Although the automobile market in China is huge, the automobile culture can be said to have just started. The understanding of buying, using, maintaining and playing with cars is very different from that in Europe, America, Japan and other countries, and even the difference between the north and the south is obvious. There are many factors leading to this difference. One of the most important reasons is the blowout development of China automobile market in the past decade. Since 20 14, the automobile market in China has been growing at a rate of 20 million+per year. The number of cars has risen rapidly, but the cultural construction has not kept up with the rapid growth, which leads to the relative immaturity of car culture. People's definition of a car is more at the level of transportation.
When it comes to automobile culture, we often think of some old cars from the last century or a dazzling array of classic cars at foreign auto shows, and even those North American car owners with strong hands-on ability are busy in their garages. People in China like big cars, new cars and expensive cars. They offer a lot of things, and the more expensive they are, the more superior they are. People in Europe, America, Japan and other countries may think that an "old car" in good condition is a symbol of face, and driving on the road can also make people respect, depending on who can play new tricks on the old car.
Off-road vehicles are essentially a way of life.
The car series we are going to talk about today, to be exact, has a deep origin with off-road vehicle culture, that is, Toyota's FJ series. Why should I talk to you about SUV? In fact, the reason is very simple. Personally, I prefer SUVs. If the essence of a car is a means of transportation, then an off-road vehicle is essentially an extension of a lifestyle. In the besieged city of reinforced concrete, it is more difficult to drive a car, and off-road vehicles can take me to many distant places that cars can't reach, and see the scenery that I can't see on weekdays, creating more possibilities for a plain life. To borrow a word from Mr. Gao, the expression of literature and art is that off-road vehicles can take me to see poems and distant fields.
In the world automobile history, the contribution of Japanese car companies to the off-road field is absolutely unique, which is beyond doubt. Toyota's FJ series, Nissan's Toure series, Mitsubishi's Pajero series, and even Suzuki's little Jimny all make Mr. Off-road Six a few treasures. Among all Japanese car companies, Toyota's FJ series can be regarded as a Wulin League-level coffee spot, which not only conveys the Japanese's unique understanding of off-road and off-road vehicles, but also provides a number of reliable cars for off-road enthusiasts all over the world to conquer mountains and rivers, and is on this vast blue planet every day. Next, according to the different development stages of Toyota FJ series, we divide it into four stages to see why FJ series off-road vehicles can make many off-road vehicle enthusiasts fondle it, and also let you know more about the "lengthy" genealogy of Toyota series off-road vehicles.
The birth of Toyota FJ series
Toyota FJ series, which was born after World War II, can be said to support half of the world's cross-country in the coming decades. The wide range of cars involved often makes many people "stupid". First of all, everyone is not familiar with the letters FJ. In fact, FJ is the model code, and the well-known LC is the name of the model. Is LC land? The abbreviation of Cruiser is also commonly known as land cruiser or land cruiser in China, followed by the model, such as LC80/LC200 and so on. Are fans used to or like to call the land FJ? Cruisers, especially foreign fans, generally use the title of "FJ". Let's extend it by FJ instead of letter of credit.
Off-road vehicles appeared in World War II, among which Willis, the originator of "Shepherd", was the representative vehicle. During World War II, Willis led the American army forward and played a vital role in the war. After the end of World War II, many automobile manufacturers also discovered this "business opportunity" and began to develop their own off-road vehicles. At the beginning, it was basically developed as a domestic military vehicle. At that time, the concept of off-road vehicle didn't even exist.
Naturally, Toyota began to develop the first generation of off-road vehicles for the Japanese police reserve (the predecessor of the Japanese Self-Defense Force), and the harsh use conditions of the military tested the durability of off-road vehicles. Before the appearance of FJ series, the first off-road vehicle developed by Toyota was named BJ, which was officially listed on 195 1, which can be said to be the predecessor of FJ series. From the perspective of styling design alone, Toyota BJ undoubtedly draws lessons from Willis' design elements, the square shape and the vertical perforated front air intake grille, all of which are Willis' figures from beginning to end. Perhaps, at that time, everyone's understanding of the shape design of off-road vehicles was Willis.
In terms of mechanical quality, the military's requirements for off-road vehicles are far more practical than comfort, such as being able to carry loads and facilitate the installation of some special military weapons and equipment; Simple structure and more convenient maintenance. BJ's power system uses a 3.4L displacement engine with a maximum power of 85 HP and a peak torque of 2 15N? M, originated from the chassis system of freight cars, the front and rear suspensions are leaf springs, and there is no transfer case. All the designs with the original intention of practicality and reliability have made the BJ model trusted by the military. After several years of service, the reliability of BJ has been verified, which further strengthens Toyota's confidence in entering the civilian market of off-road vehicles.
