(first posted 8/3/2015) Rover Sterling. Ford Scorpio. Nissan Cube. These are all cars that have been successful in one market, but have flopped in another. You can add to that list the Toyota Previa/Tarago. Toyota’s daringly styled and intriguingly packaged minivan failed to eke out a significant portion of minivan market share in North America, and yet simultaneously became Australia’s best-selling minivan for many years.
Of course, the minivan segment has never been a big segment in Australia. There doesn’t even seem to be accord as to what to call them. “Minivan” is becoming more popular, but automakers seem to like “MPV” and journalists like “people mover”. We followed the American market in embracing the SUV, but we never really mimicked the minivan explosion of the 1980s.
Australia received no Mopar minivans until 1997, and the equally significant Renault Espace never arrived. Commercial van-based offerings didn’t die out as they did in America, and well into the 1990s you could buy an unsafe “people mover” fashioned out of a delivery van and wearing a Mitsubishi, Nissan or Toyota badge. The 1983 Toyota Tarago (Van in America) was based on a delivery van, but for 1991 would shift to an entirely new platform which shared only its name. Toyota’s American arm wisely decided “Van” wasn’t a satisfactory name for this daring new vehicle, and dubbed it Previa.
Toyota’s first proper minivan was conceived during an unprecedented time of experimentalism and creativity in the Japanese automotive industry. Rather than simply fashion a garageable van out of an existing passenger car platform, à la the Mopar minivans, Toyota got creative.
Visually, the Previa/Tarago looked like nothing else. Designed by Calty, Toyota’s California design studio, the new minivan was rounded and curvy like no van had ever been before. It was also more aerodynamic than most passenger cars, with a Cd of 0.33. The interior featured a sweeping dash that curved outwards in the middle, a design aspect that was simultaneously stylish and ergonomic. Five or seven-seat layouts were available, and an eight-seater option was available in some markets. Seven-seat vans could either have two swivelling captain’s chairs in the middle row, or an offset bench.
In the Japanese domestic market, there were 4.3 inch narrower variants available, known as the Estima Emina and Estima Lucida. These vans were also 2.8 inches shorter, and the smaller dimensions allowed these vans to fall into a lower vehicle tax band in Japan.
A lot of these JDM Estimas have wound up in Australia and New Zealand, and are commonly used as camper vans for backpackers. The narrower body also makes them look a little more conventional.
It wasn’t just the ovate styling that made these vans unique. Underneath, the engine lay flat underneath the floor between the front seats. Regularly serviced items like the cooling fan, air-conditioner compressor, power steering pump and alternator were mounted in front for easy accessibility, as was an oil reservoir.
This layout was unconventional but it aided practicality. Front leg room was abundant and occupants could walk between the rows of seats thanks to a flat cabin floor. There were plenty of practical features in the interior, like a rear bench that split in two. The halves could be folded up against the side of the cabin. A flat load space could then be created with room for a 4×8 sheet of plywood. One major downside of the engine layout was it necessitated removing one of the front seats to change the spark plugs.
All this body made for a heavy minivan. With all-wheel-drive, the Previa/Tarago weighed a portly 3780 lbs. A 2.4 DOHC four-cylinder engine provided the motivation to either the rear wheels or all four wheels. Although this was a decently powerful four-cylinder for the time – its 138 hp and 154 lb-ft not far off its contemporary rivals’ V6 engines – it had a tough time moving the van with any authority. The best it could muster was a 0-60 of 13.6 seconds when equipped with the optional all-wheel-drive, although fortunately it had a decent amount of low-end pull. Transmission choices were a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual.
About the only low-tech aspects of the Previa/Tarago were their live rear axle and rear drum brakes, although up-spec models in Australia and other markets received an independent rear suspension and rear discs. However, even with the live axle, all Previas boasted a smooth ride and car-like handling. Weight distribution was a near-even 52/48% front/rear. Anti-roll bars featured front and rear, and the front suspension was a MacPherson strut setup. The van’s excellent weight distribution and low center of gravity provided neutral handling with an inclination towards understeering.
