When Toyota ended production of its retro body-on-frame SUV, the FJ Cruiser, everyone began wishing for a modern, fuel efficient replacement. Toyota first came up with the FT-4X Concept in New York, followed by the Tj Cruiser Concept in Tokyo. Now, here comes the FT-AC at the LA Auto Show. And no, this still isn’t the next-generation FJ Cruiser you’ve been praying Toyota to make.

Sized similarly to a RAV4, the FT-AC or the Future Toyota Adventure Concept is what you get when designers decide to go overboard on the “active lifestyle” thing. Purely a design concept, the FT-AC features all the macho design go to’s: pronounced fenders, body shielding, beefy 20-inch all-terrain tires—it’s the Timberland hiking boots of compact crossovers. Aside from that, it’s got all sorts of LED lights, some of which can be taken out of their pods, because, you know, active lifestyle.



Of course, with millennials going crazy on social media posting, the FT-AC comes with cameras embedded in the side mirrors to catch all the action. These can also be removed so that “no fun goes undocumented.” Oh, and it’s a roving Wi-Fi hotspot too so that you can upload footage of you crawling up the mall parking in real time.

When it comes to the drivetrain, the FT-AC can be powered by anything in your imagination, as long as it’s a gasoline engine. A turbocharged motor? Sure. A hybrid system? Why not.  Toyota does say it’s got an “advanced torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system.” This routes power to any wheel for maximum traction. It’s also got a variable terrain response and a 4-wheel lock functionality.


Though the chances of Toyota building the FT-AC is very slim, here’s hoping they can use this design experiment to inject some life into the next-generation RAV4 which is coming, supposedly, real soon.