The Toyota FJ Cruiser is Truly Dead Now
While the FJ Cruiser left the American market in 2014, the retro rig lived on in the Middle East.
With models like the Tundra, 4Runner, and Tacoma in high demand, Toyota isn’t exactly having a tough time moving units right now. Seriously, just listen to Doug DeMuro talking about the crazy prices folks are paying for a new 4Runner. That said, you have to wonder if some folks at the company aren’t kicking themselves for discontinuing the FJ Cruiser for the American market way back in 2014. Because the off-roading and overlanding segment is red hot, and on sites like Bring a Trailer, the retro rigs are going for huge money.
What makes the situation with the FJ Cruiser even more nuts is that Toyota continued to offer it in Japan until 2018, and in the Middle East until this year. But all good things must come to an end, and this week, Toyota announced that after 16 years, the FJ has reached the end of the road. To celebrate the exceptional run, the company is releasing a limited-series Final Edition. Only 1000 examples will be produced, which will come in a unique color scheme.
Each of the Final Editions will be finished in beige, and the interiors will be two-tone black and beige. As our friends over at The Drive pointed out, this was the same treatment Toyota gave to the FJ Cruiser when it punctuated its Japanese run, and there won’t be any mechanical changes. The familiar 268 horsepower 4.0-liter V6 is still under the hood, it’s still bolted to a five-speed automatic, and the four-wheel drive system is still a part-time affair.
As a manual fan, I think it would have been cool if Toyota had offered the Final Edition with the six-speed stick. That was originally on the menu for US buyers, and the increasing rarity of three-pedal rigs would surely have made them even more attractive for collectors. Of course, Toyota doesn’t benefit from any sales that don’t happen out of a showroom, so it’s understandable they don’t exactly cater to that market. At any rate, these babies will likely be sold before the paint is dry, so if you’re in the Middle East and want to score one, you best get to it!
Photos: Toyota