The innovative layout had one major flaw, though: it didn’t allow for larger engines, which proved to be a problem in the American market. The first Mopar minivans may have been propelled by four-cylinder engines, but by the Previa’s launch there were various V6 options. Toyota’s solution was to supercharge the engine for 1994, upping power to 161 hp and 201 lb-ft with little penalty to fuel economy; an automatic was the only transmission, as the manual was dropped for 1993 and the naturally-aspirated engine would depart shortly thereafter.
At launch, the Previa was priced slightly above rivals like the Mazda MPV and Chevrolet Lumina APV. By the end of the Previa’s run, the rising yen had forced up the price: a base model was around $24k, $7k above the base Plymouth Voyager and lineball with the more powerful and luxuriously-appointed Chrysler Town & Country.
The rising yen and the commensurately soaring price of the Tarago spurred Toyota to offer a budget offering in the Australian market. The 1993 Spacia was simply a TownAce van with windows, and thus was little more than the first-generation Tarago/Van with more aerodynamic styling. Despite its lower price – a whopping $AUD10k lower – it was outsold considerably by the pricey Tarago. The high price of the Tarago seemed to be no roadblock to segment domination. The discontinuation of the all-wheel-drive variant did little harm to the Tarago’s sales figures: it would continue to dominate the admittedly niche minivan segment in Australia, before the first-generation Kia Carnival (Sedona), Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Voyager would start to chip away at its sales. It didn’t help that the Tarago stuck around mostly unchanged until it was finally replaced in 2000.
The Previa would disappear from North America after 1997. The much more conventional, Camry-based Sienna minivan was engineered for the American market; it featured more sedate styling and a standard V6 engine.
While its virtues were appreciated in markets like Australia, the Previa/Tarago was a rare flop for rising juggernaut Toyota. It had excellent build quality, a spacious interior, competent dynamics and striking styling in its favor, but its unique engine layout proved to be its Achille’s Heel. The platform just wasn’t flexible enough, and Toyota couldn’t even amortize costs across a range of vehicles.
The parallels with its GM rivals – the Chevrolet Lumina APV, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Trans Sport – are clear to see. Chrysler had created a whole new segment in America, and everyone else was playing catch-up. Both GM and Toyota thought that the way to succeed in the market was to be different. Toyota went with a mid-engined, egg-shaped van, and GM went with a dustbuster-shaped van with plastic body panels. Neither idea was bad, per se, but it wasn’t what the market wanted.
The next-generation vans to wear the Previa and Tarago names in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region would, like their American Sienna counterpart, be based on the Camry platform. Toyota had engineered new vans that would be well-received by consumers in all markets. None of these next-generation minivans were particularly innovative or exciting but they sold well, and the Sienna in particular would prove to be far more successful than the Previa ever was in the American market. Chrysler had determined the correct formula for a successful minivan in America: spacious with simple styling and an available V6. Those that didn’t follow the formula were destined to fail.
N.B. The featured Previa was yet another minivan I shot in my old, minivan-crazy neighborhood of Washington Heights in Manhattan. The Tarago was shot in beautiful New Farm Park in Brisbane.
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1991 Chevrolet Lumina APV
Curbside Classic: 1990 Oldsmobile Silhouette
Curbside Classic: 1994 Pontiac Trans Sport
Curbside Classic: 1987 Nissan Van
Curbside Classic: Nissan Quest and Mercury Villager – Official Car of Washington Heights
Curbside Classic: 1989 Mazda MPV
I thought they were cool enough in middle school to relentlessly try and convince my parents to buy one, even if it made my Dad’s Skylark look fast by comparison. All the buttons and headphone jacks for the rear passengers were just all too cool to me in 1993.
