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84-693: The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a retro-styled mid-size SUV produced by Toyota between 2006 and 2022. Introduced as a concept car at the January 2003 North American International Auto Show , the FJ Cruiser was approved for production after positive consumer response and debuted at the January 2005 North American International Auto Show in final production form. The FJ Cruiser was built by Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors in Hamura , Japan, between 2006 and 2022. The vehicle shares many structural underpinnings with

168-630: A TRD Package for that model year and it was used on the same Iceberg White painted FJ Cruisers that were used for the 2008 Trail Teams Special Edition , (for more information, see the TRD Special Edition section.) Over the years, small incremental changes have been made to the Trail Teams Special Edition FJ Cruisers, such as changing the TRD alloy wheels to beadlock style TRD wheels on later years, and

252-407: A column shift where the lever is mounted on the steering column  – in vehicles with a manual four-speed gearbox such as 1950s Mercedes-Benz cars and all two-stroke Trabants , this is actually a manual gear lever connected to the gearbox with a linkage. In automatic transmission cars, the lever functions more like a gear selector, and, in modern cars, does not necessarily need to have

336-433: A limited-slip rear differential . Side curtain airbags for both rows and side torso airbags optional on 2007 models became standard on 2008 models. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the FJ Cruiser its Top Safety Pick accolade. The FJ Cruiser received a "good" overall rating in both the front and side impacts tests and also received the "good" rating in all 14 measured categories. The FJ Cruiser

420-451: A 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) towing capacity for both 4x4 and 4x2 variants. On road, the FJ accelerates to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 7.8 seconds and has 0.69   G of lateral grip tested with stock Bridgestone Dueler tires. Structurally, the FJ Cruiser incorporates a body on frame truck style design similar, but not identical to that of the two-door Prado platform. The FJ Cruiser uses

504-591: A Heritage Blue paint scheme (resembling an original FJ40 Land Cruiser factory paint color), and for the first time features a white grille bezel that again pays tribute to the iconic Land Cruiser FJ40. The remaining vehicle trim remains black, similar to previous versions of the Trail Teams Special Edition . While all of the Trail Teams FJ Cruisers feature a race-inspired TRD/Trail Teams off-road suspension designed by Bilstein,

588-419: A central "neutral" position. Some vehicles have a special button to prevent accidental engagement of reverse. Others require that the lever be lifted (e.g. Nissan ), pressed down (e.g. Volkswagen ), or moved with extra force (e.g. BMW ) to engage reverse. In transmissions with reverse directly below fifth, there may be a mechanical lock-out preventing selection of reverse other than from neutral, thus preventing

672-471: A driver used to a six-speed transmission from engaging reverse while trying to select sixth. Some transmissions also have an electronically controlled error-prevention safeguard that blocks the first and sometimes the second gear from being selected if the vehicle is moving fast enough to exceed the engine's maximum RPM. This gear pattern can also be found on some heavy vehicles – such as lorries and tractors – in which first gear

756-475: A high-mounted, double wishbone front suspension and stabilizer bar, and a 4-link rear suspension with lateral rod with coil springs and stabilizer bar. The 120-series Land Cruiser Prado, Tacoma, 4Runner, and Hilux share the same suspension parts as the FJ Cruiser. The FJ Cruiser uses power-assisted four-piston front and two-piston rear ventilated disc brakes with an anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), brake assist (BA) and

840-549: A long history building rugged off-road products for the Australian market. For participating Toyota new vehicle dealerships, the FJ Crawler could be special ordered for customers who were looking for a vehicle that is even more rugged and off-road ready than a standard Off-Road Package factory option would provide. The FJ Crawler package included an ARB Front Bull Bar Bumper, an Old Man Emu 3-inch suspension lift to support

924-443: A monotone color scheme, rather than the traditional two-tone FJ Cruiser with the standard white painted roof (excluding standard production FJ Cruisers with the "Iceberg White" body). The Trail Teams variants are also the only FJ models to have body trim pieces blacked out from the factory including the mirrors, door handles, bumper caps, etc. Special design details also carry over to the interior such as color matched fabric inserts on

