What's all this about?

At the Los Angeles Auto Show, Toyota showed off the FT-AC concept, a chunky-looking concept for a lifestyle SUV. That acronym is short for Future Toyota Adventure Concept, and if you'll permit us a little speculative future-gazing, it's not hard to imagine this being a larger machine that could sit in Toyota showrooms alongside the equally creased C-HR.

OK, so what's powering the FT-AC?

Either a petrol engine or a next-generation hybrid drivetrain; Toyota doesn't give much more detail than that, though. Instead the focus is on the FT-AC's torque-vectoring all-wheel drive, with variable terrain-response settings and four-wheel lock functionality. It also has 20-inch wheels with all-terrain tyres, making it the perfect accessory for outdoorsy types.

Are there any wacky bits of concept car embellishment?

Indeed there are. Look beyond the two-tone colour scheme of Prospect Green with Fortress Grey accents and we have, first of all, a safari-style cargo roof-rack system with LED marker lights front and rear. The front set can provide ambient lighting around the car, be used to illuminate the rocky off-road trail ahead, or even act as a flash for a set of removable infra-red cameras embedded in the side mirrors. And those cameras aren't the only removable bits of the FT-AC, as owners can take out the front fog lights to be employed as portable lamps. It also has an integrated WiFi hotspot, geolocation capabilities and an integrated rear-mounted bike rack.

Very lifestyle. So is it really going to go into production?

Toyota claims that the FT-AC is just a design study, but then goes on to say that its 'bold and daring design reflects the confident spirit' of Toyota's existing SUVs and commercial vehicles. Reading between the lines, we think that possibly means: 'here's the next-generation RAV4'...

Matt Robinson - 30 Nov 2017