Toyota Land Cruiser FJ

Toyota Land Cruiser FJ (2026) Launch Review

How much does the new Land Cruiser FJ cost in South Africa?

Land Cruiser FJ GX R714 000
Land Cruiser FJ VX R761 400

The vehicle is sold with a 9-service/90 000 km service plan with intervals every 10 000 km, as well as a 3-year/100 000 km warranty. Service and warranty extensions are available through Toyota’s national dealer network. All new Toyota vehicles are equipped with connectivity hardware, enabling in-car Wi-Fi (including a complimentary 25Gb allocation) and a suite of Toyota Connect services.

Summary

The Toyota Land Cruiser FJ is a uniquely-styled compact SUV, but unlike the current crop of competitors, can actually venture far beyond the comforts of the metropolitan areas. There’s something refreshingly mechanical and uncomplicated about this vehicle. Sure, the exterior design team injected their youthfulness into the aesthetics, but at its core, it’s Land Cruiser through and through.

Given its appeal and positioning as an entry point to the Land Cruiser hierarchy, it should come as no surprise that demand comfortably outstrips supply and the Toyota Thailand factory will be churning them out as fast as realistically possible.

 
New Toyota Land Cruiser FJ: early SA sales figures revealed

How many units of the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ were registered in SA during this new SUV’s launch month? We have the answer, plus RAV4 and bZ4X sales for May 2026…

- Land Cruiser FJ straight into 3 figures
- Best RAV4 sales since October 2025
- New bZ4X hits 33 units (10 via dealers)

The new Toyota Land Cruiser FJ – priced from R714 000 and offered exclusively (for now, anyway) with a long-in-the-tooth naturally aspirated 2.7-litre petrol engine – officially hit dealers around South Africa on 18 May 2026. So, how many units were registered over the remainder of this ladder-frame SUV’s launch month?

Well, according to figures reported to Naamsa, Toyota SA Motors registered 127 units of its new FJ-badged Land Cruiser in May 2026. As many as 116 of these were sold via the dealer channel, with the remaining 11 reported as so-called “single” registrations (vehicles the brand kept and licensed for its own use).

That means the new Land Cruiser FJ effectively outsold the larger (admittedly more expensive) Land Cruiser 300, which ended the month on 103 units. The J250-series Prado, however, was the most popular Land Cruiser SUV in May 2026, with as many as 323 examples sold.

The Japanese brand’s local division also registered 3 units of the Land Cruiser 76 wagon, along with 466 units of the likewise seemingly evengreen Land Cruiser 79, seeing the latter rank 6th on the list of South Africa’s best-selling bakkies for May 2026.

 
The Prince that was Promised – Toyota Land Cruiser FJ

Toyota Land Cruiser FJ specifications

Powertrain: 2.7-litre, four-cylinder, petrol
Transmission: six-speed automatic
Drivetrain: part-time 4×4, with low range
Power: 120 kW @ 5 200 r/min
Torque: 246 N.m @ 4 000 r/min

For the time being, the J240 is exclusively fitted with Toyota’s proven 2TR-FE 2.7-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine paired with a six-speed Super ECT automatic transmission. Available with the sixth-generation Hilux since the late 90s, this unit develops 120 kW and 246 N.m of torque, figures that threaten to dampen the appeal of this otherwise polished package, notably with owners living at energy-sapping altitudes. Although it’s a willing powertrain, we averaged 13.2 L/100 km during our time with an admittedly box-fresh unit.

Our time with the FJ included a good amount of on-road, round-town driving, where – together with an impressively comfy and quiet cabin – I would suggest it offers a more composed default ride quality than the Fortuner. On this, Toyota claims it has added extra bracing under the vehicle’s floor and increased body rigidity to ensure optimal handling stability. It certainly doesn’t feel as top-heavy from the driver’s seat as its lofty profile suggests.

We were also afforded an opportunity to gain first-hand experience of the newest Land Cruiser’s off-roading credentials on some demanding tracts of dirt. From a welcome commanding driving position, courtesy of generous driver’s seat and steering column adjustment, and a view over a bonnet that’s sculpted like those of the Prado and 300, the FJ proved impressively manoeuvrable and nuggety in this environment. This is aided by generous wheel articulation, which, Toyota claims, matches that of the 70 Series, communicative hydraulically assisted power steering and a suitably tight turning circle. The J240 features 2H, 4H and 4L driving modes, as well as rear diff-lock, hill descent control and 2nd start.

Introduced in 1951 as the BJ and including the 1960 FJ40 after which the 2006 FJ Cruiser and this newest member of the family were named, Toyota has sold more than 12 million Land Cruiser-badged vehicles in 190 countries to date. Combining a well-considered exterior design that lends itself to customisation, proven under-the-skin toughness and a legacy of reliability, it’s difficult to imagine that order books for the now fourth member of the modern Land Cruiser family aren’t already full for the foreseeable future.

It’s intriguing to note that each of Toyota’s contemporary FJ-badged offerings, the still popular Cruiser and now this vehicle, are conspicuous for featuring impressively robust yet not particularly efficient powertrains, the former with its V6 petrol unit. Exasperated by the current volatility of global fuel prices, as impressive as the Land Cruiser FJ is as a fresh entry point into the legendary Land Cruiser family, we would advise pre-arranged test drives in familiar conditions ahead of placing an order, to ensure corresponding performance and overall consumption meet expectations.

www.carmag.co.za

The Prince that was Promised - Toyota Land Cruiser FJ

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Test figures: New Toyota Land Cruiser FJ

Toyota Land Cruiser FJ acceleration times

On our test strip, the Land Cruiser FJ completed the 0-100 km/h dash in 12.47 seconds. In the overtaking acceleration stakes, the J240 sprinted between the 80-100, 100-120, and 120-140 km/h increments in 3.97, 5.50 and 8.47 seconds, respectively.

Toyota Land Cruiser FJ specifications
Model tested: Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 2.7 4×4 VX AT
Price: R761 400
Powertrain: 2.7-litre, four-cylinder, petrol
Transmission: six-speed automatic
Driven wheels: all
Power: 122 kW @ 5 200 r/min
Torque: 245 N.m @ 4 000 r/min
Claimed 0-100 km/h: n/a
Tested 0-100 km/h: 12.47 seconds
Top speed: 165 km/h (claimed)
Fuel consumption: 10.7 L/100 km (claimed)
CO2 emissions: 256 g/km (claimed)

www.carmag.co.za

Test figures: New Toyota Land Cruiser FJ

We strap our test equipment to the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ to find out how it fares in our test regimen - acceleration, braking and fuel consumption...
www.carmag.co.za www.carmag.co.za
 
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