What is a lifestyle SUV (and why is it coming back?)

Issue #157

Could automakers be giving us too many cool cars? With big announcements, we started to think it’s possible. We dissect what its latest offering means.

Market News

• 2025 has been a strong year for car sales, but it might be a prelude to a weak 2026, as this article explains.

• GM revives the Chevy Bolt, and it’s actually excellent, so watch out, Tesla. Here’s more. 

• Audi plans to build a G-Wagon competitor, and it looks awesome.

• This lawsuit alleges that GM knew about brake failures in certain models and still rolled out the models. 

• Volvo’s cheap EV comes to America with one goal: to challenge Tesla. Here’s why. 

• Toyota refreshed the GR Corolla, and it might have made a mistake by doing so. 

• This American SUV is duking it out with luxury European rivals worldwide. 

• Tesla is under investigation after self-driving cars broke basically every rule on the road. 

• Ford backs away from EV tax credit after copying this other American giant, shocking the industry. 

• The Nissan Murano is back, and truly back, in the SUV game. Here’s what we mean. 

Safety and Recalls

• Hyundai recalls 135,000 vehicles because a motor cover could lead to an electrical short. Here’s more. 

• Toyota recalls more than 54,000 vehicles because some seat rails could detach. 

• Stellantis recalls nearly 63,000 Alfa Romeos due to a camera system glitch.

Car Culture

• Brazil’s Chevrolet Vintage project has some fascinating restomods. Here they are. 

• These '90s cars are now classics. Yes, that makes us feel old as well. 

• Toyota is close to unveiling its next halo sports cars, and it might have a V8. Here’s more. 

• Volvo will ditch its new key cards. The problem? It might replace them with a worse design. 

• The new Ram has a “symbol of protest” V8 badge, and it’s an actual part of the Hemi package. Have you ordered it?

• An EV battery ejection system is in the works, and it’s as “safe” as it sounds. Here’s a video. 

• A stock Toyota Land Cruiser sells for $170,000! Here’s more. 

• BMW hits it out of the park with this homage to the 2002 Turbo. 

• Here’s a genius, but primitive, way of turning your Jeep’s tank from 15 to 20 gallons. 

• This modified Rolls-Royce is truly a work of art, with a bike rack included.

Video Of The Week

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In The Know

Why Are All Automakers Doing This?

If you’ve traveled to Asia, South America, or Africa, chances are you have seen one of these rumbling along, with its noisy diesel engine spewing smoke and clattering as it tries to keep up on the highway. 

Or, better yet, you’ve witnessed them in their natural terrain, where there’s no pavement, only mud and rocks. You can spot them easily, thanks to their white roofs. We’re talking, of course, of the original Toyota Land Cruiser. 

By the way, if you’ve ever been confused by the many models with this name, this video explains all of them. 

For decades, it has remained a true testament to Toyota’s ruggedness, so much so that it is now highly desirable, as you can see here.

So, when Toyota launched a tribute version in the FJ Cruiser in 2006, the world took notice. For one, people loved the looks and, because it shared the platform with the 4Runner, fans praised its off-roading ability, as this 2006 review highlights. 

This was the epitome of a lifestyle SUV: an SUV that looks great, has some personality, and offers off-roading ability. It should’ve been a great equation, a sparkle of variety in an otherwise sea of drab, gray SUVs. However, the FJ Cruiser was short-lived, as Toyota ended its run in 2014. 

For years, we had heard rumors that the Japanese automaker would bring this model back, but they never materialized. That is, until now.

Reliable sources have announced that Toyota will launch the FJ Cruiser in Japan in 2026. Here’s more on what engines it could have in overseas markets. 

As car enthusiasts, this news excited us, as it was yet another car with a different attitude. However, it also raised some questions, specifically about where exactly Toyota would fit it. 

In recent years, Toyota has introduced two new versions of its iconic nameplates, the 4Runner and the Land Cruiser. 

These are lifestyle SUVs by their own right. Not only that, they offer some punch with their 2.4L i-FORCE MAX powertrains, and yes, the Land Cruiser has more horsepower, but the 4Runner is no slouch.

You’d think that the new FJ Cruiser would have the same engine and similar capabilities. 

So, do you see where this is going? Is Toyota going to cannibalize its audience more than it did by introducing the Land Cruiser? We’re not the only ones thinking about this, as this article tries to dissect where the FJ Cruiser could fit. 

Interestingly, Toyota isn’t the only company going down the “lifestyle” path. In fact, one of the FJ Cruiser’s biggest rivals is making a comeback. 

Nissan announced it would bring the Xterra, which will come with a hybrid V6 and body-on-frame construction, making for a fascinating duel between the two. Here’s more on how Nissan plans to revive the nameplate. 

However, Nissan’s challenge isn’t where to fit in their fleet. Instead, it’s more about convincing buyers that it’s a good vehicle, as the company has struggled lately. 

Then, there’s Mercedes-Benz. It plans to launch the Baby G or Mini G-Class, and it won’t be a scaled-down version of the iconic G-wagon. Instead, it will be a completely new vehicle, as this article explains. 

All these options are exciting and make perfect sense. After seeing how the Ford Bronco performed in Q2 2025 (the sales were admirable, as explained here), there’s no denying that people want to buy something that reflects who they are. The FJ Cruiser, Xterra and Baby G are exactly that: something different. 

The problem, ironically, might be that there are too many options. Even the old FJ Cruiser is still tugging at our passions. This article calls it Toyota’s “coolest off-roader ever,” and now, they’re finally cheap. 

This makes us wonder: why doesn’t Chevy revive the true Blazer?