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1008-510: A nearly vertical windshield with three windshield wipers for maximum surface area coverage. The FJ Cruiser also featured the name "Toyota" spelled out across the grille instead of the corporate emblem which has been in use since 1990, another reference to the FJ40 and other older Toyota trucks. The FJ's body features rear-opening access doors that give a unique look to the SUV . Special high-strength steel

1092-759: A petrol engine. Japanese market sales, never substantial to begin with, were halted in January 2018. For North America, in 2007 Toyota Racing Development (TRD) produced 3,200 units as limited production TRD Special Edition FJ Cruisers. This model was released with the body painted in a black diamond pearl color, and with a matching black roof to set itself apart from its standard, white-roofed counterparts. The special edition model included TRD cat-back exhaust system, TRD Bilstein offroad tuned shocks, rock rails, 16-inch alloy gun-metal gray finished TRD wheels with BFGoodrich all-terrain tires, and TRD badges. The TRD Special Edition also included mechanical changes to synchronize

1176-581: A segment Toyota felt they were losing touch with at the time. Many takes on the RYU concept were created including the 2001 Rugged Sports Coupe concept before a retro style design created by 24-year-old designer Jin Won Kim was chosen as the final exterior concept, with William Chergosky designing the interior. The FJ Cruiser concept debuted at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show in Voodoo Blue, which would become

1260-586: A sharp nosedive from a high of 56,225 units sold in North America in 2006 to less than 12,000 units by 2009. Critics blamed the declining sales on: (1) increased competition in the mid-size SUV segment; (2) poor fuel economy amidst rising gasoline prices; (3) environmental concerns; and (4) steep competition from the Jeep Wrangler . Toyota hoped to rectify these concerns with an updated engine optimized to run on regular unleaded instead of premium with

1344-404: A shifting linkage due to its shift-by-wire principle. It has the added benefit of allowing for a full width bench-type front seat (though some models with bucket seating as an option include it). It has since fallen out of favor, although it can still be found widely on North American-market pick-up trucks , vans, emergency vehicles (both law enforcement and EMS – the column shifter

1428-478: A single "L" (for "low") position, which will hold the transmission in whatever lower ratio is required for climbing steep grades or for heavy acceleration: P-R-N-D-L . More modern automatic transmissions have employed a "J-gate" (pioneered by Jaguar ) where some gears are on the left-hand "arm", some on the right, and there is a sideways movement at the rear of the pattern. The second-generation Range Rover from 1995 used an "H-gate", with two parallel PRND gates on

1512-536: A slight boost in fuel economy for the 2010 model year. Retro-style automobile A retro-style automobile is a vehicle that is styled to appear like cars from previous decades. Often these cars use modern technology and production techniques. This design trend developed in the early 1990s and led to almost all automobile brands introducing models that referenced previous cars of the 1950s and 1960s. Retro design usually references iconic classic vehicles. Another form of adopting classic style elements comes in

1596-415: A time when the company was focused on more conservative designs. The FJ was universally praised for its off-road performance with many reviewers also appreciating its on road manners, functional interior, and styling that paid homage to the original FJ40. The off-road community widely embraced the new addition of another Toyota off-road vehicle and many different groups and forums were created specifically with

1680-454: Is also equipped with vehicle stability control (VSC) and a specialized traction control system known as "A-TRAC". The A-TRAC system applies braking to control wheels that have lost traction , mimicking the performance of a locking differential without the "binding" that can make steering difficult in normal locking differential setups. Toyota made revisions to the engine bay's inner fender aprons due to some bulging and cracking issues with

1764-419: Is an extra-low ratio for use in extreme standing-start conditions, and would see little use in normal driving. Automatic transmissions traditionally have had a straight pattern, adopting the classic P-R-N-D gate , with "P" being to the front, topmost position (or "P" all the way to the left on a column-mounted shifter); the corresponding shift positions being: All automatics use some sort of manual override of

