Toyota FJ Cruiser home on highway or off beaten track

Anyone who remembers the 1970s – and even those who don’t – will be overjoyed to see the ultimately rugged and retro-styled FJ Cruiser 4WD on the Toyota stand at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney.

The youth market-oriented modern-day FJ will be in showrooms early next year – built upon the well-sorted Prado platform, and available in a range of in-your-face colours (as well as some conservative ones).  The FJ Cruiser is sure to add some off-road excitement to the brand that’s renowned for its 4WD vehicles’ dominance of the Australian regional market.

Common to the Prado and FJ will be the independent front suspension and live rear axle setup – but the bodywork is entirely bespoke.   It’s designed to inspire fond memories of the venerable FJ40 LandCruisers of four decades ago, which were so instrumental in getting up and running one of Australia’s greatest engineering achievements – the Snowy Mountains Scheme.

Cue the huge ‘TOYOTA’ badge dead-centre in the grille (a unique offering in the Toyota lineup – every other product features the curvy Toyota emblem in place of the letters), plus round headlamps and outboard orange indicators. A white roof is also standard.

Also harking back to the FJ that first saw duty in the 1960s is the vehicle’s overall boxy shape, the near vertical windscreen with three wipers and wraparound rear glass.

There are some features that aren’t retro: rear ‘suicide doors’ that allow easy access to the rear seat area, and a swing-up hinged rear window – great for that trip to Bunnings to buy oversize materials. There’s even special water-repellent fabric on the seats.

Engine details for Australia weren’t known at the time of writing, but the smart money is tipping the same 4.0-litre 178kW 1GR-FE engine that powers the FJ in the USA (as well as the Prado Down Under) – and a diesel might be a distinct possibility, too, given the Prado-based underpinnings. Great news for Australia if diesel is on the menu.

Part-time or full-time four-wheel drive? We don’t know that yet – maybe both will be on offer – but componentry to support either driveline is available in the Toyota parts inventory.  What we do know is that Toyota is committed to delivering “a powerful engine, dual-range 4WD, excellent ground clearance, and ample suspension articulation” that will “deliver the off-road prowess implied by its ‘Cruiser’ badge”.

The vehicle is currently on sale in left-hand-drive markets like the USA, where you’re just as likely to see one on LA’s Sunset Boulevarde or Rodeo Drive … or tackling a rugged pass through Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

The new FJ is the kind of 4WD that could easily put the market’s other retro-styled players – Jeep’s Wrangler and Land Rover’s Defender – under considerable pressure. Expect a price tag in the $40,000 ballpark.