Toyota's LandCruiser FJ is shaping up as a sub-Prado, Suzuki Jimny-fighting, off-road-ready hybrid car for the masses

Toyota’s much-anticipated compact LandCruiser, likely badged the FJ, looks set to form a crucial part of the car-maker’s plan to refresh its presence in the Australian car market.

The Japanese car-maker already dominates the SUV and 4WD space with Prado (plus the all-new model is due here soon), 70 Series (the new-gen arrived here last year) and 300 Series, but the new FJ, smaller than the original vehicle on which it’s based, is tipped to be more in the same vein of the new-generation Ford Bronco and Land Rover Defender 90 but is set to be a solid rival for the Suzuki Jimny.

While the original FJ never attracted the same level of fanatical fan love as the 70, 80 or 100 Series, it has gradually developed a strong following because of its quirky retro styling and its rep as a solid Prado-based touring platform.

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Sold from 2011 to 2016, the FJ Cruiser rode on a third-generation Prado platform, had a 4.0-litre V6 petrol engine (producing 200kW and 380Nm) and benefited from an Australia-specific suspension tune. But it never sold as well as Toyota had hoped, topping out at 2981 in 2012 and dropping from there until the FJ was discontinued in 2017.

But the new mini LandCruiser – reportedly to be called a Land Hopper in Japan, but FJ elsewhere – has certainly piqued the interest of car lovers everywhere.

Check out our artist renderings of what it might look like to see why the new FJ continues to set tongues a-wagging and imaginations soaring.

The petrol-hybrid FJ (no diesel is expected in Australia) looks set to be built on a ladder-frame off-road platform, but Toyota has hinted at the possibility of monocoque versions being built.

Sold from 2011 to 2016, the FJ Cruiser rode on a third-generation Prado platform, had a 4.0-litre V6 petrol engine (producing 200kW and 380Nm) and benefited from an Australia-specific suspension tune.

The FJ’s dimensions will be more in line with Toyota’s Corolla Cross, so it will likely be 4460mm long, 1825mm wide but about 1800mm high. For comparison’s sake, the new Prado, aka the 250 Series, is 4925mm long and 1980mm wide; and the three-door Suzuki Jimny is 3480mm long, the five-door Jimny is 3985mm long – and both Jimny variants are 1645mm wide.

It will likely share the RAV4 Hybrid's 2.5-litre petrol-hybrid system, which produces 163kW and 227Nm, and has a 1500kg braked towing capacity. So, not a hard-core 4WD touring vehicle, but more of a city-friendly adventure machine.

Toyota seems determined to shrug off its slow-poke tag in relation to perceived lagging innovation in the EV space, recently offering up several concepts in recent months to keep fans of the brand intrigued, guessing and … happy?

Toyota seems determined to shrug off its slow-poke tag in relation to perceived lagging innovation in the EV space, recently offering up several concepts in recent months to keep fans of the brand intrigued.

Its concepts on display at the Japan Mobility Show towards the end of 2023 included an electric sports car and electric SUV (the FT-Se and FT-3e), an electric LandCruiser (the SE) and electric ute (the EPU), as well as another utility, the IMV0.

Of these and other concepts, Toyota’s Vice President for Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley said: "We've had no dialogue about those vehicles in Australia at this point.

“But from a conceptual perspective, we're very excited and it just again shows that the company hasn't been sitting still.

“It's actually busy looking at alternatives and we'd welcome any opportunity to bring those types of vehicles to this market.

“So all of these things now will become more real and more visible in the future, I think.”