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1848-628: Is another example. It is a revival of an approach used in the 1950s by the Chrysler push-button PowerFlite and the Packard Touchbutton Ultramatic . A shift knob also known as a gear knob , gear shift knob and stick shift knob is the physical interface between the gear stick and the driver's hand. Made of many materials from simple plastics through to platinum , it comes in many shapes sizes and weights. OEM shift knobs are generally spherical in shape, often resembling

1932-404: Is instead in a "dog leg" position, to the left and rearwards. There is usually a spring-loading to return the stick to the central position. Reverse gear is commonly positioned in the best choice of location to avoid accidental engagement. A typical manual transmission vehicle, with (for example) five forward gears, will thus have seven possible positions: the five forwards gears, reverse gear, and

2016-476: Is no need to package either remote mechanisms or complex interlocking arrangements. This has allowed designers to replace the gear stick completely with either button, rotary knobs (current Jaguar , Land Rover and Ford models are good examples of this), or a miniaturized gear stick on the center console. This can be seen in some Audis , BMWs and the Lincoln Continental . Japanese finger shift

2100-720: Is retained where a floor shifter is unfeasible due to mounting the mobile data terminal and 2-way radio), and "full-size" US sedans such as the Ford Crown Victoria . A dashboard mounted shift was common on certain French models such as the Citroën 2CV and Renault 4 . Both the Bentley Mark VI and the Riley Pathfinder had their gear lever to the right of the right-hand drive driver's seat, alongside

2184-551: The Tacoma , Tundra and 4Runner as well as suspension components used in the Prado, Hilux , Tacoma, and 4Runner. The 4x4 FJ Cruiser has 9.6 inches (24 cm) of ground clearance , 34° approach and 30° departure angles , and a 27.4° breakover angle , with 8 inches (20 cm) of front and 9 inches (23 cm) of rear suspension travel . The FJ is also designed to drive through up to 27.5 inches (70 cm) deep of water and has

2268-572: The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado . The FJ Cruiser entered the Japanese market on 4 December 2010, announced on 25 November in that year. On 5 November 2013, Toyota USA announced the 2014 model year Trail Teams edition would be called the "Ultimate Edition" and that the 2014 model year would be the last for the FJ Cruiser in that market. It continued to be made for sale in other markets such as Australia until its export to that market

2352-501: The Ultimate Edition features a new rear remote reservoir suspension. The suspension also raises the vehicle slightly taller than stock as to achieve a leveled stance. The Ultimate Edition is also equipped with a special 1/4-inch thick aluminum TRD skid plate, designed to help with the approach angle for the front of the vehicle and provide better protection while off-roading. Significant interior differences that are unique to

2436-418: The 120   V rear outlet were carried over from the FJ Cruiser concept vehicle as options on the final production model. At 183.9 inches (4.67 m) in length, the FJ Cruiser is a mid-size SUV offered by Toyota in North America, slotting between the smaller RAV4 and larger Highlander . Toyota sources many components from other vehicles to produce the FJ including shared engines and transmissions found in

2520-684: The 1950s and the 1983 Lincoln Mark VII had a hint of a spare wheel bulge in the trunk lid. Retro design reached its first peak with the Mazda MX-5 , which in its first form from 1989 to 1998, referenced the Lotus Elan from 1962 and was considered the first newly designed roadster in decades.  Between 1989 and 1991, Nissan produced the retro-inspired 'Pike Cars'; the Nissan Be-1 , Nissan Pao , Nissan Figaro and Nissan S-Cargo in limited production, which are often credited as pioneers of

2604-722: The 1990s. American retro design can be traced back to when car designer Bob Lutz intended to create a modern interpretation of the Shelby Cobra . This idea would later morph into the Dodge Viper . The Viper helped positively shape the American public's opinion on the Chrysler Corporation, prompting Lutz to further experiment with retro design, with early examples including the 1994 Dodge Ram , with styling inspired by previous Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks, and

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2688-626: The 1995 Chrysler Atlantic , inspired by various art-deco cars of the 1930s. Later American examples of retro design include the Plymouth Prowler in the style of a hot rod , the Chrysler PT Cruiser modelled on limousines of the 1930s and the Ford Thunderbird from 2003. An important designer of retro cars is J Mays . According to experts, retro design has brought back emotionality in automobile design. At

