A history of the Toyota FJ Cruiser

Toyota Land Cruisers, are a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese car maker - Toyota. The Land Cruiser has been produced in convertible, hardtop, station wagon, and utility truck versions. The vehicles’ reliability and longevity has led to huge popularity for them, especially so in Australia where the Land Cruiser is the best-selling full-size, body-on-frame, four-wheel drive vehicle in the country. Toyota also extensively tests the Land Cruiser in the Australian outback, which is considered to be one of the toughest operating environments in terms of both temperature and terrain. As a result, it’s fair to say that they’re ideal for use in even the most challenging conditions.



The original FJ Land Cruiser appeared all the way back in 1960, and was the third generation of Toyota's four-wheel drive. The prototype, the BJ, appeared in early 1951 and in June 1954 this short wheelbase machine was renamed the Land Cruiser. However, it was the FJ40 from the 1960s to the 1980s which really established its credentials as a tough and reliable vehicle, as more than one million were sold around the world, including 121,000 to Australian farmers, miners and independent adventurers.

One of the first people to own a Land Cruiser in Australia was the construction magnate, Sir Leslie Thiess, who used early versions of the rugged, go-anywhere machines during the construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. These FJ25 and long wheelbase FJ28 models had a canvas hood, 3.6 litre engine, four-speed transmission and part-time four-wheel drive. The FJ40 series appeared on the scene in 1962, but the first Land Cruiser designed for everyday personal use did not arrive until the FJ55 wagon arrived in 1969.



These days of course, Toyota's range of four-wheel drives have been popular in Australia for years, with approximately 765,000 Land Cruisers sold in Australia alone, making the country the world's largest single market for the Cruiser and taking 12 per cent of worldwide production.



Despite the renowned toughness of the Toyota Land Cruiser, they still need regular care and maintenance, and repairs such as having to replace a car windshield or a set of tyres are a necessity in a Land Cruiser just as they would be in any other model of car. As such, if you own one, then it’s very important that you take good care of your Land Cruiser to make sure that you get the most out of it.



Isla Campbell writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.