[RoughDay]

The Toyota TJ Cruiser or FT-4X will be based on the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) C-Platform.

This is currently being used by:

2017-Present Toyota Camry
2016-Present Toyota C-HR
2016-Present Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
2015-Present Toyota Prius

This platform is a modular unibody platform that is capable of supporting front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, and all-wheel drive configurated vehicles of various sizes.

Of course we know the TJ Cruiser will be AWD if it plans on being the off-road contender that it sure looks to be so we have that going for us.

Perhaps a plug-in hybrid is possible for the future iterations of it though?

 

[NY-TJ]

just saw John's thread about the 1.2 and he might be right because if Toyota continues to pull from within this platform, and if its true we'll get a small 4-cylinder engine, then the Prius' 1.2-liter engine is it.

if not, what else?

 

[ToyoForLife]

I wouldn't be surprised to see a hybrid TJ Cruiser that takes after the Prius. Aren't hybrids better with low end torque production?
Maybe the motors will be paired with the 1.8 L from the Prius hybrid and tuned for a bit more power if possible. 121 @ 5200 doesn't seem all that impressive in the 2017 model.

 

[RoughDay]

121 @5200rpm would be extremely sad to see. If that's the case, I would be extremely disappointed to see what kind of torque values it produces at regular daily driving rpms (3000-3500rpm)

Even a tune, I doubt we would get anything that great from something off-the shelf. It would need quite a bit of upgrading.

 

[NY-TJ]

My time behind the wheel of a renegade taught me that 180 hp @ 6400 rpm is great. If the TJ is to make max power at a high RPM range, then taking after the Renegade will be a good idea. Anything closer to the 100HP mark will be detrimental.

 

[RoughDay]

You do realize that you'll rarely spend any of your regular city driving anywhere near 6400rpm or even 5200rpm to hit peak torque for that matter right?

 

[ToyoForLife]

That's where lower end torque comes in, when you're cruising around town compared to freeway driving and even on weekend drives through some curvy roads, the rpms may not hit that high. Not expecting something like a Wrangler, but 3000-3500rpm sounds like a good middle ground.

 

[NY-TJ]

That's where lower end torque comes in, when you're cruising around town compared to freeway driving and even on weekend drives through some curvy roads, the rpms may not hit that high. Not expecting something like a Wrangler, but 3000-3500rpm sounds like a good middle ground.

Correct.

How it makes power in those lower ranges is also important. No official word on exact how power is distributed all throughout the power band. Not all engines are built the same and not all will have a similar torque curve.

ALL we really know is what it has to live up to in this segment.

 

[ToyoForLife]

All we can really look at is what the competition is offering because we have no idea what engine will be used, or anything else. The 2017 Renegade's torque ranges from 2,500 to 4,000rpm so I assume somewhere there for the Cruiser.

 

[NY-TJ]

Too bad there's no dyno charts or anything covering the power band of the TJ's closest competitor... the Jeep Renegade. Understandable since its not nearly as tuner friendly as this new Toyota TJ might be if my assumptions are right.

 

[RoughDay]

Unfortunately I couldn't find any dyno charts either but it does hit peak torque at 3900rpm. If the TJ can hit that slightly lower even around the 3200rpm mark, it'll be ideal for city driving and even taking to the trails.

 

[ToyoForLife]

We don't really know what engine the TJ Cruiser will come with so I can't say much about tuning possibilities. Maybe the Toyota Camry's engine but I don't think people are currently tuning those.

 

[NY-TJ]

Engine was heavily speculated on this forum and odds are it will hold true come time we get the real info.

8NR-FTS is what was mentioned:

 

[ToyoForLife]

The 1.2L force-fed engine may be a small package, but it's only good for around 114 HP between 5,200-5,600 rpm and 136 lb-ft of torque from 1,500-4,000 rpm. Seems a bit under-powered to me and could drive away buyers if it feels sluggish.

 

[NY-TJ]

The 1.2L force-fed engine may be a small package, but it's only good for around 114 HP between 5,200-5,600 rpm and 136 lb-ft of torque from 1,500-4,000 rpm. Seems a bit under-powered to me and could drive away buyers if it feels sluggish.

Which transmission they pair with it is another thing we need to look into since that could make all the difference. That power could be great just as long as their transmission of choice allows efficient use of that power.

 

[ToyoForLife]

What kind of transmission do you think Toyota should pair with the 1.2L?

 

[RoughDay]

I'm really not too familiar with the new transmissions so I'm interested in hearing the opinion as well. Are the gears typically closer or longer ?

 

[Backup]

AWD is preferable for me and a hybrid model would be even better, fuel savings plus power to the wheels with the most traction. That's pretty much perfect for wintertime and weekend trips. Though I've heard of there being two AWD types: mechanical and electronic. Which one will Toyota use?

 

[ToyoForLife]

I assume Toyota will go for an electronic AWD system. These days, computers are involved in most AWD systems with an ECU controlling how much power is sent to each wheel. Wasn't the mechanical system used way back in the days?

 

[NY-TJ]

I assume Toyota will go for an electronic AWD system. These days, computers are involved in most AWD systems with an ECU controlling how much power is sent to each wheel. Wasn't the mechanical system used way back in the days?

one of the reasons why I wish they make this a hybrid
heard some impressive feedback of the RAV4 Hybrid AWD and anyone on this forums know how much better that drivetrain is in the TJ