2772-706: The 1GR-FE engine run normally on 87 octane fuel though they produce less power thus Toyota recommends premium fuel for demanding situations such as towing, off-roading, and driving at high elevation. Four-wheel drive models equipped with the RA61F manual transmission have a full-time 4WD system; it employs a center TORSEN differential, with a locking feature and distributes the engine's torque 40∶60 under most driving conditions. The TORSEN unit varies torque distribution as needed, based on steering angle and wheel slippage. Rear-wheel drive models were available in some markets, only with automatic transmissions, and came standard with

2856-531: The 2007 and some early 2008 models. The bulges and cracks in the inner fenders were attributed to a Toyota design flaw through certain vehicle identification numbers . Toyota addressed the problem and has changed the design. The FJ Cruiser uses the 4.0-liter 1GR-FE DOHC V6 . For the 2007 to 2009 model years, the engine came with single variable valve timing ( VVT-i ) which produces 239 hp (178 kW) at 5,200   RPM, and 278 lb⋅ft (377 N⋅m) of torque at 3,700   RPM on 91 octane fuel. For

2940-536: The 2010 model year, the FJ Cruiser's engine gained Dual VVT-i technology which adjusts timing on both intake and exhaust camshafts resulting in 259 hp (193 kW) at 5,600   RPM, and 270 lb⋅ft (366 N⋅m) on 87 octane, in addition to slightly improved fuel economy on 91 octane fuel. For model year 2011, these figures rose to 260 hp (194 kW) at 5600   RPM, and 271 lb⋅ft (367 N⋅m). The 2011 onwards engine meets stringent LEV II /Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions certification. Both versions of

3024-530: The 2014 Trails Team Ultimate Edition include; the interior panel inserts are black rather than color matched to the exterior color of the vehicle, the radio bezel is silver, and a special "Ultimate Edition" dash plaque is affixed to the dash on the passenger side indicating the special edition is only "One of 2500." Additionally, the seating fabric inserts are color matched to coordinate with the Ultimate Edition's unique silver/black interior, rather than

3108-518: The Baja Series Tacoma and has an upgraded chassis and body structure with the addition of an underbody "exoskeleton" to improve its off-road prowess. According to Toyota, the extra stiffness and strength provided by the exoskeleton creates a more suitable platform for the suspension modifications and wheel upgrades added, which include 60   mm Bilstein racing shocks up front and 50   mm Bilstein racing shocks with remote reservoirs in

3192-424: The FJ Cruiser at their center. Some reviewers took issue with the amount of body roll and low lateral grip performance though noting the suspension was designed to be soft with a long travel for off-road use. The FJ Cruiser was also criticized for its styling which created large blindspots , smaller than average cargo capacity, and cramped rear seating that was difficult to access. Toyota attempted to improve

3276-542: The FJ Cruiser were discontinued there on 31 January 2018. The Toyota FJ Cruiser Final Edition was released in the Middle East in 2 October 2022. Production will be limited to just 1,000 units until the end of production in December 2022. The FJ debuted to both criticism and acclaim from the automotive press. Critics appreciated Toyota's drive to bring such an aggressively styled and purpose driven vehicle to market at

3360-600: The FJ platform by driving development mules on many of the most difficult trails in North America, including Moab, Utah , the Angeles National Forest , the Mojave Desert , and the Rubicon Trail . Despite each one-off mule costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, the development team was determined to push the capabilities of the prototypes in order to deliver reliable offroad performance in

3444-523: The FJ-S logos on the seatbacks along with custom floor mats. Not much information has been released as far as the chassis and body structure changes go, and Toyota hasn't announced what they plan on doing with the FJ-S Cruiser Concept in the future. So whether or not it goes into production in a later year or if it remains a concept car is uncertain. However, new releases from Toyota show that

