Toyota has finally pulled the plug on the iconic FJ cruiser SUV that was introduced back in 2006. This comes after Toyota released a ‘Final Edition’ – limited to 1,000 units – in September 2022 for the Middle Eastern market where it was still on sale.
- FJ Cruiser styling was inspired by the original Land Cruiser SUV
- Shared platform with the Land Cruiser Prado, 4Runner SUVs
- Could make a comeback as an EV off-roader in the future
Toyota FJ Cruiser history
The Toyota FJ Cruiser took the world by storm in 2006 with its retro-themed styling and no-nonsense approach to off-roading. It relied heavily on the Toyota parts bin and was an amalgamation of components from various other models like the Land Cruiser Prado, Hilux pickup truck and the 4Runner SUV. The FJ Cruiser was sold globally, from North America to Japan and even the Middle East, which was one of the last markets it was on sale on.
Toyota FJ Cruiser final edition
The Final Edition was available in only a beige exterior shade, but the mirrors, grille and body cladding got a special black coating. The beige treatment continued on the inside as well with seats getting a dual-tone beige-black colour scheme and the centre console getting two beige inserts on either side. Since this was a limited edition car, each vehicle was also numbered to signify the rarity of this FJ Cruiser.
Toyota FJ cruiser powertrain, electrification
Just like most other variants of the FJ Cruiser, the Final Edition received a 270hp, 370Nm, 4.0-litre Toyota V6. However, if these numbers seem dull, the FJ Cruiser also had Toyota Off-Road electronics like Active Traction Control (A-TRAC), Crawl Control, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) with an option of switching it off and electronically controlled locking rear differential.
Toyota had launched a concept of an electric cruiser, which even won the 2022 Concept Car Design Award. This electric concept bore great resemblance to the FJ Cruiser and had fans excited, even though it was much smaller than the petrol-powered FJ.
However, a recent report suggested that Toyota was halting work on the electric cruiser as it was focusing on increasing EV production and architecture as it felt it was losing the EV race to Tesla.
Toyota SUV, MPV line-up for India
Toyota currently sells the Innova Crysta, the Innova Hycross, the Hyryder, the Vellfire MPV, the Fortuner and Fortuner Legender, the Hilux pickup and the Land Cruiser 300 in the Indian market. The Land Cruiser Prado, too, was on sale in India for a few years. Although the FJ Cruiser was not sold in India, there are a few models in the country that were imported by enthusiasts because the SUV has a cult-like following.
Also see:
Toyota Hilux review: Time-tested pickup
Toyota Innova Crysta reintroduced, priced from Rs 19.13 lakh