FJ Cruiser still strong

Toyota has sold twice as many FJ Cruisers as expected.

With an average of 194 FJ Cruisers sold a month since 2011, total sales have peaked at 10,000. To put that into perspective, almost 2000 Toyota Hiluxes, still the best-selling four-wheel drives in Australia, were sold in July this year.

Production of the left-hand drive FJs bound for the USA ended a year ago and it was feared RHD production would soon follow but Toyota Australia says its keen to hang on to the quirky retro wagon as long as possible.

The FJ Cruiser has a loyal following and is a modern interpretation of the Land Cruiser FJ40 that was sold in Australia during the ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s.

It is powered by a 200kW, 380Nm twin-cam 4.0-litre V6 petrol engine driven through a five-speed automatic transmission. It uses just 11.4L/100km of fuel for a notional range of almost 1400km from its 159 litres of fuel capacity.

The FJ Cruiser is priced from $46,990.