Toyota LandCruiser FJ to get a little HiLux help! Diesel power to live on as Japan's tough and tiny 4WD aims for 500Nm: Reports

The Toyota LandCruiser FJ might be all-new, but it seems there will be something important that's familiar about the tiny but tough 4WD, according to recent international reports.

That something would be its engine, with reports pointing to the LandCruiser FJ scoring the latest HiLux powertrain, which pairs the dependable 2.8-litre turbo-diesel with 48-volt hybrid technology – though the latter is intended to marginally lower fuel use, rather than supply any extra grunt.

If true, then we can take a pretty educated guess at its outputs, with that powertrain – in HiLux form, at least – delivering 150kW and 500Nm. What's more, it's tow-ready, too, with most HiLux variants rated to 3500kg braked.

There's expected to be petrol options available as well, but given Toyota's Australian customers' love-affair with diesel, you'd expect the local arm to snap up the 2.8-litre option.

That said, Toyota is yet to confirm the model for our market, though the brand has already trademarked the "FJ" name for out market.

"There you go, told me something I didn’t even know,” Toyota Australia's VP of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley told CarsGuide in April about the trademarking of the FJ nameplate in our market.

“(It) doesn’t surprise me because we trademark a lot of things. We may at some point want to use it again but there’s nothing that I’m aware of.”

Mr Hanley went on to say that he "doesn't go to bed at night dreaming of a smaller LandCruiser", before confirming it's not currently on Australia's model plan.

"Look, it may [happen] in the future. Because you know… we're going through a great transition in the automotive industry. You never rule stuff out," he said.

As we've previously reported, the FJ is expected to be an off-road bargain, with the model to priced below the HiLux-based Fortuner in some markets. In Australia, that would mean a $50k starting price – significantly lower than its big brothers, the Prado and LC300.

To do it, the model will reportedly take an old-school approach to its construction, leaving Toyota's new TNGA-F architecture to the Prado and LC300 and instead adopting the older IMV platform, the latest version of which underpins the cut-price HiLux Champ in Thailand.