Photo: Toyota
Ten years ago, Toyota had the brilliant idea of bolting a retro body shell on top of the chassis of a Land Cruiser Prado. Thus, the FJ Cruiser was born. A decade later, production of the Toyota FJ Cruiser is set to take its last breath. Sniff sniff, I know, right?
Introduced at the 2005 Detroit Auto Show and inspired by the cult classic FJ40 Land Cruiser, the Toyota FJ Cruiser stopped being sold in the U.S. after the 2014 model year. The 4Runner took it over from then on. Happily, however, the FJ Cruiser soldiered on in markets such as the Middle East, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Nevertheless, all good stories come to an end and the Toyota FJ Cruiser makes no exception to the golden rule.
According to the Australian arm of Toyota, we will be bidding a fond farewell to the FJ Cruiser in August. “The FJ rides into the sunset as a vehicle renowned for its ability to traverse rugged outback trails while offering plenty of utility for all types of activities and being equally well-suited for everyday driving,” said Tony Cramb, executive director of sales & marketing at Toyota Australia. The FJ Cruiser ”will leave lasting memories as one of the most iconic vehicles in Toyota's rich SUV history, helping to bring renewed energy to the Toyota brand.”
Since day one, the Toyota FJ Cruiser was available with one engine option: the 1GR-FE 4.0-liter V6. Conjoined to either a six-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission, the naturally aspirated mill churns 268 horsepower (200 kW) and 280 lb-ft (380 Nm) of torque. Despite the so-and-so performance, people tend to forget that this SUV boasts 36 and 31 degrees approach and departure angles.
There’s no information on a direct replacement for the FJ Cruiser. If Toyota doesn’t offer a successor for this body-on-frame SUV, the Japanese brand will be making a big mistake. The thing is, lifestyle-oriented vehicles inspired by glorious machines from days gone by are vital to the strengthening of a car brand. Toyota should know better. Case in point: the GT 86 is a worthy successor to the AE86 of the ‘80s.
According to the Australian arm of Toyota, we will be bidding a fond farewell to the FJ Cruiser in August. “The FJ rides into the sunset as a vehicle renowned for its ability to traverse rugged outback trails while offering plenty of utility for all types of activities and being equally well-suited for everyday driving,” said Tony Cramb, executive director of sales & marketing at Toyota Australia. The FJ Cruiser ”will leave lasting memories as one of the most iconic vehicles in Toyota's rich SUV history, helping to bring renewed energy to the Toyota brand.”
Since day one, the Toyota FJ Cruiser was available with one engine option: the 1GR-FE 4.0-liter V6. Conjoined to either a six-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission, the naturally aspirated mill churns 268 horsepower (200 kW) and 280 lb-ft (380 Nm) of torque. Despite the so-and-so performance, people tend to forget that this SUV boasts 36 and 31 degrees approach and departure angles.
There’s no information on a direct replacement for the FJ Cruiser. If Toyota doesn’t offer a successor for this body-on-frame SUV, the Japanese brand will be making a big mistake. The thing is, lifestyle-oriented vehicles inspired by glorious machines from days gone by are vital to the strengthening of a car brand. Toyota should know better. Case in point: the GT 86 is a worthy successor to the AE86 of the ‘80s.
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