Toyota FJ Cruiser: Тарихы мен ерекшеліктері

The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a retro styled mid size SUV produced by Toyota between 2006 and 2022. Introduced as a concept car at the January 2003 North American International Auto Show, the FJ Cruiser was approved for production after positive consumer response and debuted at the January 2005 North American International Auto Show in final production form. The FJ Cruiser was built by Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors in Hamura, Japan, between 2006 and 2022. The vehicle shares many structural underpinnings with the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. The FJ Cruiser entered the Japanese market on 4 December 2010, announced on 25 November in that year. On 5 November 2013, Toyota USA announced the 2014 model year Trail Teams edition would be called the "Ultimate Edition" and that the 2014 model year would be the last for the FJ Cruiser in that market. It continued to be made for sale in other markets such as Australia until its export to that market was discontinued in August 2016. as of 2022, it was still sold in markets such as Chile, the Middle East, the Philippines and Southern African Customs Union countries. On 1 October 2022, Toyota announced that the FJ Cruiser would be discontinued in the Middle East by December 2022, along with a final edition model.

By the time the production of the original FJ40 ended in 1984, Toyota had shifted towards increasing the size and luxury of the Land Cruiser line. The idea of a new FJ with rugged capabilities of the FJ40 originated in the mid 1990s with Toyota's product planner Dave Danzer and vice president of sales and operations Yoshi Inaba. The FJ Cruiser concept debuted at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show in Voodoo Blue, which would become the signature color for the production FJ Cruiser.

The FJ Cruiser was primarily developed for the North American market but has been sold in small numbers globally since its launch. In addition, right hand drive versions have the side indicator markers located on the fender panels, rather than located on the side view mirrors used for left hand drive production FJ Cruisers. Sales of right hand drive model began in Australia and New Zealand in 2011 available in only four wheel drive with automatic transmission and a petrol engine. Japanese market sales, never substantial to begin with, were halted in January 2018.

For North America, in 2007 Toyota Racing Development (TRD) produced 3,200 units as limited production TRD Special Edition FJ Cruisers. This model was released with the body painted in a black diamond pearl color, and with a matching black roof to set itself apart from its standard, white roofed counterparts. The special edition model included TRD cat back exhaust system, TRD Bilstein offroad tuned shocks, rock rails, 16 inch alloy gun metal gray finished TRD wheels with BFGoodrich all terrain tires, and TRD badges. The TRD Special Edition also included mechanical changes to synchronize the locking differential with the active traction control (resulting in the rear differential no longer overriding the active traction). Early production 2006 FJ Cruisers had an issue that caused the rear differential to override the active traction control, except in the TRD Special Editions. However, by November 2006, Toyota had changed production to incorporate synchronization of the locking differential with active traction control on all FJ Cruisers. In 2009, subsequent to Toyota releasing the Trail Teams Special Edition FJ Cruiser for the production year of 2008, Toyota created the TRD package. This package was available on FJ Cruisers with the iceberg white monotone exterior color scheme, similar to the 2008 Trail Teams Special Editions, except without the addition of blacked out trim pieces. Even though this package was known as the "TRD package", it did not include the same or as many features as the TRD Special Edition. Some of the features with this package were the TRD alloy wheels in a silver finish with the BFGoodrich all terrain tires, as well as TRD logos and graphics on the exterior. Also, the TRD package was only offered on units with two wheel drive for the 2008 and 2009 model years. Since 2011, Toyota offered the TRD package on the iceberg white FJ Cruisers but opened the package availability to both two and four wheel drive models. In 2009, 2,400 units were produced with the TRD package.

