It’s not often I get excited about a new car. But as a long-time Toyota fan and someone who, in middle age, has come to appreciate vehicles that are both practical and ready for adventure, the new Land Cruiser FJ has been firmly on my radar ever since I first saw it in the metal at the 2025 Tokyo Motor Show.
So when Sowetan Motoring editor Brenwin Naidu was asked if I would like to cover the local media launch in Cape Town last week, I was more than happy to oblige.
Now the most accessible model in the Land Cruiser range, the FJ makes a strong statement with its boxy styling cues, flared wheel arches and squared-off silhouette that ends with a near-vertical sideways-opening tailgate fixed with a full-size spare wheel. Going on how popular similarly styled products such as the Suzuki Jimny, Jetour T2 and GWM Tank 300 have proved, the FJ is sure to appeal to a similarly large spectrum of adventurous buyers.
Toyota’s littlest off-roader also hits the sizing sweet spot with a footprint smaller than a RAV4 but larger than an Urban Cruiser. What this means is you get a spacious cabin that, with the rear seats folded flat, should easily swallow all sorts of cargo, including — to my trained cyclist eyes — a 29-inch mountain bike with the front wheel removed. It also means that the FJ doesn’t feel like a T-72 tank when you’re negotiating urban traffic or underground parkades.
Adding to its approachable demeanour is a stellar driving position that caters to a wide variety of body types. Whether you’re pint-sized or awkwardly tall and gangly like me, a height-adjustable seat combined with a steering column offering generous amounts of reach and rake makes it quick and easy to feel at home behind the FJ’s multifunction steering wheel.
In the flagship VX spec, this comes wrapped in leather — as do the gear lever and handbrake — with the seats upholstered in artificial leather. As in the entry-level GX, you’re also treated to a crisp seven-inch digital instrument cluster with customisable displays, two USB-C ports and dual-zone automatic climate control actuated by proper physical dials on the centre console.
Though there’s much to like about the Prado-inspired interior, the 8-inch infotainment system is letting the side down — especially compared to what you get in rival products. The resolution isn’t great (even the camera feeds are 480p at best), the menus are finicky, and your smartphone has to be wired to the USB port to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Toyota is offering a 12.3-inch system as an option, but this will set you back an extra R12k. The good news is that the automaker hopes to soon make it standard across the FJ range, with the 8-inch unit fitted only to the initial batch of vehicles due to sourcing constraints.
So what’s it like to pilot? On the first leg of our media drive — a jaunt to Riebeek-Kasteel via Philadelphia and Malmesbury — the FJ impressed me with its refinement. Seemingly at odds with its cubic dimensions and Fortuner-sourced underpinnings (a shortened version of the IMV platform), wind and road noise proved well suppressed for a vehicle engineered to tackle tough trails.
Handling seemed sharper and more direct than what you’d experience in a Fortuner or Hilux, while the ride proved similarly jiggly when rolling across lumpier sections of the R302. But, hey, you kind of expect that in vehicles of this ilk.
Where the FJ really shone, however, was when we followed a basic off-road course that looped around our lunch venue at Eight Feet Village. Complementing those rugged bones is a part-time four-wheel drive system with a low-range transfer case and three drive modes (2H, 4H and 4L), rear differential lock, hill start assist and vehicle stability control. Toyota has also fitted its latest downhill assist control that operates with more polish than prior systems and with less noise too.
This hardware is backed up by 245mm of ground clearance, a short wheelbase of 2,580mm (270mm shorter than the Prado) and approach and departure angles of 29º and 38º respectively. Even on Bridgestone Dueller highway-terrain tyres, the FJ dispatched all obstacles like a mountain goat raging on ginseng root. It’s a proper platform and one that can be made even more capable with a few tasteful modifications. Go wild.
Less sparkly is the 2.7l four-cylinder petrol engine. Paired to a six-speed automatic gearbox, it may offer bulletproof reliability and easy maintenance, but its appetite for fuel is enough to make a V8 blush. Driven kindly, the best I could manage was 13.5l/100km. Off-road, this quickly rose to 16.5l/100km, with other members of our convoy seeing even higher numbers.
The FJ weighs 1,970kg meaning that this unit requires much revving to get you moving with any urgency — especially when merging onto a freeway or overtaking slower traffic.
With 122kW and 245Nm on tap, one could best describe the FJ’s on road performance as adequate. Although at power-sapping inland altitudes I suspect it would be a different story. Driven off-road, plugging along at low speeds, this four-pot feels a lot more at home with a decent amount of lowdown torque to propel you up and over obstructions with relative ease.
If you can afford to keep it quenched, then the FJ is totally worth your time and money as the rest of the package is a compelling offering, one worthy of the hype and reassuringly backed by Toyota’s strong aftersales service and excellent residuals. If not, then you better hope that it adopts GD6 diesel power sometime down the line — or perhaps shop somewhere else.
The new Toyota Land Cruiser FJ GX is priced at R714,000 and the VX at R761,400. This includes a nine-services/90,000km service plan and a three-year/100,000km warranty.
