IMOTO: TOYOTA LAND CRUISER FJ
TOYOTA South Africa Motors has made it “cheaper” to join the Land Cruiser family with the launch of the new Land Cruiser FJ which comes in two variants.
If you remember, there used to be an FJ Cruiser but Toyota says it has nothing to do with the Land Cruiser FJ. They said it was completely independent, but the Land Cruiser FJ is the youngest of the Land Cruiser family.
It fits under the Land Cruiser 300, Land Cruiser Prado and Land Cruiser 70 Series.
If I may remind you, before the arrival of the Land Cruiser FJ with a price starting at R714 000, traveling in a Land Cruiser was from R840 900 for a Land Cruiser 79 Single Cab.
The Land Cruiser is known for being an all-terrain vehicle that will never let you sleep in the forest because here we have a problem. And the Land Cruiser FJ, built under the slogan Freedom & Joy, continues there.
Both the GX and VX models have a single 2.7 liter petrol engine with a 6 speed automatic gearbox. It has a power of 122kW and a torque of 245Nm.
When we drove it in Cape Town this week, when I took it off, I heard a loud noise when I stepped on it, and I heard that it was a sound I know from Toyota cars, as its engine is in the Hiace Ses’fikile taxi and also in the Hilux van.
I felt it was comfortable on the road and gripped the corners even though there was a bit of wind coming in.
I noticed that they installed the driver’s aids because when it goes out of the lane they make a warning sound. It also means that if I back up, the car in front warns me so that I don’t get behind. When we get into traffic, I put it on Adaptive Cruise Control, which made it hold the speed I chose and reduce and increase its speed when there is a car in front of it.
Where I saw it was royalty was when we were climbing the mountains of Riebeek Kasteel farms.
The Land Cruiser FJ has a step-down chassis based on the Hilux. They also took it from Fortuner.
Having a short wheelbase of 2,580mm (270mm less than the Land Cruiser Prado) and its ground clearance of 245mm made it easy to walk in the desert and turn around.
This is probably where the slogan they built under is proven because it gives you the freedom to travel anywhere and the joy you get from that because we climbed a mountain and got the reward of seeing the beauty of Cape Town.
Since it pulls with two wheels on tarmac, on dirt it is able to pull with all 4H or 4L. It also has a rear diff lock as well as hill descent control.
What I like about full-body cameras is that they make it easy to see outside so you’re never thrown off a cliff.
For petrol, they say it consumes 10.7 liters per 100km in a 63 liter tank. When I looked at the car we were driving when we left it at the airport, I saw that it was drinking 12.0l/100km. It was brand new, maybe after driving for a while, the engine was disassembled and it came down to what it said.
Apart from those who are passionate about mountain climbing, Toyota hopes that it will also be able to attract those who like a high-end and good-looking SUV.
Some of its competitors include the GWM Tank 300, Jetour T1 and T2 which have shown to be popular since they arrived and others. He might be looking towards it if he was thinking of a Suzuki Jimny but has more money and wants a bigger car.
The Land Cruiser FJ is 4,575mm long, and 1,855mm wide. This makes it shorter than its Prado sibling.
It lights up with LED lights and has 17-inch GX or 18-inch VX rims that we were driving.
Inside, the VX has leather seats that are electrically adjustable and can be heated or cooled. At the front there is a touchscreen infotainment system that looks a bit “long” at 8 inches.
You connect a mobile phone via Apple CarPlay/Android Auto via cable. There are two USB charging ports on the front only, there is no 12V port on the back. There is no place for wireless charging.
Toyota says that if you want, you can install a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment that costs around R12 000.
It is one of the things you can add like a chimney, roof rack, skid plate, spare wheel garnish, bumpers and more.
I have seen it open well, you can sit in the back if you are not tall and the space in the boot is enough. If you recline the seats, you can expand.
Price:
Land Cruiser FJ 2.7 4×4 6AT GX – R714 000
Land Cruiser FJ 2.7 4×4 6AT VX – R761 400
Both come with a service plan for monthly services or 90,000km and a three-year or 100,000km warranty.