Beginning with the 2008 model year, Toyota manufactured 3,200 units of specially equipped FJ Cruisers designated as the Trail Teams Special Edition, which featured many of the same TRD options included on the TRD Special Edition, including the same 16 inch alloy wheels (but in a black finish as opposed to the gun metal grey finish of the TRD model). The Trail Teams Special Edition was also equipped with BFGoodrich All Terrain tires, as well as TRD/Trail Teams Bilstein shocks, and other similar options found on the TRD model. The number of Trail Teams Special Edition FJ Cruisers produced per year are as follows: 3,200 units for 2008 (as stated above); 1,500 for 2010; 2,500 in 2011; 2,500 in 2012; 2,500 in 2013; and 2,500 in 2014. No Trail Teams models were produced in 2009. However, Toyota released a TRD Package for that model year and it was used on the same Iceberg White painted FJ Cruisers that were used for the 2008 Trail Teams Special Edition, (for more information, see the TRD Special Edition section.) Over the years, small incremental changes have been made to the Trail Teams Special Edition FJ Cruisers, such as changing the TRD alloy wheels to beadlock style TRD wheels on later years, and the availability of Toyota's CRAWL control feature as part of the Trail Teams package (2013 and 2014 automatic transmission only). The CRAWL control had been previously used on other 4 wheel drive vehicles from Toyota and Lexus to enhance off road capabilities. Each year, the Trail Teams Special Edition is painted in one distinct color and is the only FJ variant (besides the TRD Special Edition units) offered in a monotone color scheme, rather than the traditional two tone FJ Cruiser with the standard white painted roof (excluding standard production FJ Cruisers with the "Iceberg White" body). The Trail Teams variants are also the only FJ models to have body trim pieces blacked out from the factory including the mirrors, door handles, bumper caps, etc. Special design details also carry over to the interior such as color matched fabric inserts on the seats for specific years and special Trail Teams badges.

The FJ S Cruiser Concept, debuted at the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV, is the creation of Toyota and Toyota Racing Development (TRD) in an effort to create a new style of FJ Cruiser that from its looks, remains fairly similar, but is designed to be even more off road ready than its standard FJ Cruiser counterparts. The FJ S Cruiser Concept actually incorporates suspension components from the Baja Series Tacoma and has an upgraded chassis and body structure with the addition of an underbody "exoskeleton" to improve its off road prowess. According to Toyota, the extra stiffness and strength provided by the exoskeleton creates a more suitable platform for the suspension modifications and wheel upgrades added, which include 60mm Bilstein racing shocks up front and 50mm Bilstein racing shocks with remote reservoirs in the rear which produce around 1.3 inches of lift over stock. Also, the FJ S features all new TRD 17 inch wheels in a Midnight Black finish along with BFGoodrich Mud Terrain tires. TRD also added their new supercharger with a Twin Vortex System and a large air to water intercooler, which brings the engine output to 345 horsepower and 345 of torque, which is 30% and 25% of increase over the standard FJ Cruiser model. The exterior of the FJ S Cruiser Concept received other changes/upgrades including a front nudge bar and the rock rails used on other FJ Cruiser variants. The color Toyota chose for this model is the Quicksand color, but unlike other FJ variants, they kept the white roof as opposed to doing a monochromatic color scheme. The interior of the FJ S debuted an all new two tone leather seating with the FJ S logos on the seatbacks along with custom floor mats. Not much information has been released as far as the chassis and body structure changes go, and Toyota hasn't announced what they plan on doing with the FJ S Cruiser Concept in the future. So whether or not it goes into production in a later year or if it remains a concept car is uncertain. However, new releases from Toyota show that the TRD Bilstein shocks with remote reservoirs and TRD tuned front spring suspension combination debuted on the FJ S Cruiser Concept is the same one they used on the Trail Teams Ultimate Edition FJ Cruiser for 2014. Toyota also put the same newly designed TRD Midnight Black alloy wheels used on the FJ S on the new TRD Pro Series 4Runner.

The "Final Edition" of the FJ Cruiser went on sale in Japan on 12 September 2017. Sales of the FJ Cruiser were discontinued there on 31 January 2018.

The Toyota FJ Cruiser Final Edition was released in the Middle East in 2 October 2022. Production will be limited to just 1,000 units until the end of production in December 2022.

The FJ debuted to both criticism and acclaim from the automotive press. Critics appreciated Toyota's drive to bring such an aggressively styled and purpose driven vehicle to market at a time when the company was focused on more conservative designs. The FJ was universally praised for its off road performance with many reviewers also appreciating its on road manners, functional interior, and styling that paid homage to the original FJ40. The off road community widely embraced the new addition of another Toyota off road vehicle and many different groups and forums were created specifically with the FJ Cruiser at their center. Some reviewers took issue with the amount of body roll and low lateral grip performance though noting the suspension was designed to be soft with a long travel for off road use. The FJ Cruiser was also criticized for its styling which created large blindspots, smaller than average cargo capacity, and cramped rear seating that was difficult to access. Toyota attempted to improve the blind spot issues by offering a rear back up camera starting with the 2009 model year and changed the hinge mechanisms on the front seats allowing passengers easier entry and exit from the rear starting with the 2011 model.