I think one of the reasons it didn’t do so well in the US (at least towards the end of its production run) was partly due to a certain Dateline feature on the abysmal crash test results of this particular van. Scary stuff. We’ve come a long way in 25 years for sure.
These and their JDM siblings are still very common in NZ and cheap the engine layout means cooling system maintenance is often neglected and proves fatal sooner or later the turbocharged diesels seem to fare worst for failures but the whole range has been nicknamed steamers, great vans when running well, but the Hiace custom coaches were more luxurious and featured 3,0 turbo diesel engines for more power at a much lower ex JDM price.
THEASE ARE NOW VERY POPULAR HERE ON THE BANGER RACEING CIRCUT IN THE UK
Though never officially sold by Toyota in the UK the Estima and Emina varients were quite common in London in the ’90s & ’00s – I suspect the reduced width was handy in narrow streets.
You make some great points in this. One of the keys to what sales early Toyota vans had in the US was just in the name. There were buyers that for whatever reason did not want to be forced to buy a Chrysler, despite their obvious innovation and the fact that the American engines offered in it were more durable than the Japanese engines that Chrysler also offered.
So instead, despite the impracticalities of the delivery van platform, the Toyota vans did head and shoulders above the Nissan and Mitsu rivals, that were so similar as to look almost badge engineered. You see it today as the many survivors roam freely in import areas. These were at least durable, and being overpriced went more often to upscale first owners. It must have been quite a leap of faith to spend so much on a supercharged 4 in a heavy vehicle with little engine access and not enough volume to be assured parts.
Toyota was smart enough to finally adopt the Camry platform and move production to America to lower costs. It was only then that Toyota enjoyed success in this segment, even if this was long after the heyday of minivans.
I wonder what would have happened if Renault had gotten the first Espace in production in Kenosha along side the Alliance. Imagine the two real innovators going head to head and how the competition would have improved the breed.
I haven’t seen a Previa in a long time, but do recall them being around when was little. My neighbors down the street owned one in the ubiquitous “Toyota Taupe” that all Previas I saw seemed to be painted in. I never liked the Previa much, although in time I’ve grown to appreciate its uniqueness and advanced interior design compared to competitors.
I’ve always found the styling kind of off-putting, like the GM B-body whales hit the gym and bulked up a bit, though still whale-like in appearance. I’ve never liked vehicles without a defined hood either, which is another huge reason I’m not a fan, and likely another reason why the Previa didn’t sell well in the U.S. The styling was just too unconventional. Even the Dustbuster minivans had a substantially greater hood than the Previa.
I think the main reason why so few Previas survived was because of the odd location of the engine and transmission. This made maintenance difficult and expensive.
Just out of curiosity, how did one do routine maintenance on these such as checking/adding oil? Was there an interior or side access panel?
🙂 you simply lift the front of the left front seat and turn one only ‘twistlock’ to release a panel, and there in front of you is the engine with filler cap at hand and of course the dipstick close by to that – a piece of cake as they say 🙂
I’ve always liked the Toyota Previa. I’ve always liked its shape. I’ve always been old school when it comes to drivetrain, front-engine, or even mid-engine, rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Whether the engine itself is gasoline (petrol) or diesel.
I can understand mid engine in a sports car, reducing stability to make the car more light on it’s feet. On a delivery van, the heavy load should do much to stabilize the vehicle, but in a minivan one puts there family in? I still think a lot of people cut extra slack to this inappropriate layout out of their Japanese fanboy status.
🙂 because of the aerodynamics they are FAST and QUIET at speed for a van ..I have had mine (the turboed 2.2 diesel model) up to 160kms and it was still going quite hard (however I ran out of nerve because at that speed the traffic police would put you off the road immediately and impound the car or whatever – here in NZ some roads you just don’t dare to go over 105kms now because the policing is so stringent and effective and merciless, particularly on the death highway ’26’ where I briefly ran it up to this speed . . luckily the cop must have been having a coffee break down the road – although they also regulalrly ‘hide’ radar speed traps set-up in plain clothes vans camouflaged in bushes and around corners out of the line of sight
I agree. Although not everyone likes its quirky styling, I like it. And I’d buy one in in a heartbeat if I could find one in decent condition, meaning everything on it works like they should, no rust or rust holes in the body. Oxidation is ok, as long as the body is intact and the frame is solid.
