Codenamed XJ10, the FJ Cruiser was a mid-sized utility vehicle that ran between 2007 and 2014 in America. Manufactured exclusively in Japan by Toyota Motor Corporation subsidiary Hino Motors, the FJ40-inspired FJ Cruiser ended production back in December 2022.
Why did Toyota discontinue it? For starters, old age. With the Japanese automaker now transitioning to the TNGA-F platform of the Land Cruiser 300, the retro-styled utility vehicle had to be canned. Its naturally-aspirated V6 and five-speed automatic aren't exactly modern either. As far as the US market is concerned, the FJ Cruiser initially sold well. But alas, the financial crash of 2007 – 2008 saw deliveries contract from 56,255 examples in 2006 to a meager 11,941 in 2009.
Toyota's off-road utility vehicle didn't recover in subsequent years. 14,718 were sold in 2014, and the final example for the US market was delivered in 2021. This isn't unique to the FJ Cruiser, though. Zombie cars include the Dodge Viper and Lexus LFA, hi-po icons that served as halo models for Chrysler and Toyota.
To this day, the FJ Cruiser enjoys a strong following in the United States and beyond as well. Singapore-based pixel artist Theophilus Chin saw a few examples of the breed while visiting Kuching in Malaysia, prompting him to breathe new life into this bygone design in Photoshop. The resulting piece is an FJ Cruiser pickup truck gifted with rear half doors – like the real thing – and a small bed for whatever people haul these days.
Theophilus kept it clean in every respect, carrying over the white top and black running boards of the FJ Cruiser that served as the basis for this rendering. Would it make sense for Toyota to bring the XJ10 back in the form of a pickup truck? If you ask me, the answer is negative.
The all-new Tacoma is right around the corner, with Toyota having already teased a couple of go-anywhere trim levels in the form of the Trailhunter and TRD Pro. What if the FJ Cruiser came back as a sport utility vehicle? That's a big fat no as well because Stellantis and Ford have this segment covered with the Jeep Wrangler and Bronco. You also have to remember that a brand-new FJ Cruiser would cannibalize the 4Runner, which – of course – is getting a TNGA-F makeover.
Be that as it may, there is hope on the horizon. Remember the FT-4X concept from 2017? How about the Compact Cruiser EV concept from 2021? Both of them are clearly inspired by the FJ and even older Land Cruisers, and hearsay suggests that a road-going model is just around the corner. Whether it's equipped with an internal combustion engine or a pair of electric motors, FJ loyalists won't like it because of its unibody design.
Take, for instance, the Ranger-based Bronco and Escape-based Bronco Sport. No true off-road enthusiast would mistake a body-on-frame SUV for a crossover with rugged looks. The same applies to the FJ Cruiser and its yet-to-be-confirmed unibody heir apparent. The series-production version of the FT-4X/Compact Cruiser is widely believed to be one of 30 electric vehicles that will be introduced by Toyota by 2030.
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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