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3528-645: The TRD Bilstein shocks with remote reservoirs and TRD-tuned front spring suspension combination debuted on the FJ-S Cruiser Concept is the same one they used on the Trail Teams Ultimate Edition FJ Cruiser for 2014. Toyota also put the same newly designed TRD Midnight Black alloy wheels used on the FJ-S on the new TRD Pro Series 4Runner. The "Final Edition" of the FJ Cruiser went on sale in Japan on 12 September 2017. Sales of

3612-626: The TRD Special Edition. Some of the features with this package were the TRD alloy wheels in a silver finish with the BFGoodrich all-terrain tires, as well as TRD logos and graphics on the exterior. Also, the TRD package was only offered on units with two-wheel drive for the 2008 and 2009 model years. Since 2011, Toyota offered the TRD package on the iceberg white FJ Cruisers but opened the package availability to both two- and four-wheel drive models. In 2009, 2,400 units were produced with

3696-457: The TRD package. Beginning with the 2008 model year, Toyota manufactured 3,200 units of specially equipped FJ Cruisers designated as the Trail Teams Special Edition , which featured many of the same TRD options included on the TRD Special Edition , including the same 16-inch alloy wheels (but in a black finish as opposed to the gun-metal grey finish of the TRD model). The Trail Teams Special Edition

3780-514: The Trail Teams Special Edition FJ Cruiser for the production year of 2008, Toyota created the TRD package. This package was available on FJ Cruisers with the iceberg white monotone exterior color scheme, similar to the 2008 Trail Teams Special Editions, except without the addition of blacked-out trim pieces. Even though this package was known as the "TRD package", it did not include the same or as many features as

3864-501: The added weight of the ARB bumper and to allow for the 17-inch Pro Comp wheels with either 33 or 35-inch off-roading tires. The FJ Crawler was able to be customized in many ways with many optional accessories to achieve the customers satisfaction. For example, the FJ Crawler could be ordered in any factory color for the current model year. The customer could choose from 3 different wheel choices, 3 different tire choices, and could even choose

3948-479: The availability of Toyota's CRAWL control feature as part of the Trail Teams package (2013 and 2014 automatic transmission only). The CRAWL control had been previously used on other 4-wheel drive vehicles from Toyota and Lexus to enhance off-road capabilities. Each year, the Trail Teams Special Edition is painted in one distinct color and is the only FJ variant (besides the TRD Special Edition units) offered in

4032-557: The beginning of the 2000s, retro design developed into new classic design . Vehicles like the Lancia Thesis consist of a mix of classic and modern design elements, without citing any specific historical vehicle. Despite a fall in popularity, retro design has made a comeback in the early 2020s, with cars such as the Renault 5 EV and Ford Bronco being developed. Gear stick Gear sticks are most commonly found between

4116-407: The blind spot issues by offering a rear back up camera starting with the 2009 model year and changed the hinge mechanisms on the front seats allowing passengers easier entry and exit from the rear starting with the 2011 model. Sales of the FJ Cruiser were strong in the initial years from the initial exuberance surrounding the unique retro styling and performance offered by the FJ. However sales took

4200-502: The buyer or dealer who orders the vehicle. The FJ-S Cruiser Concept , debuted at the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV, is the creation of Toyota and Toyota Racing Development (TRD) in an effort to create a new style of FJ Cruiser that from its looks, remains fairly similar, but is designed to be even more off-road ready than its standard FJ Cruiser counterparts. The FJ-S Cruiser Concept actually incorporates suspension components from

4284-417: The clutch engaged causes it to lurch forwards or backward since the starter motor by itself produces sufficient torque to move the whole vehicle; this can be highly dangerous, especially if the parking brake is not firmly applied and can be injurious to the starter and drivetrain. Therefore, novice drivers are taught to rock the knob of a manual gearbox from side to side before starting the engine to confirm that

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4368-783: The concept was brought to the market in 1998 as the New Beetle , based on the Golf IV and without the typical Beetle rear engine. In Europe, this is considered the beginning of the retro wave, continuing in 1999 with the Jaguar S-Type , in 2000 with the Mini , in 2007 with the Fiat 500 and in 2009 with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG . American companies, notably Chrysler , were also experimenting with retro design throughout

