Another Farewell to the Toyota FJ Cruiser
The Toyota FJ Cruiser was just slightly too ahead of its time. And now it’s saying farewell, by way of the Middle East.
From time to time, automakers have to decide whether to keep chugging along with a certain make or model or to just give up the ghost. The
FJ Cruiser
is one such conundrum for Toyota
—it has been retired and unretired so many times it might as well be Tom Brady
. This time it looks like the real deal, though. The Toyota FJ Cruiser is being officially discontinued, with a finale in the works in the Middle East.
Jerry
takes a closer look.A brief history of the Toyota FJ Cruiser
The Toyota FJ Cruiser first debuted in 2006. A tough, boxy off-roader, it was a callback to the iconic FJ40 that was Toyota’s answer to Jeep for so long.
But the new FJ Cruiser skipped the minimalism of its inspiration, opting instead for big curves and bright, loud colors—can you picture the blue body offset by the white roof?
Though it appealed to nature lovers of all stripes, as well as city-dwellers with a penchant for road dominance, it was pulled prematurely, says
Jalopnik
. When Toyota decided to discontinue it in the U.S. in 2014, the obsession with off-roading crossover SUVs was still just a twinkle in consumers’ eyes. You only have to look at the revamped Ford Bronco’s sales to see what they missed out on.
The final farewell
Luckily, the Toyota FJ Cruiser lived on in other markets. It found a solid niche in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Australia, where drivers enjoyed taking their FJ Cruisers off the beaten path for a bit longer than their American counterparts.
But the day has finally come: the last market standing for the Toyota FJ Cruiser, the Middle East, is playing the outro.
Jalopnik reports that a Final Edition Model will be available in the Middle East next year. Only 1,000 will be sold, and like the Japanese final editions of five years ago, they will be a study in beige.
These final FJ Cruisers’ powertrains will also maintain the typical 4-liter V6 engine of a standard FJ Cruiser and generate the usual 270 hp. No surprises for the finale.
Gone too soon
If you happen to live in Saudi Arabia, you’re in luck: you have the chance to get your hands on one of the last Toyota FJ Cruisers—for real this time.
If you don’t, you could always try to snap up a used one, or get on board the Land Cruiser or 4Runner train. They should suffice for scratching the crossover off-road itch. We’ll just be over here, waving farewell to a misunderstood classic.
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