A Corolla Cross-sized mini Toyota Land Cruiser FJ is coming in Q3 2024; trademark filed in Australia
Arvind · Mar 4, 2024 02:00 PM
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An early tease of the Land Cruiser FJ last year. Render by Best Car Web
The smallest member of the growing Toyota Land Cruiser family is coming soon if solid reports by Japanese auto source Best Car Web, as well as separate trademark filings, are anything to go by.
Fleetingly teased during last year’s press launch of the Land Cruiser 250 (also known as Prado in selected markets), the new Land Cruiser FJ – as per the latest trademark filings in Australia separately reported by Carsguide will become the newest member of the Land Cruiser family, in line with Toyota’s ambition of growing the iconic 4x4 model’s worldwide customer base.
According to preliminary reports and renders by Best Car Web, the Land Cruiser FJ will be about the size of a Toyota Corolla Cross – at 4490 mm (length) and 1825 mm (width) for reference – but will be slightly taller at approximately 1,840 mm (versus the Corolla Cross’ 1,825 mm).
The wheelbase is expected to measure 2,500 mm (versus the Land Cruiser 250’s 2,850 mm) with a weight of approximately 1,700 kg.
The Land Cruiser FJ is rumoured to feature either a naturally-aspirated 2.0L petrol and/or a 2.5-litre petrol hybrid engine that is offered in the current Toyota RAV4.
In the RAV4, the 2.0-litre develops 173 PS and 203 Nm, whereas the (A25A-FXS) 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid powertrain featured in the RAV4 develops 178 PS and 221 Nm (engine), which is further aided by front and rear axle electric motors that develop 120 PS/202 Nm and 54 PS/121 Nm respectively.
Body construction type is still uncertain at this point, though there are differing reports on whether the Land Cruiser FJ will be underpinned by a ladder-frame chassis (as per all previous Land Cruiser models) or a monocoque chassis like other road-biased Toyota SUVs.
Best Car Web says it's the Land Cruiser will undoubtedly use a ladder-frame chassis, whilst Carsguide seems to report the latter.
According to Carsguide, Chief Engineer of the Land Cruiser Prado (250) Masaya Uchiyama previously said, "Maybe we can make a monocoque Land Cruiser, like Land Rover. We have many ways to go, multi-pathways, using different models and positions."
Alternatively, Toyota could also adopt the IMV-O platform, which underpins the Toyota Hilux Champ thereby providing a cost-effective and more compact ladder-frame for the Land Cruiser FJ, versus the TNGA-F ladder-frame platform utilised in the Land Cruiser 250.
According to Best Car Web, the Land Cruiser FJ is expected to debut in Japan sometime in Q3 of 2024.
Arvind can't remember a time when he didn't wheel around a HotWheels car. This love evolved into an interest in Tamiya and RC cars and finally the real deal 1:1 scale stuff. Passion finally lead to formal training in Mechanical Engineering. Instead of the bigger picture, he obsesses with the final drive ratio and spring rates of cars and spends the weekends wondering why a Perodua Myvi is so fast.
