Dan Mihalascu is an accomplished automotive journalist with over two decades of automotive media work both internationally and in his home country of Romania.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, and he has reviewed (sometimes even raced) cars for most of his professional life.
Prior to joining HotCars.com in July 2025, Dan worked as a news writer and editor for InsideEVs.com, CarScoops.com and Autoevolution.com. He also has bylines at DriveMag.com and ConsumerAffairs.com, among other international media outlets.
In Romania, he wrote for car magazines, sports newspapers and even a TV news station.
Writing and cars aside, he loves reading, cycling, hiking and spending quality time with his family.
U.S. fans of rugged compact SUVs have been waiting a decade for Toyota to bring a successor to the FJ Cruiser and the legendary FJ, and that has finally happened.
The automaker unveiled the all-new Land Cruiser FJ yesterday, and it’s everything off-road enthusiasts have been dreaming about: it has a great-looking boxy body, it’s capable thanks to the ladder-frame chassis and 4WD system, and it will be much more affordable than the Land Cruiser proper. But there’s a big, big problem: it’s not coming to the United States – or Europe, for that matter.
The automaker has confirmed that the new Land Cruiser FJ will be built in Thailand, and that its target market will be the “global South.” Unfortunately, Toyota has said it has no plans to export it to the United States or Europe, although the FJ will make it to its home market of Japan.
“There are no plans for America or Europe. The starting point for this is the global South,” Toyota chief engineer Masaya Uchiyama told Automotive News at the Land Cruiser FJ’s unveiling. That means Toyota’s focus will be on regions such as Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
Those are essentially the same markets where the Toyota Hilux pickup truck is sold, and that’s not a coincidence because the Land Cruiser FJ shares the ladder-frame IMV platform with the rugged mid-size truck. In the current market environment where the U.S. is imposing sizable tariffs on foreign-made vehicles, it’s not hard to see why Toyota has made the decision not to offer the baby Land Cruiser stateside. Thailand-made vehicles are subject to a 19% percent tariff, which would make the compact Land Cruiser FJ too expensive.
When it comes to rugged Toyota SUVs and trucks, the U.S. market will remain restricted to models based on its TNGA platform. That means off-road enthusiasts will be able to buy the 4Runner and Land Cruiser SUVs – the 250 series, not the larger 300 series available in overseas markets – as well as the Tacoma pickup.
It’s a shame that Toyota hasn’t made plans to offer the Land Cruiser FJ in the U.S., though. The baby Land Cruiser is a compact yet capable body-on-frame off-road SUV in the vein of the Suzuki Samurai or Jimny, with the big advantage that it’s properly sized for a family. As the only compact body-on-frame SUV on the market, it would make a fearsome rival for the Ford Bronco Sport, Subaru Forester Wilderness and other off-road-focused unibody SUVs sold in the United States.
The new Land Cruiser FJ is 180.1 inches long, 73 inches wide and 77.2 inches tall, with a wheelbase of 101 inches. That makes it 11 inches shorter than the Land Cruiser 250 series sold in North America. No ground clearance figures are offered at the moment, but judging from the photos, there’s nothing to worry about in that area.
In addition, Toyota says that the wheel articulation is equivalent to the Land Cruiser FJ’s ancestor, the old J70 Series Land Cruiser, a vehicle with a reputation for being indestructible that’s still sold in some markets. Furthermore, the new FJ has additional bracing under the floor for added off-road toughness, as well as removable front and rear bumper covers. That’s a clear indication that the wilderness will be the Land Cruiser FJ’s playground.
The new baby Land Cruiser is powered by a 2.7-liter four-cylinder gas engine making 161 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed auto transmission and a part-time four-wheel-drive (4WD) system. The FJ will debut in Japan in mid-2026, with prices to be announced closer to launch.
Source: Automotive News
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