Twenty to twenty five years ago "retro" was the new thing. While it's hard to pin point when it all began many point to the Mazda Miata as being the first of the retro styled automobiles that would promulgate the market. Ford broke design ground with the 1994 Mustang, Volkswagen had their "old", Golf based Beetle. Chrysler had their PT Cruiser which Chevrolet subsequently and unabashedly copied with their HHR. Chevrolet also ripped themselves off with their 1969 Camaro esque "new" Camaro in 2010. Remember the car/truck that was supposed to replace the Camaro, the SSR? Now defunct Plymouth had their funky, retro-rod Prowler and let's not forget about Ford and their 2002 Thunderbird which was a modern day homage to the '55 Thunderbird. All of these cars/trucks? had one thing in common - they were answers to questions nobody was asking. That's particularly true with Toyota and their "what the hell is that?" FJ Cruiser.
Far be it for me to say anything considering the rolling cartoon of a car that I drive, but my metaphoric wheels have always come off in my attempts to get my arms around the FJ Cruiser. Part of me thinks it's cool and edgy while the other part of me thinks it ugly, ridiculous even. As if something got lost in translation. It's as if all the coolness of its inspiration got sucked out of it in the homogenizing process.
In fairness, though. with all of the vehicles mentioned above I do appreciate the originals they're all based on more than their reboots. However, there's nothing farther from what the FJ Cruiser is from what it was inspired by. How this became that is anyone's guess but it's not for a lack of trying if that's any consolation to anyone who worked on the FJ Cruiser. This 1978 Toyota Land Cruiser the stuff of dreams even for a shameless car junky like myself; me being usually immune to the charms of utility based vehicles but, oh my, Land Cruiser. You certainly are something.
Perhaps if the FJ Cruiser was an evolution of design I wouldn't be as quick to dismiss it as I am. Perhaps if did not know that its inspiration was something as iconic as the old Land Cruiser I'd find some way to appreciate it too but knowing what I know, I find that all but impossible. With the economy fairly healthy after years of being on a morphine drip retro cars actual sell well enough to warrant updates and continued refinement. Same for the FJ Cruiser; just don't look for one in my driveway anytime soon. To each their own.
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