Toyota Tacoma–Based Windansea Pickup Is a Weird—but OK—Flex

• Flex Automotive launched its first American dealership in San Diego in 2022, and it now has a U.S.-specific model with the Windansea pickup truck.

• Based on the third-generation Toyota Tacoma, the Windansea sports a boxier front end with circular headlights and steel bumpers.

• The Windansea starts at $52,800, but the price ultimately depends on the cost of the donor truck.

If you have a nostalgic streak but don't consider yourself a Luddite, the Flex Renoca Windansea may be the pickup truck for you. In 2022, Japan-based Flex Automotive announced plans to open its first U.S. showroom in San Diego, selling 1990s and 2000s Toyota Land Cruisers with a redesigned front clip that mimics the classic FJ60-series Land Cruiser from the 1980s. The firm also hinted it was planning a Tacoma-based model exclusively for the United States. Flex finally pulled the wraps off this retro-styled truck, which it calls the Windansea.

Built off of the third-generation Toyota Tacoma—launched for 2016 and ending with the 2023 model year due to the release of the redesigned 2024 Tacoma—the Windansea features a boxier front end that integrates a rectangular grille replete with Toyota's classic font. A pair of squared-off headlight housings each contain a circular headlamp and a rectangular turn-signal lens. The steel bumper protrudes from the bodywork, and the Windansea rides on simple steel wheels.