The FJ Cruiser looks like a vintage SUV—and now it’s appreciating like one

[Motor]

The FJ Cruiser looks like a vintage SUV—and now it's appreciating like one - Hagerty Media

The FJ Cruiser was one of the few times in Toyota's history where fun was an integral part of the design, not to mention reliability and off-road history

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Something happened in 2020. Classic car auctions went from selling two or three FJ Cruisers a year to selling more than two a month. Median sales prices for the base model more than doubled from about $14,000 in 2019 to $27,500 in 2020 and continued to rise to $30,450 in 2021. We're feeling the heat on the insurance side of the business—policies for FJ Cruisers have been doubling every year since 2018 and aren't slowing down.

The FJ Cruiser was one of the few times in Toyota's history where fun was an integral part of the design process. This, coupled with Toyota's legendary reliability and off-road history makes for a winning combination. Like many classics, the FJ Cruiser was not appreciated enough in it's time and has improved with age.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/2023-toyota-fj-cruiser-final-edition-limited-to-1000-units-in-saudi-arabia-200254.html

The FJ Cruiser was discontinued stateside after the 2014 model year, then Toyota discontinued it back home in Japan after 2016. The FJ Cruiser still is available in a few markets, but come December 2022, production of the 4Runner-twinned utility vehicle will finally come to a screeching halt.

Yet another Final Edition will mark this occasion, namely the Final Edition for Saudi Arabia. Scheduled to arrive in showrooms by year’s end by way of Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, the last-hurrah model will be offered in 1,000 examples. Although pictures of the Saudi Arabia-spec Final Edition haven’t been released thus far, the distributor mentioned beige paintwork, beige upholstery, and some beige trim, similar to the Final Edition for Japan.

Aesthetic enhancements further include black-painted bumpers, a black grille, and the same finish for the side mirror, door handles, and spare tire cover. As expected of the Final Edition, the body-on-frame utility vehicle based on the mid-sized Land Cruiser Prado also features a serialized badge.

"The FJ Cruiser rides into the sunset leaving lasting memories of one of the most iconic SUVs in Toyota’s rich history,” said Kei Fujita, chief representative at the Japanese automaker's Middle East and Central Asia Representative ‎Office. “The FJ Cruiser has cemented its status as a Toyota Classic among the 4X4 community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, dubbed as the high-performance off-roading icon,” added Mazin Ghazi Jameel, managing director of Toyota Marketing Operation at Abdul Latif Jameel Motors.

Under the hood of the Final Edition, you’ll find a familiar V6 powerplant. From a displacement of 4.0 liters, the DOHC engine belts out 266 horsepower (270 ps) and 280 pound-foot (380 Nm) of torque. An electronically-controlled locking differential out back also needs to be mentioned.

On that note, Toyota doesn’t have a direct successor for the FJ Cruiser. The Land Cruiser Prado on which it’s based – along with the 4Runner for the U.S. market – are both scheduled to receive a ground-up redesign on the GA-F platform of the 300-series Land Cruiser and the Tundra.