Toyota FT-4X Concept: Ruggedly Charming
Imagine if Toyota’s FJ Cruiser and new C-HR subcompact crossover had a baby, while simultaneously a first-generation Scion xB and a Honda Element also had a baby, and then, by some chance of fate, those two crossover love children met and procreated. Then you’d have the essential DNA that makes up the Toyota FT-4X concept.
Of course, Toyota puts things more succinctly, stating that the FT-4X was guided by a philosophy of “rugged charm” that revolves around design simplicity, inherent capability, durability, lineage, and charm. No doubt, the FT-4X appears to embody all five attributes in spades.
Unlike the discontinued FJ Cruiser, the FT-4X uses the classic FJ40 Land Cruiser’s looks to inspire its styling, not to determine its design. Details such as the concept’s upright windshield, flared front fenders, short overhangs, white-painted roof, and horizontal front face with block “Toyota” lettering in place of the traditional “T” badge connect the FT-4X to its Land Cruiser lineage. Furthermore, Toyota fits a vertical picture window on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The brand notes that the window is removable and owes its inspiration to the windows fitted to the old Toyota pickup Xtracab models and the original Toyota 4Runner. Odes to modernity include hidden rear door handles (as on the C-HR), a GoPro camera mounted within the driver’s-side mirror, roof-mounted power outlets, and a special bi-mode hatch.
Just as the Honda Ridgeline’s tailgate can swing down or out, the FT-4X’s rear hatch is able to swing up in one piece like a conventional hatchback, or it can mimic a Mini Cooper Clubman and open outward like a pair of barn doors. Users turn a big industrial-style handle at the rear to choose which opening method they’d prefer. The FT-4X’s cargo bay features a storage compartment and a handful of tie-down hooks. Folding down the rear seats creates a flat load floor extending through the cargo area.
The boxy FT-4X’s interior design is a modern take on the basic themes employed by youth-courting precursors such as the Honda Element and the Scion xB. Centered around the mindset of today’s outdoorsy twentysomethings, the FT-4X has water bottles built into the front and rear doors, a ceiling-mounted light in the rear that can be removed and used as a flashlight, a front dome light that also serves as an exterior beacon, and a sleeping bag that stores in the center console to become a central armrest when not being slept in. Other cool stuff includes a removable audio system and a glove box surrounded by rotating air vents that can warm up, cool down, or dry off items such as gloves or other clothing. Navigation functions are handled via the owner’s mobile phone, which slides into a socket atop the digital gauge cluster.
The concept rides on the Toyota New Global Architecture C-Platform, used by other models such as the C-HR. Like that utelet, the FT-4X sits on a 103.9-inch wheelbase and relies on a suspension consisting of struts up front and control arms at the rear. Although Toyota didn’t specify whether the show car actually has anything under its hood, the company acknowledged that “one could assume the [model] could potentially employ a small-displacement four-cylinder engine.” Meanwhile, the company said, a four-wheel-drive system with low range could assist a production FT-4X in cashing the check written by the chunky 12-spoke 18-inch wheels and knobby Goodyear tires.
Given the fact that Toyota has no plans to offer the swoopy C-HR with all-wheel drive on our shores, we think a squared-off, off-road-oriented subcompact crossover certainly has a place in the lineup. With the right powertrain and an appropriate four-wheel-drive system, there’s even a chance a production-bound FT-4X could succeed where both the Honda Element and the Scion xB failed: attracting scores of young people to showrooms. We dig this Toyota, and we hope it becomes reality.