4452-403: The console or on steering column stalks instead. Manual shifters on the steering column, if having only three forward speeds, are typically called a three on the tree , and floor shifters having four forward speeds, are called four-on-the-floor . The lowest of these gears, if set at a much lower ratio than a typical 1st-gear ratio, is often called a granny gear . Starting the car in gear with

4536-420: The driver's door, where it was not unknown for British cars to also have their handbrake . ( Left-hand drive models received a column shift.) In some modern sports cars , the gear lever has been replaced entirely by "paddles", which are a pair of levers, usually operating electrical switches (rather than a mechanical connection to the gearbox), mounted on either side of the steering column, where one increments

4620-565: The exact springs and shocks used in the Old Man Emu suspension to achieve the desired ride/performance quality. There was also the option of adding accessories such as a Warn winch, IFP driving lights which would be mounted to the ARB bumper, a fog light kit for the ARB bumper, and an ARB roof rack for storing gear and other items. Other options included a cat-back exhaust system, a high flow intake, as well as side steps. Also, because of variances in aftermarket tire sizes, speedometer calibration

4704-407: The exterior color as in previous years. The Trail Teams Special Edition color schemes that have been released each year are as follows: Iceberg The FJ Crawler was first offered in 2007 (for the 2008 model year) and is the result of a collaboration between Dealer Services International (DSI), known for building high quality custom packages for new vehicle dealers, and ARB Corporation who have

4788-462: The form of Revival Cars , with manufacturers such as Jaguar , Aston Martin , Alvis , Allard and Lister producing reproductions of classic models. Another example of classic inspired design is a Neoclassic , a modern car made to resemble one from the 1920s-1930's. Technically, retro cars can differ greatly from the historical models they reference. As early as 1961, American designer Virgil Exner used elements of classic automobile design for

4872-399: The front seats of the vehicle, either on the center console (sometimes even quite far up on the dashboard ), the transmission tunnel (erroneously called a console shifter when the floor shifter mechanism is bolted to the transmission tunnel with the center console to cover up the shifter assembly when used with a rear or front-wheel drive vehicle), or directly on the floor. Some vehicles have

4956-412: The gear selection system, i.e. the positions to which the gear stick should be moved when selecting a gear. In some older manual transmission vehicles, the knob may incorporate a switch to engage an overdrive ; in some automatic transmission vehicles it may incorporate a switch to engage a special mode such as a sports mode or to disengage overdrive. Both of the above-mentioned switches may also be found on

5040-496: The gear stick. The Land Rover Freelander introduced a button for that company's Hill Descent Control system feature, which uses the brakes to simulate the function of a low-ratio gearbox in steep descents. Traditional four-wheel drive vehicles have one or more additional "shift levers" to engage a low-ratio gearbox (used on tough terrain ), a transfer case (which switches between two- and four-wheel drive), or differential locks. Some more modern traditional vehicles combine

5124-411: The gearbox is in neutral. For the same reason, modern cars require the clutch pedal to be depressed before the starter will engage (though some modern vehicles have a button that disables the clutch start requirement if held down when starting, for rare situations when starting the car in gear is necessary). The latter practice is also useful in extremely cold conditions or with a weak battery, as it avoids

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5208-416: The gears up, and the other down. Formula 1 cars used to hide the gear stick behind the steering wheel within the nose bodywork before the modern practice of mounting the "paddles" on the (removable) steering wheel itself. A knob, variously called gear knob, shift knob, gear shift knob or stick shift knob, forms the handle for the gear stick. Typically the gear knob includes a diagram of the shift pattern of

5292-479: The license plate located on the bumper as opposed to under the tailgate door handle. In addition, right-hand drive versions have the side indicator markers located on the fender panels, rather than located on the side-view mirrors used for left-hand drive production FJ Cruisers. Sales of right-hand drive model began in Australia and New Zealand in 2011 available in only four-wheel drive with automatic transmission and

