5gears-IS

iTrader: (5)

Gallery visit the linky

http://www.carscoops.com/2017/11/new...macho-sub.html

situman

Front end looks a bit Fordy. I bet they will put the anemic NA 2.0 in there. Not sure what kind of adventure you can have when you can only look up a hill if that's the only engine option.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

4Runner mated with a FJ Cruiser

Sulu

Is this a body-on-frame truck, like the FJ Cruiser, or is it a unibody crossover utility vehicle, like the Toyota FT-4X concept introduced at the New York show earlier this year?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

rav 4 mad max edition

ABC

Possibly first glance at next gen rav4? Side profile is very NX-ish.

JDR76

It’s a TNGA vehicle.

ST430

Saw this SUV at the LA auto ahow today. There were a ton if people around it, and i knew exactly what it was, but still kept on doing a double take to see if it werent a Subaru (Forester) I was staring at. I hope that if it were a sneak oeek at the new RAV4, it is much more stylized for production as it gives off a very primitive look at this point (possibly inentionally).

Speaking of which, the Toyota display at LA was massive, with a ton of room dedicated to outdoor type SUv and trucks (in the heart of suburbia no less). There were no sports cars or anything otherwise sporty (no the NASCAR camry doesnt count), besides 1 GT86. Sad and no wonder i have moved on from Toyco....

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

It looks very busy up front and a bit crossover-ish to me. My guess would be a Rav4 replacement but that model was never marketed as an off-roader before. This is probably testing the waters for something else.

Even the small and boxy FT-4X looked better than this as a very compact 4WD offering in a different category.

I want to like concept vehicles that people obviously put a lot of thought and hard work into... but it's hard to do that when it doesn't grab me as being very unique or evocative of something special.

^^ This is disappointing. I will be going tomorrow. I knew there would be no Supra MKV or FT-1 on display but no sporty products at all apart from a production GT86...? Very, very poor form on Toyota's part.

And I agree, a NASCAR Camry doesn't count at all. No one cares about a NASCAR Camry that isn't in any way related to or similar to the ho-hum front-drive production Camry available at the dealer.

JessePS

It is for sure a pretty extreme CUV.
Lets see if Toyota keeps the concept look when it comes out.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i wouldn't be surprised if this is toyota's attempt to go after jeep, rather than a rav4 replacement.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Agreed with the first point. The market for CUVs, SUVs, trucks, awd/4wd is booming. The Ford Bronco coming back is a huge sign that rugged utility is making a comeback. Jeep is in a great position, and other marques are starting to notice.

Not a chance they would replace the cash cow Rav4. This is likely an additional SUV for Toyota's line-up. But first a case study.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

I just saw this concept at the L.A. Auto Show yesterday. In person it does look convincing that it is an actually rugged and not car-based SUV concept. But it is currently just a concept body mated to a chassis (unless it actually is a unibody design... I couldn't tell).

I asked the Toyota rep at that display what the FT-AC was supposed to replace (a loaded question) and of course the response back was that it wasn't directly meant to replace anything but was an interpretation of many of Toyota's "heritage off road vehicles". I mentioned the FJ and Land Cruiser 70 as products 4WD diehard enthusiasts still really want (and that while there is a market base for it the Land Cruiser 200 is way too big for most) and this was acknowledged but it's all just a feedback relay system at these shows. I also mentioned that for the kind of vehicle this concept is hinting at the target customers want a real 4WD system, preferably with diff lockers and beyond that a turbodiesel or diesel hybrid (for even more low end torque than normal) would be desired... but I did emphasize diesel due to the sheer weight of a vehicle like this. And that some buyers for an enthusiast 4WD off roader still want a manual transmission option in the top spec 4WD trim. All of this also positively acknowledged by the rep but of course it can only be customer interest feedback relayed up the chain.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

the chance of a vehicle like this having a diesel or diesel hybrid from toyota i'd put at... zero.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Yes, it is probably a long shot but the official representatives are there at each booth to gauge reactions and feedback if any significant numbers of people mention a lot of the same key words or express a lot of very similar sentiments. For whatever it might have done to help the cause for those options I made a clear and concise argument in favor of turbo-diesel or turbo-diesel hybrid power (and a manual gearbox and lever-selectable 2WD/4WD and low/crawl modes... and diff lockers) in a big enthusiast off-road vehicle such as that concept is supposed to vaguely represent.

Here's hoping I wasn't the only one voicing that opinion to them so that enough voices get that kind of feedback up the chain to at least be heard by management and project teams even if they don't decide to act in any of those directions.

At the very least, auto manufacturers need to at least hear what people's reactions are. Even if they decide we're wrong it's far better than going to your average dealer, not finding the kind of vehicle you wish they produced or even not finding the kind of options you wish were offered in the online vehicle build configurator and then complaining to the dealer representative... who really, honestly doesn't care no matter how nice they may be acting... and who can't do anything anyway because they aren't in charge of product planning or influencing them other than ordering as many bland or too-loaded configurations as possible in automatic trims and trying to get you to buy those from their massive lot inventory instead of what you wish you could get from automaker brand A, B, C, D, E, etc.

With cars, it's kind of one of the two ways you get to "vote": #1 is with your wallet/financing and what model and trim you buy and #2 is almost always the gauged public and press reactions at the auto shows. #3 might be sending feedback to the appropriate section on a manufacturer's website but... I don't think that really matters to any of them. Products are influenced by internal decisions and planners, then by #1 and in third place of importance #2.

bitkahuna, diesels are a harder bet these days of course, especially at Toyota but if they show a concept like this and make people think FJ Cruiser, 4Runner, Land Cruiser FJ80, Land Cruiser FJ70 and such... they're going to get different responses than they would from the RAV4 and Lexus RX crowd would would never, ever ask for a diesel in those models