It Has The Looks, And It Has A Tough Platform
Impressively, the production Land Cruiser FJ looks very much like the Compact Cruiser SUV teased in 2021, and then fully revealed in 2022. The chunky and boxy fenders and flares, and even the big rear pillars are all dead-ringers for that concept. That's not to say there aren't changes. The FJ has truly circular running lights available to emphasize the retro connection, and a vintage Toyota wordmark badge sits between them. The amount of plastic cladding has increased, and the proportions look a little taller and narrower than the old concept. It also has classic off-road features such as an outside-mounted full-size spare tire and side-hinged tailgate. Toyota further previewed accessories such as a snorkel, mud flaps, and a roof platform.
As for the interior, it looks fairly simple, and it's generally as boxy as the exterior. It does have a large and modern infotainment screen and digital climate controls, but it does seem like there's quite a bit of basic black plastic, which is likely both hard-wearing and cost-conscious.
You may also notice that the front end of this FJ looks vaguely familiar. It's rather similar to that of the Hilux Champ, Toyota's ultra-cheap pickup truck for emerging markets. That's likely not a coincidence as Toyota revealed the FJ uses the same IMV platform as that pickup, as well as Fortuner SUV. The Fortuner looks dramatically different and is a bit larger than the FJ. For reference, the FJ is about as tall and wide as a current RAV4, but it's taller and has a shorter wheelbase. Also, being built on the IMV platform, it features body-on-frame construction with a longitudinally-mounted engine. Toyota revealed that it uses a 2.7-liter gasoline four-cylinder making a modest 161 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque.
It also has a part-time four-wheel-drive system that we would presume also has a low-range. Toyota didn't go into details about suspension, but we wouldn't be surprised if it was similar to the Fortuner with an independent front setup and a live axle at the back. That would give it some impressive off-road performance.
The Odds Of An American Release Don't Seem Great
There's so much to love about the Land Cruiser FJ, and quite a bit of it would make it seem like a strong possibility for the U.S. It has the boxy, off-road-ready looks that people love, especially people that are buying Bronco Sports and Wilderness Subarus. It would also undoubtedly be more capable than those options with traditional four-wheel drive and an actual live rear axle. Unfortunately, the very platform and powertrain that endow the FJ with those capabilities would be the biggest obstacle to an American release.
Toyota doesn't sell any vehicles in the U.S. that use the IMV platform or the four-cylinder it has. That means the company would have to spend a huge amount of work and money to make any needed changes to vehicle to make it compliant for U.S. safety and emissions regulations. Plus, with the FJ being the sole IMV product in America, it alone would have to make up the costs of homologation for the U.S. market. Furthermore, this is clearly meant to be an affordable alternative to products such as the rest of the Land Cruiser line, to say nothing of vehicles like the 4Runner or Fortuner. So combine high development costs with the need to keep the price down, and you have a tough case to make for bringing it, here. Still, Toyota has done wild things before, like give us the GR Corolla for instance, so the company could still surprise us. We're just trying not to get our hopes up.