The real originator of FJ series: FJ20 series.
The reason why FJ20 is a series is because each series of the huge FJ family does derive many models according to the different engine models and wheelbase, so each model can be called a series.
1955, the real FJ finally appeared, and the reputation of BJ series in the military was rewarded. It only took Toyota three years to develop a replacement model, the model code is FJ20, and the name is changed to Land? Cruiser, the name of the land cruiser that made many car fans crazy, was also born in this period. Although the name was changed to land? Cruiser, but people are still used to calling it FJ20 by model code, and so are the following replacement models, so the name of FJ begins with FJ20.
Due to the free market, FJ20 has been greatly upgraded in terms of comfort. The number of steel plates in the suspension system is reduced from 9 in BJ series to 4, and the length of steel plates is increased. With the addition of soft rubber bushing, the carriage is more comfortable, and passengers' hips will not be on pins and needles. As for the power system, the engine displacement was increased to 3.9L, the carburetor was optimized, and the overall power performance was changed. The appearance has also changed. The front grille and headlights of FJ20 are designed as a whole, and the front windshield has been changed from two to one. On the whole, it looks more capable, and the square FJ20 was born.
1958, the long-axis version of FJ20 series was designed, and the model was named FJ35V. It is worth mentioning that Toyota realized the full export of FJ20 and FJ35V at 1959. The life cycle of FJ20 series is relatively short, from 1955-1960. It has basically disappeared from the market at present. Even in Japan, real cars are rarely seen. However, the significance of FJ20 series is far-reaching. It represents Toyota's first step in the field of civilian off-road vehicles, and it is also the moderate success of FJ20 series, which strengthens Toyota's next development direction. The following FJ40 series can be described as pushing Toyota's off-road vehicles to the altar and letting the world know that Toyota's off-road vehicles can make people so fascinated.
The most classic FJ model in history: FJ40 series
Time is up 1960. After about 10 years of technical accumulation, Toyota finally stood out as the most classic FJ40 and began to be "besieged on all sides". In the next 20 years, FJ40 helped Toyota establish its position in the global off-road vehicle field.
In my opinion, FJ40 series is the most classic model in Toyota's off-road history, unparalleled. I don't accept fans' refutation here! If there is a Smith Hall of Fame in the automobile industry like the sports industry, the status of FJ40 can be regarded as an ancient beast: Wilt? For example, Chamberlain is a pioneer in changing the pattern, and his position is self-evident.
See what upgrades FJ40 has.
1、? A low-speed transfer case is added, and its off-road performance has been qualitatively improved through the expansion of torque;
2、? A brand-new 3.8L engine is installed, with the maximum power 125 horsepower.
3、? After re-adjustment, the comfort has been upgraded. Subsequent modified models use a 4-speed /5-speed gearbox, and the front wheels use disc brakes. These are the corresponding changes made by FJ40 during the upgrade process.
4、? The life cycle of FJ40 is very long, from 1960- 1984 * * 25 years, and it has survived in the Brazilian market to 200 1 year, and its same generation has also undergone many major upgrades.
During the long 25 years, many models have been derived from FJ40 series, such as FJ40/FJ43/FJ45 and pickup truck models. Toyota FJ40 was later exported to Europe, America, Australia and other developed countries, which greatly influenced the cross-country culture of these countries, and a large number of FJ40 s are still in service in these countries. Although the car condition of FJ40 is very old, it can still perform well as long as it is well maintained, which also makes it have a large number of die-hard fans all over the world. Many fans have also modified and repaired FJ40, and even revived it on the basis of the original model. Only you can't think of it, and no fans can't do it.
Summary:
FJ40 series was discontinued for 25 years. At that time, the demand for cars in the world was not so great, and off-road artifacts that could harvest fans were rare. Coupled with the great progress in technology, FJ40 lasted for many years and lasted for a long time. After the FJ40 series, Toyota's off-road vehicles ushered in a real great development and prosperity.
On the basis of FJ40, the replacement FJ50 series came into being and embarked on an off-road vehicle system focusing on luxury routes. The development of this vehicle system also provided a solid foundation for the birth of Lexus off-road vehicles. The vertical replacement model of FJ40 is FJ70, which is the LC7 series that runs all over the Middle East. On the basis of FJ70 series, Prado, which focuses on comfortable lines, was born. Inadvertently, the interlocking Toyota FJ series off-road vehicles, so the branches scattered.
FJ40 picture appreciation
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.