Any Australian who has been to Japan or the USA since 2007 will have seen a vehicle that looks suspiciously like a 1960s Toyota FJ40 LandCruiser that's been seriously worked over by a Californian customising shop. But what they were looking at was an all-new model that's currently on sale overseas.

Some of these people will have been very interested and rung Toyota Australia on their return to this country. Only to be told there were no plans to import the FJ Cruiser to Australia.

Now, after plenty of pestering by potential buyers, Toyota Oz has finally agreed to bring it here.

Toyota is also very keen to get people’s minds off the widely reported recall of several models. And also wants to pull away from its image of being the boring-car company. The FJ Cruiser is certainly a major step in the right direction.

The cool Toyota Rukus was launched a few months ago but we will have to wait until early 2011 before the FJ Cruiser (definitely not to be confused with the FJ Holden!) reaches our shores.

Retro styling sees a wide grille with the name ‘Toyota’ spread right across the centre of it; round headlights; huge front indicator lights that are almost a caricature of the originals. Then there's a tall, square bonnet and a windscreen that's close to being upright. However, the screen has a gentle curve to aid aerodynamics, rather than use a flat slab screen as in the 1960’s LandCruiser. But the new model needs three windscreen wipers to get across that vast expanse of glass – how cool is that!

While the original FJ40 was a two-door, the designers wisely went for a four-door body in the FJ Cruiser. Wisely, because pampered 21st century people don’t want to clamber into the back seat of a highset SUV through the front doors.

But here comes a really clever design feature – the back doors of the FJ Cruiser are ‘suicide’ doors, that is they hinge at the rear and open to the front. This not only adds to the retro image, but also makes ingress/egress to the rear easier. Nice one, Mr Toyota.

Power in the FJ Cruiser currently sold overseas comes from a 4.0-litre petrol V6 like the one used on the Toyota Prado sold in Australia. Indeed the FJ is actually based on the platform of the Prado and shares some underbody components.

All that Toyota Australia will say about the engine being used in local imports is that it will be, “equipped with a powerful engine...” There has been speculation that a V8 will be installed in the FJ some time, so perhaps we will get that in Oz.

FJ Cruiser isn't a toy, this is a genuine 4WD, with a two-speed transfer case, tough underpinnings, good ground clearance and big approach and departure angles and so it should prove very capable off-road.

We can't wait to get our backsides into one...

In the meantime we, and lots of other interested people will get our first look an FJ Cruiser when it takes pride of place in the Australian International Motor Show that begins in Sydney on October 15th.