The Toyota FJ Cruiser is the rebirth of an icon, the Toyota FJ 40, known in North America as the original . It was a rugged, go-anywhere vehicle, a sport utility vehicle decades before the genre had a name.

The FJ Cruiser was designed in Southern California. The design evokes the heritage of the FJ40 and other early Land Cruisers without being retro. This is no simple cloning of a nearly half-century old design. Instead, what Toyota wanted to do was to project how the original Jeep-like FJ would have evolved had it remained in production all these years. The engineering and manufacturing of the Toyota FJ Cruiser are done in Japan.

Early FJs and Land Cruisers were patterned on the World War II Jeep because the U.S. Army asked Toyota to build a newer version of the versatile vehicle for use in the Korean conflict. That vehicle also was used by Japanese police departments. Then, much like the original Jeep, it became a civilian vehicle known as the FJ in Japan and as the Land Cruiser in foreign markets, including the United States.

Rugged and reliable, Toyota FJs and Land Cruisers became the vehicle of choice for explorers, ranchers, missionaries, United Nations peacekeepers, merchants or anyone else who needed to drive through places such as Australia's Outback, Africa's plains, across Asia steppes, through South American jungles or anywhere else where roads were virtually nonexistent, consisting of trails as harsh and challenging as the natural environment.

Exterior styling cues from the original FJ brought forward on the FJ Cruiser include a narrow slot of a second grille built into the front lip of the hood, the trio of windshield wipers at the base of an upright windshield, the round headlights and the metallic-colored enclosure that frames them and the main grille (with Toyota in simple gothic letters, instead of the interlocking oval emblem that adorns the face of other modern Toyotas), the white roof, the wraparound rear windows and the spare tire mounted on the back of the vehicle.

The FJ Cruiser shares much of its under structure with the four-door SUV and pickup truck, but you'd never guess that to look at the FJ with its wide, turtle-shell body design.

Short front and rear overhangs are used for serious off-road maneuvering. The 4x4 versions offer 9.6 inches of ground clearance, with optional underbody armor to provide extra protection against rocks and other obstacles met on unpaved trails.

Viewed in profile, the most noticeable aspects of the FJ Cruiser are its upright windshield, tall and protective body sides, short windows, and very wide C-pillar on either side of the cargo area.

Though it may look like a two-door, the Toyota FJ Cruiser actually has four doors, opening almost French door style on either side to create a good-sized opening for access to the back seat and cargo area. The rear door also opens wide, and features a backlight glass that can be flipped up when the door itself is closed.

The FJ Cruiser features an interesting color palate including a bright blue (Voodoo Blue) and yellow (Sun Fusion), as well as a silver (Titanium Metallic), the difficult-to-describe Black Diamond, and the very literal Brick. Three new colors have been added for 2009: plain Black, Silver Fresco Metallic, and Iceberg White. But new or old, the paint color only covers the hood, fenders, body sides, C-pillars and rear door. In homage to the old FJ40s, all FJ Cruisers have white roofs.