This Is Our First Peak At The New, Smaller Toyota Land Cruiser

Image: Toyota

When the Toyota Land Cruiser was discontinued in the United States, enthusiasts were shocked. It was a successful, beloved vehicle, and in the blink of an eye it was gone — to be replaced, seemingly, only by its Lexus platform-mates. But now, the Land Cruiser is coming back, and it appears to be doing so in a new, smaller form factor.

If Toyota Sold the FJ Cruiser Today It Would Be Such a Hit

Two new teasers from Toyota show the upcoming U.S.-spec Cruiser next to a classic FJ40. The renders are charmingly low-resolution (check out how jagged the lines are on the FJ’s roof), and the cars’ display in silhouette leaves most of the design details to the imagination. But, from these images, what can we see?

Image: Toyota

With the brightness cranked, we can see just a little bit of the new truck’s styling. First off, the step-up in the beltline from the GX, midway through the second-row window, is maintained here — a little hereditary styling cue passed down through the Toyota family. We also see tail lights with colored elements top and bottom, but a reverse light slashed through the middle, which feels like a shoutout to the 60 series of olde.

The headlights, while somewhat visible, are harder to parse. They don’t appear to be circular lamps, much to the chagrin of all who hoped “retro styling” meant a return of the FJ Cruiser, but the styling cues beneath the clear covers seem retro-inspired.

Beyond that, there’s not much we know about the upcoming Land Cruiser. The images were accompanies by text promising a “reinvention,” but without any definition for the term. All we can hope for is more information from Toyota in advance of the truck’s upcoming return to the U.S. market. I, for one, will be waiting.