As far as engine is concerned, I’d want mine with a 2.2 litre, or a 2.4 litre, turbo diesel engine.
…do you detect a certain ‘slipperiness’ to the frontal angle of attack by any chance?
One of the few minivans I have no experience with. I considered an older one a few years ago, but my mechanic pretty much asked me not to as a personal favor. He said that they were absolutely miserable to work on.
I never knew until recently that these were RWD.
I’ve never owned or driven a Previa, but I have ridden in plenty, and I found them quite comfortable. 🙂
Previas seem to be more common here in northern Florida than their contemporary GM and Chrysler counterparts….but that isn’t say much.
These SHOULD have sold better, based on the Toyota reputation, but as others pointed out: lack of a 6 cylinder engine and the escalating Yen made them a tough sell.
As far as engine durability, ALL the ones I see on my local Craigslist are advertised with mileage at or above 250K….with never a mention of a recent engine re-build. If anything, the transmissions seems less rugged than the engines in these Previas.
I would’ve bought one had I been in the market for one during its run here in the USA. I can’t imagine a six cylinder engine would’ve fit comfortably in this configuration, unless it’s a Boxer Six engine.
…mine has done 292,000kms and no sign of dying yet ! 🙂
2CT its only just run in.
Frankly, I could never understand the love these things get.
Part of my lack of affection for these vans was I was selling Toyotas in the early 90’s when these were released. I worked for a dealer group that had just purchased the Chevy-Plymouth store (I know, what a combo!) across the road from our location. We were on the east side off of the expressway and as a result we got a *lot* of traffic. It wasn’t uncommon for families to stop at our store first before going across the street.
When they wanted to look at new minivans we would routinely show them a Previa. They were really nice, but price was not. IIRC, most of them were in high teens or low 20’s and the loaded AWD models bumped up against 30K! It was frustrating as hell to have a prospect come in, look at the Previa, maybe even test drive it and then go across the street and buy a Voyager or even a Lumina MPV.
Our lot mostly sold new Camrys, Corollas and pickups. I guess there was a reason why the manager stocked the lot that way.
But as time has shown, the Chrysler layout was the correct one. The weird mid-engine layout were not the favorites of mechanics, and the lack of accessibility made routine items a b!tch to replace. You had to really love one of these things to keep it a long time.
And let’s be honest, minivans are mostly used up and done by the time most people replace them. They’ve had years of kids and their detritus and pets and God knows what else in them. Most times I consider a used minivan a rolling biohazard, unless it’s been meticulously maintained. Back in the day, one of these would have been a rather expensive proposition.
Anything that’s mechanical should be meticulously maintained, otherwise it’ll self-destruct. However well-built the vehicle is, it needs to be taken care of, otherwise it’ll simply deteriorate due to neglect.
Jason, we are all likely in agreement on the need to maintain what we have and what will happen if we don’t. However, if a vehicle has hard to access components, one isn’t likely to be as diligent as they would be with other more easily maintainable vehicles. Not everyone will take it to a dealer or independent mechanic either, as some of us (me included) prefer doing maintenance work ourselves.
Taking the path of least resistance is human nature.
I agree. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case with many things.
The comment about being meticulously maintained actually was meant in reference to the interiors. I can’t tell you how many minivans I’ve seen where I was afraid to sit in them because of all of the gunk deposited by the kids, pets or whatever. I’ve been afraid to touch anything on the inside of these cars.
