Toyota hints at an FJ Cruiser successor with FT-AC
What is it? Another SUV concept from Toyota, billed as an heir apparent to the FT-4X concept shown earlier this year, but really pointing to a spiritual successor to much missed FJ Cruiser.
Why does it matter? The FJ Cruiser wasn’t a huge sales success for Toyota, but as soon as it got cancelled it became a cult classic. Today, a prime FJ fetches a premium price. The FT-AC — officially a “Future Toyota Adventure Concept” — is a classic unibodied compact crossover, only with serious offroad
abilities. When is it coming? Only a concept, but something based on the FT-AC is sure to arrive because this is the second time the company has teased this “Future Toyota” concept.
Should you buy it? If it comes to market in something like the FTAC guise, it will almost assuredly be a hot commodity. Disarmingly cute — and not a bit quirky, which, I suspect, was the FJ Cruiser’s downfall — the FT sports a bike rack integrated into the back bumper, fog lights that can be removed and then attached to said bicycles for a midnight mountain bike ride and twin hooks for vehicle recovery.
There’s full-time all-wheel drive on board to get you deep in the woods and four-wheel torque vectoring to get you out. Skid plates protect the underbody and the long-wheelbase/short-overhang chassis offers excellent approach and departure angles. There’s even a four-wheel lock function for those heading for the deep mud.
Most surprising is that Toyota is teasing that the FT-AC could be a hybrid, not detailing which powertrain it would use but that the Hybrid Synergy Drive would provide reduced emissions while generating the low-speed torque needed for serious off-roading.