Toyota has a long history of holding on to a single generation of pickup for over a decade. For instance, the 200 Series Land Cruiser lasted for 13 years, the Land Cruiser Prado 150 Series is still around today after 14 years. Then there’s the 70 Series that is still being produced 38 years since it first launched.
But let’s not forget the other member of the ‘Cruiser’ family, the FJ Cruiser. Production of the Toyota FJ Cruiser started way back in 2006, making it even older than the current-generation Prado. But this year marks an end of an era for the FJ. After 16 years of sales, Toyota has wrapped up production of the its retro-styled SUV.
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After countless Final Edition models, the FJ Cruiser is headed off for retirement. That also explains why the Philippines is getting a handful of these units. Only 1,000 of these limited-run SUVs were made, and we’re lucky to get 11 of these in the country. The FJ Cruiser is also no longer listed in the Toyota Philippines website, but there might be a chance a few dealers still have a unit or two of these SUVs left in their lots
Despite its age, the FJ Cruiser continued to be a strong seller in regions such as Africa, the Middle East, and some parts of Asia. In the Philippines, the FJ Cruiser even managed to find 242 new owners in 2022. That’s not bad for an SUV that barely saw any significant changes throughout its 16-year run.
Sure, it’s a bit of a dinosaur with its less than stellar on-road dynamics, thirsty V6 engine, and its antiquated five-speed automatic, but the FJ is a true SUV with true off-road credentials. That’s what we appreciate about it, and one of the reasons it will be missed.
As the FJ Cruiser bows out, is there a replacement on the horizon? Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem likely. There’s the Compact Cruiser EV, but reports indicate that it will be smaller than a RAV4. It does have retro styling, but we doubt it will be as off-road oriented as the FJ Cruiser. Either way, the FJ has all the potential to be a future classic.
