The 2026 Toyota LandCruiser FJ must come to Australia

Toyota has “no current plans” to introduce the all-new LandCruiser FJ in Australia. There are several possible reasons as to why this is the case, but if it’s true, it could prove to be Toyota Australia’s biggest blunder in recent memory.

Unlike its predecessor which was essentially a shortened and reskinned Prado, the new LandCruiser FJ is based on an evolution of the IMV ladder frame platform, which underpins the current-generation HiLux and the smaller HiLux Champ (a Southeast Asian vehicle).

We don’t know yet which model the new Toyota LandCruiser FJ is aligned more closely with, but a deep dive into the specs suggests the latter given the HiLux Champ can be had with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol, 2.4-litre turbo-diesel and, crucially, a bigger 2.7-litre four-cylinder petrol engine – the same one you’ll find in the new 2026 FJ Cruiser.

Said engine is also applied to the local HiLux Workmate ute in Australia right now, but we have it on good authority the FJ is destined for emerging markets rather than the western world.

And that’s a sad revelation because Australia is unquestionably the definitive ‘LandCruiser’ market and a ‘centre of excellence’ for Toyota’s global 4x4 development regime – how can you launch a new LandCruiser and not offer it here?

Toyota Australia couldn’t (or wouldn’t) shed any light as to why not, but there are two main possibilities: NVES and ADR compliance.

NVES (the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard) is probably the bigger antagonist of the two, and it all stems from the 2.7-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (120kW/246Nm) hiding under the bonnet of the new FJ Cruiser.

Oddly, there’s no compact turbo-diesel or modern hybrid powertrain on offer… just a 20-year-old aspirated petrol mill that wouldn't pass muster in a 2026 showroom.

This is exactly the sort of engine the NVES is designed to snuff out over the next few years, and with no alternatives in the pipeline – Automotive News has reported there’s no hybrid planned – the FJ would be doomed from the outset.

It’s disappointing this vehicle has been in development and hyped up for so long – literally years – yet it debuts with the most outdated engine in Toyota’s arsenal.

As for the ADR (Australian Design Rule) compliance, the probable HiLux Champ link raises a few question marks as to the FJ’s side impact performance, given ADRs are some of the strictest in the world.

Will the new Toyota FJ LandCruiser ever come to Australia? I hope so. Unless it’s all show and no go and struggles to cut the mustard off-road, it’ll be hugely appealing to Aussie buyers.

While the ADR compliance discussion that may prohibit its introduction here is of course pure speculation and will eventually be cleared up when Toyota releases more details of the FJ closer to its mid-2026 Japanese release.

The NVES avenue is a little tougher to solve since there’s supposedly no hybrid on the way, even though it would easily make the most sense.

Transplanting the HiLux Champ’s 2.4-litre turbo-diesel mill (110kW/343Nm) could be another option – and would make absolute sense for the diesel-obsessed Aussie customer base – if Toyota was willing to absorb the NVES penalties.

Whatever eventuates, Toyota Australia needs to pucker up and make the new LandCruiser FJ applicable to Australia. It would undoubtedly sell by the thousands, not just because of its nameplate, but because it fills the gaping chasm between the uber-successful Suzuki Jimny and GWM Tank 300.

Rolling an affordable LandCruiser into showrooms would also make Toyota dealers right around the country froth with excitement as well.

Finally, I refuse to believe that Toyota would apply the LandCruiser name to a vehicle that doesn’t have genuine off-road ability… but it would be just as much of a crime not to offer a new LandCruiser in the land Down Under.

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au