Some vehicles can take more mechanical negligence than others. I’m sure that’s why certain types of engines were offered for so long, as there was a high tolerance for abuse.
I agree. That’s why I’ve always liked Toyotas, they’re so well-built that they can take whatever abuse you can dish out. They can go forever before any serious maintenance is imperative. I had a 1978 Toyota SR5 pickup truck. It belonged to my stepdad, but I drove it a lot. It was very basic by today’s standards, nothing like a 2015 Tacoma. Nor was it very comfortable. It had plenty of room to fit most American drivers, but its seats weren’t very comfortable. But it was an awesome vehicle to drive. It had a 2.2 litre 20R 4 cylinder engine. It had a 5 spd. manual shifting transmission. Although I’m no longer driving the truck, it was inherited by my cousin after my stepdad passed away, and he continued to use it to this day for hauling furniture and plumbing equipment, etc. Although its body is rusted and had seen better days, mechanically, it’s still running like it should. Isn’t that weird?! 🙂
Used vans have a definite “ick” factor with the interior. As one who once shopped for a used conversion van, I realized buying some used vans is like buying a used mattress from a motel – not what you really want to do.
Yes, when I was on my futile quest to find a second Gen1 Odyssey (after my first got hit) I followed up on some ads for the few in my area. Yuck – like looking at used underwear. Even one at a small-city Honda dealer reeked of air freshener that was apparently being used to treat some kind of, er, issue. I realized how lucky I had been to find my first one that had been owned for several years by an older couple, and was clean as a pin.
If I was ever in the market for a used van, the first stop after purchase would be a detailer to get the interior steam cleaned and sanitized. I’d look at that as part of the purchase price and money well spent!
Considering the replacement for my current vehicle, when that time comes, is likely to be a wagon, it’ll probably get the same treatment.
I’d buy a Toyota Previa if the condition was right and the price was within what I can afford. 🙂
The problem with family vehicles nowadays is, they use luxurious cloth upholstery in one of the most abusive interior environments ever. It looks good in the showroom but is hard to keep clean from kid barf, dropped junk-food, cola, cat urine, etc. These really ought to have “work truck” interiors.
I appreciate the heavy-duty vinyl in Dad’s ’70 Country Squire; it could take anything.
yes . . that’s it …’cooking’ an Estima is simply poor vehicle management ..you have to be an idiot not to maintain any vehicle and expect it to run forever without being looked-at or touched ..an annual inspection of the cooling system is all that is required and if a hose or belt is showing age it should be replaced – result is reliability
People assume Japanese vehicles will run forever because they are quite well made and have the reliability rep, they dont the NZ repair industry is alive and well maintaining and repairing Japanese vehicles, however its often more financially easier to finance another one than have the car you broke fixed so the scrap vehicle industry is doing ok as well.
Japanese vehicles, especially Toyotas, do not run forever. I had far better luck with Isuzu trucks.
I have to agree. However well-built a car may be, nothing lasts forever. It’s the responsibility of the owner/driver to take care of his or her car.
Goofy, goofy, goofy. I never understood why CR chose one of these as the best minivan as soon as they hit the market. Based on what? Because it was a Toyota and not a Chrysler? I lost some respect for CR at that time for being so arrogant.
Me? I still find nothing remotely appealing about these and glad they’re very rare. Toyota only sold a couple dozen, didn’t they?
Give me a Dustbuster GM minivan any day.
CR’s recommendation is a bit less baffling when you consider that poor access to the engine compartment, as noted by many here, is never a major consideration for reviewers.
The Previa’s US market failure is reflected in its successor model getting a new name, unusual for Toyota to do. My conclusion is, Toyota mgmt. dragged its feet in admitting that the US market required a larger model & local factories to reduce costs.
Consumer Reports should have considered it though. Their mission is after all to inform consumers. If a tuneup will cost 3x and should mainly be done by the dealer that is something consumers should know. Their snap recommendation of these obviously consisted of reading the nameplate.