5376-573: The locking differential with the active traction control (resulting in the rear differential no longer overriding the active traction). Early production 2006 FJ Cruisers had an issue that caused the rear differential to override the active traction control, except in the TRD Special Editions. However, by November 2006, Toyota had changed production to incorporate synchronization of the locking differential with active traction control on all FJ Cruisers. In 2009, subsequent to Toyota releasing

5460-425: The low-ratio gearbox and transfer case into one lever, with 3 positions: 2H (for 2-wheel drive in the standard high-ratio gearbox); 4H (for 4-wheel drive in the standard high-ratio gearbox); and 4L (for 4-wheel drive in the low-ratio gearbox). The shift pattern refers to the layout of the gears. In a typical manual transmission car, first gear is located to the left, and forwards. In many trucks and some sports cars it

5544-592: The new models of Chrysler's top brand Imperial . The 1961 Imperials had free-standing headlights, and the sides of the cars featured a chrome strip that mimicked the line of curved fenders. Exner later transferred the concept to the newly formed Stutz Motor Company brand, whose Blackhawk range was referred to as the Revival Car in the United States. The 1980 Cadillac Seville referenced the Hooper tail of

5628-408: The opposing legs of the "H" for both high range and low range ratios, for normal and off-road driving, respectively. Most modern manumatics , such as Alfa Romeo 's Sportronic and Porsche 's Tiptronic , have a traditional automatic shift pattern on the left or right side of the gear selector, along with a connected longitudinal gate with "+" and "-" positions on the other side in which movement of

5712-451: The price of the production FJ Cruiser reasonable. Unique interior touches like the gear shifter that doubled as a shovel handle, removable interior lights which doubled as flashlights, and flat-folding front seats were removed, though several concept items remained as factory options. The FJ Cruiser features a short wheelbase , stocky frame, and grille - headlight arrangement much like the original FJ40. Other throwback design cues include

5796-521: The production model. Changes to the A-TRAC traction control system and suspension tuning came as a direct result of the prototype testing. The exterior of the FJ concept remained largely unchanged when the final production model debuted at the 2005 Chicago Auto Show . However, chief production engineer Akio Nishimura had to significantly alter the amenities offered in Chergosky's interior concept to keep

5880-463: The rear which produce around 1.3 inches of lift over stock. Also, the FJ-S features all new TRD 17-inch wheels in a Midnight Black finish along with BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain tires. TRD also added their new supercharger with a Twin Vortex System and a large air-to-water intercooler, which brings the engine output to 345 horsepower and 345 lb⋅ft of torque, which is 30% and 25% of increase over

5964-693: The retro design trend. In Japan, retro packages for various small car models, such as the Daihatsu Mira or the Subaru Vivio , have also been popular since the 1990s. The success of retro design in Japan is also due to the kawaii aesthetic. In 1994, a new version of the Volkswagen Beetle was presented as the “Volkswagen Concept one” study at the Detroit Motor Show. Since the reactions of trade fair visitors were positive,

6048-525: The seats for specific years and special Trail Teams badges. Toyota announced that the 2014 model year would be the final production year of the FJ Cruiser for the U.S. Market, therefore to add uniqueness to the final version of the Trail Teams Special Edition , Toyota designated the final version to be the Trail Teams Ultimate Edition which features a few special upgrades. The 2014 Trail Teams Ultimate Edition FJ Cruiser comes in

6132-475: The shifter forward and backward increments the gears up and down, respectively. This can be useful in snow or dirt conditions, where it may be necessary to start from second gear. With the advent of drive by wire (or more properly, shift by wire ) computer-controlled transmissions (particularly in the case of automatics), the gear stick no longer needs to be mechanically connected to the transmission unit itself, and can, therefore, be made much smaller since there

6216-538: The signature color for the production FJ Cruiser. The bold styling was an immediate hit with the automotive press and general public despite competing with more exotic concepts like the Cadillac Sixteen and Dodge Tomahawk . By resurrecting design traits from the iconic FJ40, the FJ Cruiser was viewed as a new halo car for Toyota, much like the similarly retro-styled 2005 Mustang had been for Ford . In mid-2004, Toyota began extensive off-road evaluations of

