Remember when the amorphous and highly volatile entity / hive mind we call The Internet decided that the Best Car of All Time must be a Diesel-powered manual RWD station wagon dressed in fall colours? Well, it so happens that this stunning Crown ticks a majority of those boxes. Plus a few more, like twin rear wipers.
I’m going to assume that at least some of you will be somewhat familiar with the S130 Crown in general and the wagons in particular. I wrote a few posts on the 8th gen Crown by now. Just a quick recap: this was the last generation with body-on-frame construction and the wagons were made for a very long time after the saloons move on to gen 9, being built from September 1987 to December 1999, with a heavy restyle in the summer of 1991.
This is a post-facelift car, with the more rounded styling that was common on many a Toyota product of the period. One could prefer the square-snouted ones that came before, of course, but this is still a fittingly soothing design in our world of jagged-edged angry-alien SUVs. Plus this one has the goofy chromed wing mirrors, so what more do you want?
OK, so it’s not exactly brown. More of a tan. Needs to be left out in the sun more, perhaps. So half a tick in that box.
RWD? You bet. All Crowns have to be by imperial edict, or so it seems. Most S130 saloons had IRS, but all long-roofs kept the tried and true live axle, no matter how Super or Deluxe they thought they were. Actually, the Super Deluxe is the base trim wagon, but as we will see shortly, that did not preclude a decent amount of on-board gadgetry.
And although a turbo Diesel could be ordered (95hp 2.4 litre 4-cyl.), this one has the far more common 135hp DOHC petrol 6-cyl. a few ccs shy of two litres, for tax reasons. You could also splurge on the 2.5 litre petrol 6-cyl. and get 200hp at your command in Royal Saloon/Royal Extra trim cars, but that would have required the addition of a 3-speed automatic transmission.
And look-ey here, I think there’s a four on that there tree. Not sure how clearly you can see that diagram when you’re at the wheel, desperately trying to find 4th gear. But that’s neither here nor there (well, it is there, technically.)
Here’s a more general view of the front bench. I doubt that the upholstery is original and the steering wheel obviously isn’t, but otherwise what we have here is a nicely-optioned wagon with A/C, power windows and a stereo set complete with AM/FM radio, CD and tape deck.
Not the roomiest back seat ever, but you get a few knickknacks to pass the time with, such as a cigarette lighter to charge your phone and a knob to control the stereo’s volume. Probably not a great feature for some families, that last one…
The rear cargo space is pretty capacious. I’m not sure if there is a third row of seats in this car – some Crown wagons had a couple of rear-facing seats back there, which would make this an 8-seater.
With the notable exception of that Diesel, I think we have a pretty compelling proposition here, Internet. So whaddaya say? Thumbs up or thumbs down?
Related posts:
The Brown, RWD, Manual Transmission, Diesel Station Wagon – A Comprehensive Guide To That Mythical Beast Of The Internet, by Evan Reisner
Curbside Classic: 1995 Toyota Crown (S130) Super Deluxe Van – Ice-Cool Old School, by T87
Love this content. Even if the steering’s on the ring side. A manual ‘90’s Toyota wagon. Not going to see that again today on the inter webs.
I’m still trying to figure out where that cliche came from in the first place. Best guess is that it’s a riff on the usual Internet car blogger who makes all sorts of (often ridiculous) demands on the auto manufacturers knowing bloody well that even if some manufacturer follows his exact specifications, he’s not going to buy it. Not new, at least, because you only buy used after some other sucker had taken the initial depreciation.
Once you see a hearse in this, you can’t unsee it.
I had the Hearse version
The speedometer on this one is the first time I’ve seen the extremely un-90s Toyota and very 1970s to early 1980s Ford square layout of the numbers on any Toyota that I can recall. The Nardi steering wheel is just the lingonberry on top pf the sundae for me here.
I’m trying to imagine the hooni-san lighting up the rear tires, getting it more sideways than straight on, and frantically trying to manage the 1-2 shift at the same time.
I do love how something labeled SuperDeluxe is in fact no more than a medium fries on the big trim level menu board of Toyota.
The gear shift pattern is odd; that’s what Peugeot used for many years until they went to a more conventional pattern in 1966. I had one early 404 with that old pattern, and more than once I started to take off in Reverse instead of first gear. Not good in crowded LA traffic!
And in RHD 404’s, that pattern was reversed (so 1st forward and down, etc)!
Even for a station wagon, very utilitarian-looking.
Talk about a millenial anti theft device, 4 on the column with your left hand
omg, i love it
I always want to try driving S130 Crown and see how it drives and rides. Can it match Mercedes W124 or Audi 100? My preferred trim will be column manual shift with Diesel engine.
As for the manual transmission gates, it is very similar like those floor shift gates on German cars, the first gear and the reverse gear are next to each other. My friend told me this is actually safer to avoid you shifting from 4th or 5th gear into reverse. However, if I remember correctly, my 1992 Intrega manual said you could not shift from 5th into the reverse. Of course I never attempted either.
Two cylinder Citroëns with dash changes also had first and reverse opposite each other and fourth – originally called sur-multiplee or overdrive – on a dog leg. The logic was first and reverse opposite each other for parking, second and third opposite each other for town driving and fourth for the open road.
I also had a VW Transporter T3 (Vanagon) with the the 5 speed pattern you mention. The low powered diesel engine meant a crawler first gear and the dog leg change to second was ponderous. I fluffed that on occasion on uphill junctions and had to go back to first annoying anyone driving behind.
👍 For the Crown.
The shape is awfully reminiscent the Mazda 626 wagon of yore, though the proportion differences put more more emphasis on the awful: for one, it is too skinny for its bulgy face. Looks like Bugs Bunny munching a carrot.
That color! Who, I muse, sits about contemplating the invention of a hue that isn’t? It is so forgettable, so indistinct, that it is hard to imagine someone intended it. But what do I know? This very color, Faded Bland Semi-Taupe, was rather a hit back when, so I emerge with my usual ignorance intact.
No thumbs at all, I’m afraid. More, one might think as it inevitably blocked one’s progress at a speed below the limit, of the middle digit.
“I wrote a few posts on the 8th gen Crown by now. Just a quick recap: this was the last generation with body-on-frame construction…”
This gets said a lot, but it turns out the S140 Crown pillared-hardtop saloon also had a BOF layout. I believe the confusion comes from the S140 Crown **Majesta** being a full unibody.
The tires say “Good Year GT-HYBRID”