New Toyota FT-4X concept is nothing like the FJ-40

Toyota has showcased the FT-4X concept at the New York Auto Show and the new four-wheel drive compact SUV concept looks catchy. The FT-4X is like a modern art adaptation of the half-a-century-old Toyota FJ 40, the Japanese challenger to the Jeeps and the Land Rovers.

The FT-4X has continued the FJ-40s legacy with the short chassis and minimal overhangs, both fore and aft. As for the styling, the FT looks like a millennial take on the FJ styling with the sunglass-like white grille in the front. Toyota also somehow manages to add quirky angles to the fascia and make it look good. The flared square wheel arches supplement the square design and also make it look butch. The FT also gets doors for the front row, just like the FJ. 

But apart from its looks, the FT hasn’t taken any more inspiration from the FJ. The millennials are largely posers and the FT looks exactly like one. It does get 4WD but one look at the car and you know you might break something if you try climbing on to a pavement more than foot high. It gets the tow hooks in the front and the back as well, along with off-road tyres to bolster the whole off-roader look. Under the hood, it has place for a four cylinder engine, the mainstay of Toyota’s new TNGA platform that also spawns the Prius hybrid.

Like we said in our previous story when Toyota had teased the FT-4X for the first time, the FT-4X is actually the soft-roader version of the FJ Cruiser, one of Toyota’s bestselling SUVs. For those who want a rather macho looking FJ Cruiser, the FT-4X, if it is put into production, might be the perfect car.