Let's establish the timeline first. In 2021, Toyota surprised everyone with the Compact Cruiser, revealing it as part of the automaker's preview of future battery-electric vehicle concepts. Then, in December 2022, the 17-year-old gas-powered FJ Cruiser, which exited the U.S. market in 2014, ceased production in Japan. Mid-August saw Toyota Japan applying to trademark the name "Land Hopper" in Japan. Just two days later, during Toyota's introduction of the revamped Land Cruiser, one of the images depicted a silhouette resembling a slightly modified Compact Cruiser. Fast forward to September, and reports from Japan's Best Car and Mag X, via Australia's Drive, surfaced, suggesting that the downsized Land Cruiser was headed for production as early as the following year.

For now, let's use "Land Hopper" as a placeholder name. According to Japanese reports, it won't be exclusively electric; instead, it's expected to offer a variety of powertrain options including gas, diesel, hybrids, and possibly, in the future, an all-electric variant, aligning with the 2021 Compact Cruiser concept. The decision to offer internal combustion engines is attributed to the platform, with Toyota opting for a shortened version of the GA-F body-on-frame chassis used in the 300- and 250-Series Toyota Land Cruisers, Sequoia SUV, Tundra and Tacoma pickups, and the new Lexus GX. Currently, an all-electric powertrain on a ladder frame chassis would entail too many compromises.

Reportedly, potential internal combustion engines include a turbocharged 1.5-liter hybrid, the 1.8-liter and 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engines from the global Corolla Cross powertrain lineup, the 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid from the RAV4, the turbocharged 2.8-liter diesel from the HiLux pickup, and a naturally aspirated 2.7-liter four-cylinder gas engine under development. As for the electric trim, Mag X stated, "Apparently the priority is to make the [electric drivetrain] viable in the Tacoma pickup for North America, and after completion, the unit will be modified and used" in the Land Hopper.

It's speculated that the dimensions will be 171.3 inches long, 73 inches wide, and 74 inches tall. This would make the Land Hopper five inches shorter than the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross, two inches wider, and 10 inches taller. Compared to a 4Runner, it would be approximately 20 inches shorter and two inches narrower but three inches taller. Some of its length will include a spare tire carrier hung from the rear hatch, resembling the silhouette shown during the Land Cruiser presentation.

There's a possibility that Toyota will showcase a further iteration of the Land Hopper at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, scheduled to open at the end of October. If so, we can expect to learn more about the vehicle internally referred to by Toyota as a "[Suzuki] Jimny killer."