Toyota axing FJ Cruiser after 2014

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money...iscontinued-special-edition-ultimate/3444567/


LAS VEGAS -- Toyota sends the FJ Cruiser into oblivion with a unique, limited-volume model called Trail Teams Ultimate Edition Cruiser.
The 2014 Ultimate Edition goes on sale in January. Toyota will announce pricing closer to the on-sale date. The FJ model is being discontinued worldwide, after the 2014 model year, Toyota says, and the Ultimate Edition is intended to mark that with a bang, not a whimper.
Introduced at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show here, the special FJ "pays tribute to the iconic Land Cruiser FJ40 of the 1960's, from which the FJ Cruiser draws its rugged DNA, inspiration and design," Toyota says. The white and "Heritage Blue" paint job evokes the typical color scheme of the classic FJ40.
Just 2,500 of the 2014 Ultimate Edition Fs will be built, the automaker says. It is intended for rugged off-roading, featuring upgrades by Toyota Racing Development (TRD).
The TRD goodies include special off-road suspension with Bilstein racing shock absorbers and TRD coil springs, a quarter-inch-thick aluminum front skid plate, 16-inch-diameter wheels with bead lock, which keeps the BF Goodrich A/T KO tires from slipping on the rims and thus going flat in rough work.
The special edition is available only as a four-wheel-drive model with locking rear differential, active traction control and other traction and stability electronics.
The FJ Cruiser was introduced as a 2006 model, intended to capitalize on nostalgia for the old FJ40. Toyota says it has sold more than 200,000 FJ Cruisers since then.
While that's a big number, it works to only an average of 20,000-25,000 a year. That's fine for a niche model, but Toyota's a high-volume player. Toyota's sold 10,676 FJ Cruisers the first 10 months this year, according to Autodata.
The car company says FJ Cruiser never was intended to run forever.
Healey reported from McLean, Va., and Woodyard from Las Vegas

 

It'll be a sad day when they leave the showrooms!

 

Yea, no more things to install on our trucks

 

Never liked them anyway so I'm not sad. More r and d time for the 4runner and taco.

 

I wasn't terribly fond of them like I am the Tacoma and 4-Runner, but I could still appreciate them greatly. I'll be sad to see them leave the showroom.

 

I would totally care if the remake was half as cool as the original. When I read that Toyota would be coming out with a new FJ, I thought for sure it would be designed to compete directly with the Heep Wrangler and have a removable top, solid axles and a small footprint. It was so disappointing find out it was more like a damn Hummer. They do look cool, though...

 

To me the FJ is/was a niche vehicle that paid homage to the older yotes.

It is a cool ride but for me and IMO in general is too specialized to have long term seccess. I think it's really in competition with Toyotas own 4 Runner (Trail Edition) and to a lessor extent the Tacoma. I'd be willing to bet the FJ was cross shopped more with those two vehicles more then any other... As unique as it is in appearance, it does share much of the other vehicles chassis but I'd have to guess the cost of engineering the differences just didn't produce the ROI.

As cool as it was and having looked at it and considered it myself, didn't buy one. Can't say I'll miss it much but, do hate to see Toyota forfeit any product.

 

If I had the money, I would totally get one since it will be the last and there will be only 2,500 2014s. Might be worth something someday.

 

Totally a niche vehicle. I'm a little sad to see it go even though I'm not a huge fan. I love that Toyota isn't scared to build niche trucks even though they may not sell as many. Ie- FJ and 4Runner TRAIL. I think its bad ass and I'd buy these any day over the band wagon cross over SUV's like the new pathfinder and explorer which look like Subaru Tribecas. I think Toyota is the only company making rigs that can compete with heeps. There is still a market if you can steel some of the off road market from the new heeps, which are ALL over the road.

 

Fleet web site used to have a reference that the FJ would be gone after next June, but that has been removed...

http://fleet.toyota.com/availability.asp

 

Yea yea, for some reason I can't get on board with the non-body on frame SUVs. So, I'm with you on that list...

 

Toyota needs to keep making niche vehicles.

Because these.....

 

They won't kill all six (including Lexus), but of the 5, I can't see taking the 2 Lexii or the Land Cruiser on a serious off road trip unless you just have money to burn.

Leaves the Sequoia, 4R, and FJ....

I just don't see the Sequoia as a decent off road vehicle in stock configuration... the Sequoia and Tundra are just too big, heavy, and weak suspension/clearance out of the box. Get them to the point that they can handle the trails, and now you're looking at clearance issues in the drive-through and other issues as a daily driver. Thing I hated about my (stock height except for leveling) Duramax 2500 was I had to walk up to the ATM because I couldn't reach DOWN far enough to get my cash. More than once I used a spotter in parking garages after I put the light bar on it... it would not clear my garage at work. My boss parks his "mild" Tundra in the library lot when he doesn't ride his fixie.

T4R and FJ are fairly capable off the lot, and they don't take a lot of work to get serious while still being decent DD's.

Maybe stick a Rav body on a Tacoma frame?

Actually, on a pre-IFS Hilux frame, I'd totally rock a Rav4 body on that

 

DO NOT COMPETE

WITH THESE

 

I still don't understand why they didn't design it to compete with the Jeep. Jeep will sell 150,000 JK's this year. A four door FJ with removable top would have done well.

 

Its pathetic the way some brands sell out to be crossovers. The only path the new pathfinder is finding is the way to the mall.

 

Dude I agree. Up to like 2003 the pathfinder was super bad ass. I was actually trying to find an older one as a dd. I remember growing up as a kid and watching the Warren Miller ski videos as a kid. They had these Pathfinders like the one in your pic that would go everywhere across the country. Wanted one so bad.

 

If I understand correctly what you're saying, I agree man. I like the looks of the FJ and think it can be a really decent off roader.

I'm also with the rest of the group make it more like an 80s 4 Runner or just make a version of the 4 Runner like the old one.

 

4-door Heep is for parking patrol officers.

2-door FJ, downsized to a Rav-sized frame, would be a TJ/Renegade-Killer

Like the original FJ.

 

Old pathfinders are the sh^T