Having its public debut at the Nampo Agricultural Expo in Bothaville in the Free State last week, Toyota has released official pricing of the highly awaited Land Cruiser FJ on its website.
Aiming for Jimny
Launching, officially, later this month, the indirect successor to the FJ Cruiser follows the same principle by only being powered by a petrol engine, albeit with selectable four-wheel drive plus a low range gearbox.
Shown and confirmed for South Africa at the brand’s annual State of the Motoring Industry conference in February, the FJ forms part of Toyota’s so-called D-segment SUV assault, which also includes the new RAV4.
Revealed globally in October last year, the Land Cruiser FJ, which has been touted as a rival for the five-door Suzuki Jimny, rides on the same IMV 0 platform that underpins not only the new Hilux and incoming Fortuner, but also the half-ton Hilux Champ.
Dimensions
Its styling drawing parallels with the Mitsubishi D:X Concept shown at the Tokyo Mobility Show three years ago, the Land Cruiser FJ has the following dimensions:
- Length: 4 610 mm;
- Wheelbase: 2 580 mm;
- Height: 1 890 mm;
- Width: 1 855 mm
Able to tow 2 500 kg, Toyota claims a breakover angle of 25°, approach angle of 29° and departure of 38°. Ground clearance is reported to be 245 mm.
Petrol four-cylinder only
As is known by now, power comes from the venerable 2TR-FE normally aspirated 2.7-litre petrol engine shared with the Hilux Champ, Middle-East-spec Fortuner, HiAce and outgoing generation Hilux.
A four-cylinder, unlike the FJ Cruiser’s 4.0-litre V6, the unit has been slightly revised to produce 122kW/245Nm instead of the global model’s 120kW/246Nm.
Sending the amount of twist to the rear or all four wheels falls to a six-speed automatic gearbox. In addition to the low range transfer case, a locking rear differential is also standard fare.
A turbodiesel engine, likely to be the 2.8 GD-6, is under reported consideration before the end of the decade, according to Japan’s Best Car.
Spec
On the specification side, two variants have been approved for South Africa: GX and VX.
As standard, both are equipped with the following:
- LED headlights;
- LED daytime running lights and fog lamps;
- folding electric mirrors;
- roof rails;
- dual-zone climate control;
- seven-inch digital instrument cluster;
- push-button start;
- six-speaker sound system;
- eight-inch infotainment display;
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto;
- dual type-C USB ports
On the safety and driver assistance side, both the GX and VX are further furnished with:
- seven airbags;
- reverse camera;
- front and rear parking sensors;
- Vehicle Stability Control;
- Downhill Assist Control
Building on the GX, the VX swaps the 17-inch alloy wheels for 18-inch alloys, the cloth seat upholstery for imitation leather and the urethane-trimmed steering wheel and gear lever for faux leather.
Also gone is the GX’s regular cruise control, replaced by Adaptive Cruise Control and the reverse camera for a panoramic view setup.
The VX further gets:
- traction control;
- Auto High Beam Assist;
- Lane Departure Warning;
- Pre-Collision Warning;
- Autonomous Emergency Braking;
- Blind Spot Monitoring
Colours
In total, five colours are offered:
- Ash Grey;
- Attitude Black;
- Oxide Bronze;
- Calcite Blue;
- Platinum White Pearl
Price
Included with both the GX and VX’s price tag is a three-year/100 000 km warranty and a nine-service/90 000 km service plan.
- Land Cruiser FJ 2.7 GX 4WD AT – R714 000
- Land Cruiser FJ 2.7 VX 4WD AT – R761 400
