The Toyota FT-4X Concept is a “Modern 4×4 Toolbox for the Most Intrepid Urbanites”. Not me, Toyota says so. And, the way Toyota explains the FT-4X as “a rolling gear box” is rather interesting. Read on.
In the ‘busyness’ of city-based work life there emerges a growing urge to “get away”. Millennials are fond of the outdoors, but operate almost always indoors. They enjoy venturing into to new neighborhoods and national parks, but hardly plan ahead. Their adventures begin curbside, in a parking structure, or in the depths of an underground garage. Dinner on the beach during a beautiful evening; tailgating with friends while listening to music; visiting a favorite trailhead for a run or dog walk; settling next to a campfire for an overnight desert stay – these are the types of quick escapes that an increasing number of young, career-minded urbanites hold dear. They are always ready to go, and so is the Toyota FT-4X. Its for a “casualcore exploration”.
“You can really tell that we had a blast designing the FT-4X because it looks fun to use and fun to drive,” described Calty Studio Chief Designer, Ian Cartabiano. Oh we won’t deny that Mr Cartabiano.
Built on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) C-Platform, the FT-4X has an X Theme throughout. The X Theme finds its way up front too. At the center of the nose’s vertical X is a classic, extra-large embossed Toyota logo that’s flanked by bright LED headlamps. Driver’s side rearview mirror has a GoPro HERO5 Session camera built into it.
The window glass is removable and interchangeable, allowing for owners to personalize their FT-4X even further with multiple opaque color or tinted glass options. The rear door handle is discretely placed fore of the vertical window and high above the beltline, much like it is on the current Toyota C-HR.
Toyota calls the rear hatch a modern engineering marvel. Called Multi-Hatch, it opens two ways: horizontally in Urban Mode, and vertically in Outdoor Mode. Urban Mode splits the hatch in half and makes for easier curbside gear loading when clearance is limited. Outdoor Mode opens the one-piece hatch upward, creating an impromptu shelter from the elements. There are twin boxes too – one warm, the other cold.
The cabin is sectioned into threes: Clean Zone, where the front passengers sit, and where rugged floor mats and door sills were inspired by Japanese sunoko slatted wood flooring; Wet Zone, also characterized by all-weather mats (where passengers can stow damp swimsuits/snow clothing or muddy boots) and, Rear Cargo Zone.
The Rear Cargo Zone’s floor lays completely flat and features topside tracks for securing cargo. A deep storage compartment is hidden underneath, and can be accessed by sliding the floor out toward the Multi-Hatch, transforming the floor into a tray. Folding the second row bench seat down extends the floor’s capacity considerably. Red tie down hooks line the sides of the rear’s cargo hold, too, for added load securing. Above, in the headliner, resides removable inside lighting that doubles as a flashlight.
Diving deeper into the cabin reveals more nifty elements. The rear door handles serve as impromptu water bottles. Its armrests have USB outlets and big, rotatable window switches. And, much like the rear’s ceiling-mounted removable flashlight, the dome light can serve as an exterior locator or beacon.
An ultra-compact North Face sleeping bag fits neatly between front passenger seats, and functions as an armrest that is strapped atop an extra- large dividing console. The console can fold upward, revealing additional storage capacity for medium-sized gear. Its breathable, high-grip, hybrid mesh surface allows for wet items to dry quickly, and its bungee cord lattices keep small items in place. Front passenger doors receive identical large window switches and removable water bottle door grips as the rear, but gain blue storage boxes camouflaged as armrests.
The dash ahead of the front passenger is a mix of blue and orange designated storage. A larger blue chest “floats” above a carved orange bin. On both sides of the chest are slim air vents capable of rotating down in order to warm, dry, or cool clothing such as gloves and hats. A removable multimedia audio system is part boom box, part in-dash stereo and is engineered with an extra-large handle grip (ala exterior door handles).
Although there is no traditional navigation screen, designers did include a mobile phone mount directly above the driver’s digitized cylindrical instrument cluster. The concept being that a downloadable navigation application, as well as an application showing digitized off-road instrumentation, can be made available for drivers’ use. Gen Y-ers, Calty’s designers realized, rely heavily on their mobile devices for GPS directions.
“The Toyota FT-4X Concept fully embodies “Rugged Waku-Doki” (translation: a palpable heart-pounding sense of excitement) through its numerous clever design ingredients. It charms its tech-savvy, screen-scrolling users with a distinct tactile charisma sensed at every button push, handle twist, and dirt road trekked. Yes, with the FT-4X, never has the divide between desktop and trailhead been as infinitesimal as now.”
At each of the four corners of the bottom X is an 18-inch wheel wearing a custom 225/55R-18 Goodyear All-Season tire. The FT-4X stands 63.9 inches tall, is 167.3 inches long, and has a wheelbase of 103.9 inches.
If the FT-4X reminds you of something, it must be the FJ Cruiser. According to some reports, the FT-4X is a successor to the FJ. Oh, and the FT-4X stands for “Future Toyota Four-Wheel Drive Crossover”.
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