t let this retro-style approach fool you, because the Phoenix is packed full of modern-day technologies. Starting with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and ending with rearview cameras, there’s little in the way of high-tech aides this thing does not offer.

As for pricing, the Renoca Phoenix is listed by Flex starting at $39,800, which is not all that expensive, if you really think about it. That’s the exact same price the shop is asking for the other two SUVs in its portfolio, the 106 and Wonder.