6300-575: The size and luxury of the Land Cruiser line. The idea of a new FJ with rugged capabilities of the FJ40 originated in the mid-1990s with Toyota's product planner Dave Danzer and vice-president of sales and operations Yoshi Inaba. Danzer worked secretly with Akio Toyoda to set up a special shop at the NUMMI plant to test the feasibility of a new FJ40 by combining Tacoma underpinnings with the bodies of Toyota Bandeirantes , an FJ40-based vehicle, which

6384-485: The standard FJ Cruiser model. The exterior of the FJ-S Cruiser Concept received other changes/upgrades including a front nudge bar and the rock rails used on other FJ Cruiser variants. The color Toyota chose for this model is the Quicksand color, but unlike other FJ variants, they kept the white roof as opposed to doing a monochromatic color scheme. The interior of the FJ-S debuted an all-new two-tone leather seating with

6468-489: The starter motor also having to turn over a gearbox full of cold and highly viscous oil. Many automatic transmission vehicles have extra controls on the gear stick, or very close by, which modify the choices made by the transmission system depending on engine and road speed, e.g. "sports" or "economy" modes which will broadly speaking allow, respectively, for higher and lower revolutions per minute, before shifting up. Some specialist vehicles have controls for other functions on

6552-432: The transmission, with numbered positions in descending order marked below (or to the right) of "drive", which will prevent the transmission shifting to a gear higher than the selected, but maintaining automatic operation between all lesser numbered gears. Such gates will appear as P-R-N-D-3-2-1 for example. On some vehicles (mainly Japanese makes such as Honda , Toyota and Lexus ) these numbered positions are replaced by

6636-428: Was also equipped with BFGoodrich All-Terrain tires, as well as TRD/Trail Teams Bilstein shocks, and other similar options found on the TRD model. The number of Trail Teams Special Edition FJ Cruisers produced per year are as follows: 3,200 units for 2008 (as stated above); 1,500 for 2010; 2,500 in 2011; 2,500 in 2012; 2,500 in 2013; and 2,500 in 2014. No Trail Teams models were produced in 2009. However, Toyota released

6720-549: Was discontinued in August 2016. As of April 2022, it was still sold in markets such as Chile, the Middle East, the Philippines and Southern African Customs Union countries. On 1 October 2022, Toyota announced that the FJ Cruiser would be discontinued in the Middle East by December 2022, along with a final edition model. By the time the production of the original FJ40 ended in 1984, Toyota had shifted towards increasing

6804-552: Was primarily developed for the North American market but has been sold in small numbers globally since its launch. On 25 November 2010, Toyota announced sales would begin in right-hand drive form for the Japanese market. Sales began on 4 December, replacing the outgoing Hilux Surf and selling alongside the Land Cruiser. Japanese-produced right-hand drive models have a different rear bumper to North American models with

6888-433: Was provided to ensure correct vehicle speed and mileage are recorded. Slight changes have been made over the years to the FJ Crawler's options, and in recent years DSI offers new products for the FJ Crawler as well as their own Performance Package including Pro Comp 5" lift kits, 35-inch Pro Comp off-road tires, LRG or Pro Comp alloy wheels, Smittybilt original parts, and other custom accessories that are all selected by

6972-545: Was still in production in Brazil (as a diesel model only) at the time; the Bandeirante was discontinued in 2001. Toyoda returned to Japan to join the board of directors giving a high level support to the project. Toyota's flagship design studio, Calty , was then brought in to deliver a fresh interpretation of the FJ40. Offroad vehicle was known internally as Rugged Youth Utility (RYU) aimed at attracting young male buyers,

7056-462: Was used to give the vehicle side impact protection without the need for a door pillar . The interior of the FJ features many design elements focused on enhancing off-road practicality. All interior surfaces are covered with washable rubber materials to aid in fast cleanup after heavy outdoor use. The FJ also incorporates oversized controls to aid drivers with gloved hands. The three-gauge cluster (with compass, temperature, and inclinometer ) as well as

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