Toyota Tj Cruiser Concept

Toyota showcased a range of concepts at this year's Tokyo Motor Show. Right from autonomous Concept-i series to the hybrid sports car GR-HV, Toyota's stall was filled with some very interesting concept cars. One among them was the new Toyota Tj Cruiser, which, going by the company's claim, is a proper amalgamation of the roomy cargo van and the powerful styling and design of an SUV.

A utilitarian vehicle built for those who have an active lifestyle the new Tj Cruiser concept comes with bold SUV-like styling along with a cabin with toppling seats that could fit long items like a surfboard or a couple of bicycles and more. Sharing the etymology of the name, Toyota said that the "T" in Tj CRUISER stands for "Toolbox" in reference to how the car can be used like a toolbox, while the "j" stands for "joy" in reference to the joy of visiting various places by car. Thanks to its squarish shape offer space and accessibility similar to a cargo van, while the bold design, sturdy suspension, and massive tires make it a tough-looking SUV. Also, the hood, roof, and fenders are made of a material that comes with a special coating that can resist scratches and dirt.

While normally it is a four seater, the front and rear passenger seats can be reclined completely flat to create a massive space and there are numerous tie-down points to enable easy anchoring of items from small packages to longer objects. Also, the large opening of the tailgate makes for easy loading and unloading of large items such as bikes. The Tj Cruiser comes with large sliding doors on both sides, which apart from offering easy entry and exit for passengers, is also suitable for loading and unloading large items.

Toyota hasn't revealed a lost about the technical stuff but has hinted that vehicle could be based on the next-generation TNGA platform and will come with both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive system. The vehicle will come with a 2-litre class engine combined with Toyota's hybrid system.

Getting in and out of the half SUV / half van should be a breeze thanks to the massive sliding doors, which will prove to be just as useful when loading and unloading voluminous cargo. Speaking of which, items up to three meters (118 inches) long can be squeezed inside the cabin after reclining the front and rear passenger seats. To make it even more versatile, Toyota has installed several tie-down points at the back of the seats and deck boards for anchoring a multitude of items. Bikes, surfboards, and other large objects can fit inside through the huge back door as it has a more than generous opening.

The Tj Cruiser is just one of the many vehicles Toyota will have on display at the Tokyo Motor Show starting from October 25. Other models will include the GR HV Sports and Crown concepts, along with the production-ready Century.

Don’t have room in your garage for an SUV and a van, yet you need both? Toyota has figured out a solution by developing the boxy Tj Cruiser. En route to the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, the brick-like concept gets its name from the words “Toolbox” and “Joy,” while “Cruiser” is a term we are familiar with as it has been in use for many years.

Toyota has used special coating for the hood, roof, and fenders to make them resistant to scratches and dirt, “even when objects accidentally come into contact with them.” Much like a van, the Tj Cruiser is shaped like a square and has been engineered on the TNGA platform with power coming from a hybridized 2.0-liter gasoline engine. Developed to accommodate both a front- and all-wheel-drive layout, the showcar gets a beefy suspension setup and sits on 20-inch alloy wheels shod in chunky Bridgestone tires.