Toyota has unveiled the FT-AC concept at the LA Auto Show and thankfully it is not a pavement crawler. It isn’t an out and out rock-crawler, but it is likely to fare better than many of the crossovers that are currently sold as SUVs.
At least, the FT-AC looks its part as a brawler with the fat-slat on the hexagonal grille, angular (read angry) headlamps, bash plates and of course, the LED bars on the roof. The skid plates under the running boards, the squared cladded arches and roof-rails add muscle to the profile.
It looks like a five-seater SUV and might be a precursor to what can become a 4Runner in the future. It is a concept and with the doors not opened to the public yet, we do not know how it is on the inside. But what we certainly know is that it will run on a hybrid setup of a petrol-electric powertrain, something similar to the one offered on the Lexus NX 300h. The e-AWD system has diff-locking capabilities along with torque vectoring and multiple terrain settings.
There is no word on whether it will ever see the light of the day, at least in this form. But it should certainly inspire Toyota to build an SUV that actually has the abilities of one rather than just the looks of it.
