Mini Toyota LandCruiser FJ to open up new battleground: Compact 4WDs are the new flavour of the month as baby Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen and little Land Rover Defender to join the fray: Reports

We are on the cusp of a mini 4WD bonanza.

Toyota’s mini LandCruiser FJ has been at the centre of rumours for the past few years, and it could be about to be revealed at the 2025 Tokyo motor show in October.

New patent filings to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) by Toyota, which include an image of what appears to be a production version of this revived FJ Cruiser, have only poured fuel on the fire.

Not to mention Toyota Australia has trademarked the FJ LandCruiser name in Australia.

Reports from Japanese outlet, Best Car, have given us a good indication of what it’ll be like.

It really will be compact, measuring about 4500mm long, 1830mm wide and 1850mm tall, which is about the same size as a Toyota Corolla Cross or Hyundai Kona.

It will have 210mm of ground clearance and full-time four-wheel drive.

Power will come from a choice of either a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine or a 2.7-litre petrol motor, which are both found in entry-level HiLux utes.

It will likely be based on the IMV-0 platform that is used for emerging market vehicles such as the HiLux Champ in South-East Asia.

Toyota isn’t alone in developing a baby off-roader.

Mercedes-Benz will build a mini version of its burly G-Wagen according to reports.

Mercedes-Benz boss Ola Kallenius said previously the company was considering a baby G-Wagen this decade, but now the company appears to have confirmed it will be here sooner rather than later.

It is expected to be based on the MB.EA platform that lies underneath the recently debuted electric Mercedes-Benz GLC.

That model can charge at speeds up to 330kW via a DC pylon and 22kW via an AC charging point.

The electric GLC has potent performance with 360kW and a driving range of more than 700km.

Those figures could translate well in a compact off-roader.

Land Rover is getting in on the act, too.

Recent spy shots show a heavily camouflage shrunken Defender testing in Europe.

It is believed it will be dubbed the Defender Sport, and is expected to be the little brother to the full-size Defender.

Spy shots show the test car wears the same blocky, chunky styling of the full-size Defender.

The Defender is available in multiple sizes, but will likely be a similar size to the Defender 90, which measures about 4320mm long.

It is expected to be all electric, in a similar vein to the baby G-Wagen, and ride on the brand’s new EMA platform.

This will enable 350kW charging via its 800-Volt architecture. Dual motors will give it pace and it will need to be more than capable off-road to wear the Land Rover Defender badge.

Land Rover is expected to debut the model next year with production slated for 2027.

Chinese brands such as BYD's Denza and Chery's Jetour, could also produce something similar eventually, too.

For now the the Suzuki Jimny remains the only option for Australian buyers.