If you’re unfamiliar, until 2014 Toyota made a crossover called an FJ Cruiser. It was kind of a “tweener” SUV, roughly RAV4-sized, but with legit off-road capability. Crucially, it shared a lot of its structure and parts with other global Toyota stablemates, including vehicles that Toyota sells and produces for our market, like the Tacoma and 4Runner, and vehicles we’ve never gotten, like the much lusted-after Hilux, which is sold in developing markets.
Now it seems that Toyota is delaying plans for the FJ’s return, possibly because of tariffs or, as we’ve reported before, because the FJ is an SUV in search of a market.
What The FJ Will Be, If It’s Coming
First, to rekindle the magic of the outgoing crossover, Toyota would want to similarly lean on its existing supply chain and common parts used across the
, Prado (a.k.a. Land Cruiser),
and possibly other vehicles. That’s because to have anything viable it has to sell in the $30,000-$40,000 tab, to not cannibalize from the 4Runner. This new 4×4 must be assembled and made on a tight budget.
According to reporting at the Japanese site, BestCarWeb.jp, the platform may be one that underpins the Hilux pickup, and as we’ve previously reported, on the wheelbase of the Toyota Corolla Cross, but borrowing some of its four-wheel-drive architecture from the current Land Cruiser.
What the FJ Must Be To Be Legit
There is a viable niche for the FJ, but it could be problematic for Toyota to get the formula right. Currently, Subaru sort of owns the slot with the Crosstrek Wilderness. That’ll run you about $32,000, which is right where Toyota would want to peg the FJ. A Ford Bronco Sport Badlands runs $42,000—which is where the 4Runner begins pricing.
Toyota almost surely wants a true 4×4, and they probably want to pit whatever they make against a Ford of that caliber and not their own 4Runner, and scale-wise, to stay small.
But a twist here could be a hybrid, which would be a strong play against Ford, or certainly an EV, because a legit 4X4 EV is “white space” that isn’t filled currently—and may not be until Rivian unveils its smaller crossovers.
Electrifying the FJ also enables unique electric branding, too. You can imagine an entire FJ Cruiser electric/hybrid lineup that works like Scion of yore (but a lot cooler).
And certainly either a shared EV platform with Subaru or the forthcoming Land Cruiser EV platform may work here. EV powertrains, made in the U.S., would enable Toyota to skirt the brunt of tariffs, too, and they’re a lot more modular and versatile. Witness how Hyundai/Kia/Genesis are doing this. Though, ideally, the versatility also extends to a hybrid powertrain, too.
TopSpeed’s Take
Remember that the 4Runner is only made in Japan, so those are subject to a 25 percent tariff, and the Tacoma is made in Mexico. The latter may not suffer as much due to tariffs, as we’ve already reported, but a great deal remains to be seen on the tariffs’ structure, and part of that scheme is around parts, not where a vehicle is assembled.
And no matter what Toyota’s planning, whether that’s a platform that can be a hybrid or an EV—a safe play—the modularity and viability of that vehicle very much depends on a shared parts mix with other vehicles. If an FJ uses a frame that’s shared with other trucks, that shaves cost, which is crucial for something like the FJ to be profitable.
We sure think an EV small ute (or a hybrid small ute) would be great, but we also understand this is a pretty big challenge for Toyota to swing.
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