In December, Toyota unveiled a slew of new electric cars. I was immediately drawn to the back corner by an electric pickup that looked very similar to a Tacoma Electric Vehicle… and right next to it was a smaller, more rugged SUV with heavy cladding, skid plates, and a roof rack. Toyota calls the concept the Compact Cruiser EV.
2025 Toyota Compact Cruiser EV Review
The Compact Cruiser borrows styling cues from the first-gen Land Cruiser. It looks almost like it is running on a car platform. Toyota’s description, “young professional urban dwellers who are interested in active outdoor leisure interests,” is a clear indication of crossover.
This is not surprising considering the off-road look. Toyota claims the Compact Cruiser is a great choice for those who want an all-wheel-drive, go-anywhere experience. If it is not standard, a production version of the Compact Cruiser should have AWD.
Toyota didn’t get cute naming its EV concepts. The EV pickup was named the “Pickup EV”. Toyota’s use of the term “compact” to refer to the body size is likely. The Compact Cruiser EV is also smaller than the Pickup EV. It looks more like a midsize truck. The Compact Cruiser EV will look more like a Ford Bronco Sport rather than a Bronco fighter.
2025 Toyota Compact Cruiser EV Revealed
We would expect that “Cruiser”, in some production name, is there. It could be something like “bZ Cruiser”. Toyota trademarked the name “Trailhunter”, so it’s possible.
The Compact Cruiser is a smaller version of the FJ Cruiser and a modernized, quirky take on the FJ40 Land Cruiser. The FJ Cruiser’s used price has been sky-high due to a small fan base that longs for its return. This vehicle, in a more economically viable and sustainable form, maybe the closest thing we have. Although the Compact Cruiser is based on the FT-4X design, it’s electric.
Toyota unveiled the FT-4X concept in 2017 The FT-4X was a small, economical, off-road crossover that targeted young people. Although it hasn’t been put into production by Toyota, the Compact Cruiser Electric could be just that.
Although Toyota has yet to announce a launch date, we anticipate it to be fairly soon. Toyota had promised 15 new BEVS to be launched by 2025. In December, Toyota unveiled 15 new EV concepts. We are betting that the compact cruiser production version will soon be available.