New Toyota Land Cruiser reportedly getting FJ40 and 70-inspired design

We’re all excited about the Toyota Land Cruiser reboot in the US, but a new report has us even more stoked than before. A report out of Australia says it may get a retro-inspired design that is specific to the US market and which hearkens back to the classic FJ40 and J70 Land Cruisers.

According to Drive, the upcoming US-spec 2024 Land Cruiser will get a unique look that includes round headlights. They also say the model will be less luxurious and positioned more as a low-volume hard-core 4×4. It’s interesting that the J70 was called out as a design inspiration, considering the highly respected utilitarian model was never sold in America.

One place it’s still being sold today is Australia, but Toyota is apparently not bringing the retro-styled version there. Not only is the J70 still available new there, the full-fat J300 Land Cruiser and the Land Cruiser Prado are sold alongside it. We expect the US-spec Land Cruiser to be based on the Prado, just without the Prado name. So far, the only Prado variant we’ve gotten was badged as a Lexus GX.

Perhaps Toyota saw the fact that the FJ Cruiser still remains tremendously popular despite it being discontinued almost 10 years ago in 2014. Like the GR86, its name was inspired by the chassis code of a beloved predecessor and it developed a strong cult following. If second-hand prices are any indication, it’s even more sought-after now than it was when available new.

In classic Toyota fashion, it killed off the model just as off-roading and overlanding was exploding in popularity. Production stopped only this year, so Toyota could’ve enjoyed an entire decade of extra sales. But hey, if the Land Cruiser tries to recapture some of that magic in a retro package, we’re all for it.