TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Toyota says Tj Cruiser is no FJ replacement
Less rugged and more fuel-efficientToyota’s newly-unveiled Tj Cruiser concept has been all-but confirmed as a future production model by officials in Tokyo this week – just don’t call it an FJ Cruiser replacement.
Stakeholders from the Japanese marque were eager to distance the new prototype from its rugged, off-road cousin during a pre-show event and on the stands at ‘Tokyo Big Sight’ this week.
Hirokazu Ikuma, from Toyota’s global planning division, said Toyota had investigated front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions of the Tj Cruiser in a production capacity – a reflection of the vehicle’s more gentrified brief.
Toyota is now using feedback from the Tokyo motor show and abroad to gauge interest and demand for a road-going version.
“It’s a very different vehicle to the FJ Cruiser, and much smaller: 4300mm long, 1775mm wide and 1620mm high,” Ikuma-san told motoring.com.au.
“There were no reference cars that we looked at when we designed this car,” he added, ruling out links with both the FJ Cruiser and the upcoming Ford Bronco.
“We thought about the type of target users and we thought about the image of the target users. This Tj Cruiser will have a very strong, sturdy cabin and very strong front and wheels.”
The fate of the cult-like FJ Cruiser remains clouded after Toyota axed the Prado-based model in 2016. The closest sign of a replacement emerged earlier this year in the form of the FT-4X concept.
Underpinned by Toyota’s new global TNGA architecture, the same used in the C-HR, the Tj is set to be available with a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine, and the option of a hybrid drivetrain employing the same petrol motor.
“It’s a monocoque structure, so we are thinking of four-wheel drive for the off-road,” Ikuma-san said.
“This car would be suitable for driving the sand beach but not as rough as rocky sand dunes.
“Basically the target users we are thinking of are young people who enjoy work, leisure and entertainment at the same time. They are not the sort of people that just drive crazily off-road. It is for people who enjoy driving on-road and off-road at the same time – they may take their friends to a barbeque or take their cars surfing.”
Toyota’s Australian operation has expressed a clear desire to snare the newly-conceived offering for local showrooms.
“It’s a car that, because of our market and our environment, that I would be definitely interested in,” Toyota Australia’s newly-appointed national operations vice president Sean Hanley said.
“Potentially, if it was ever to go into production, it might be a fun car to have. I think it would have appeal to young, active Australians.”
Whatever the future brings for the Tj, Toyota plans to make use of its key design concepts elsewhere in its global hierarchy. Of significant interest in a production capacity is the Tj’s dirt and scratch resistance paint.
“It’s a very special reinforced paint that’s used so the surface is very much resilient to damage and dirt,” Ikuma-san said. “It’s a matte finish, we haven’t decided whether to produce this car or not but it would be great if we could use this paint in a production application.”
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