Toyota FJ Cruiser

Toyota FJ Cruiser at a glance

From 2003 concept to production

Toyota showed the FJ Cruiser as a concept car at the Detroit motor show (NAIAS) in January 2003. Inside the company it was called "Rugged Youth Utility", a vehicle aimed at young male buyers. The exterior was drawn by Jin Won Kim, who was 24 when his design was chosen, and the interior by Bill Chergosky. The public response persuaded Toyota to build it, and the production version made its debut at Chicago in February 2005.

The concept's bright Voodoo Blue paint became the signature colour of the production car. Some features of the show car were dropped to save cost, such as a gear lever shaped like a shovel handle, torch-style interior lights and front seats that folded flat. The FJ shares its body-on-frame structure with the Land Cruiser Prado, although it is not identical to the two-door Prado.

Design and interior

The front borrowed the grille and headlamp arrangement of the FJ40, with the word "TOYOTA" spelled out across the grille instead of the usual badge. The windscreen stood almost upright and had three wipers. The side has no central pillar: two small rear-hinged doors open behind the front doors, and high-strength steel in the doors takes over the job of the pillar in a side impact.

Inside, many surfaces were washable rubber, the controls were oversized so that they could be used with gloves, and an optional three-gauge cluster showed a compass, the outside temperature and an inclinometer. A 120 V socket in the load area was also available. A rear camera became available from the 2009 model year, and from 2011 new front-seat hinges made it easier to climb into the back.

Engine, gearboxes and four-wheel drive

The dual VVT-i update of 2010 added 15 kW and allowed regular 87-octane fuel, although Toyota still recommended premium for towing, off-road work and driving at altitude. The choice of gearbox decided the four-wheel-drive system. The six-speed RA61F manual came with full-time 4WD, a Torsen centre differential and a 40:60 front-to-rear split. The five-speed A750F automatic used a part-time system with high and low range, and some markets also had a rear-wheel-drive version with a limited-slip differential. A-TRAC traction control imitated a locking differential without its binding, and a rear locker was available.

Off-road ability and dimensions

On the road the FJ was less convincing. Wikipedia records 0–60 mph in 7.8 seconds and 0.69 g of lateral grip on the standard Bridgestone Dueler tyres, and testers criticised the body roll, the large blind spots and the small rear seat. The front suspension used high-mounted double wishbones, the rear a four-link axle with coil springs. Size and practicality against other off-roaders can be checked in our comparison tool.

Fuel consumption

cars.co.za notes that real consumption was considerably higher than the South African claim. From August 2013 South African cars added an 87-litre supplementary tank to the 72-litre main tank, 159 litres in total. Our fuel cost calculator turns these figures into running costs.

Special editions

At the SEMA Show in 2012 Toyota showed the FJ-S concept with a TRD supercharger and 257 kW (345 hp), about 30 percent more than standard; it never went into production.

Markets, sales and the end of production

US sales peaked at 56,225 in the first calendar year, 2006, and settled at 12,000–15,000 a year from 2009. Critics blamed competition from the Jeep Wrangler, fuel consumption and environmental concerns.

The end of the North American FJ was announced on 5 November 2013, with 2014 as the last model year; CarGurus gives a 2014 starting price of around US$28,000 (about €21,000). Japan received the car only from 4 December 2010; 27,982 were sold there before sales ended on 31 January 2018. Australia took right-hand-drive cars with the automatic and 4WD from 2011 until exports stopped in August 2016. In South Africa the FJ was sold from August 2011, and its last list price in 2023 was R813,000 (about €40,700). Production for the Middle East and other markets continued until December 2022.

Which FJ Cruiser to choose

• For the strongest US car: a 2010–2014 model with dual VVT-i and 193–194 kW on regular fuel.
• For off-road use: the six-speed manual with full-time 4WD, or a Trail Teams edition.
• For the newest right-hand-drive car: a South African car from 2022 with the touchscreen update and Apple CarPlay.
• For a larger, more refined Toyota: the Land Cruiser 200; for a Toyota pickup, the Hilux.

All Toyota models are listed in the Toyota catalogue.

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