They have gotten better about considering more things like crash tests lately. I think they were instrumental in getting the Camry improved structurally so to regain the recommendation.
Of course; as another example, they completely ignore robustness or longevity in their appliance reviews, which is why the $400 Vitamix comes off looking like a bad value. They only report “predicted reliability,” which is not the same thing.
In general, makers of durable, high-quality products have a hard go in a culture obsessed with low purchase price.
Consumer Reports isn’t even worthy to line a bird cage with.
I think “goofy” is an appropriate description. That actually just jogged my memory in that the Previa was the subject vehicle of the pretty bad ’90s comedy film with Tom Arnold called “Carpool”. If I recall, they paint it with purple hairdye to disguise it at one point.
Consumer Reports recommended the 95 Voyager with the non-Overdrive Tranny and the 3 Liter V6 which is why my folks bought it.
Of all the vehicles I have ever ridden in over my 47 years I have never ridden in anything that made me so sick (literally) as the Previa van. I had never been carsick in my life until riding in one of these. In 1997 I was working at a Mitsubishi dealership as a sales rep. We happened to get one of these in trade, so I went on a test ride with a potential customer (that actually bought it – thank God!). I was so nauseous after getting out of it I had to actually go to the bathroom to be sick. It had the strangest sea-sawing, wallowing effect which I was told by several individuals was from the mid-engine layout of the van. Well that isn’t the end of the story. Guess what comes in about a month later? Yup, another Previa! And guess who ended up with another customer interested in it? Me! I was jokingly told by everyone I worked with that I was the new Previa “specialist”! I was hesitant to go on the test drive after getting so sick in the “Previas” one (lol), but I figured it might have been a fluke so just I tried to just forget about it and go. Well guess what, exactly the same thing happened. And yes, the customer bought that one, too!
They were good vans, no doubt – but something I never could have lived with due to the strange ride they gave.
Man, that’s an awful way to get a sale! LOL!
LMAO! Do you know the pictures of these actually make me queazy????
Hah! Pictures of these things make me angry all over again… 😉
Imagine my horror when my wife and I traveled to NYC in 2001 and guess what a lot of cabbies were driving? You guessed it! Previas! I told her I will wait for anything but one of those. Between the horrible cab drivers and the rocking sensation from the van I would be a goner!!
In-laws put more than 300,000 miles on theirs. It gave its life to protect my niece one night, when, as a newly licenced driver, entered a curve too fast. The Previa rolled, but my niece was mostly fine. Thank you Toyota!
Glad you all survived. I once saw a Ford Aerostar on its roof; I think most vehicles are safe in rolls so long as occupants are belted & no immovable obstacles are struck.
I walked away from our ’68 Country Squire after it & the trailer rolled at about 50mph, & I wasn’t even belted.
I agree. Most vehicles are safe if they’re well-built, and all occupants are securely belted in. 🙂
These are pretty common in Oregon, in fact they have a great reputation for durability, as Paul pointed out with his article about Eugene’s Previa taxi fleet.
I’ve long wondered if this van is what depressed the minivan market in the U.S. The egg mobile shape became the default look of minivans in toy makers and cartoonist’s hands, something that persists to this day – a symbol of a shapeless blob bought by harried parents because they have to, not want to. The Previa is the sweatpants of cars, practical, comfortable, and a sign that you’ve given up on any other values.
I don’t know if that’s entirely the reality. These attitudes tend to shift every so often. I remember in the mid 80’s when the minivan was really starting to ramp up in popularity that the yuppies really embraced them. The “in” crowd had at least one and thankfully, the utility far outshone the novelty. But before too long, everyone had one and the tastemakers were looking for another new thing. Hello, SUV!
Granted the SUV (and faux SUV) has had longer staying power than the minivan did as “the car” to have, but I’m quite sure there are very few people rocking those Lexus RX330s in 2015 would be happy being seen in the 1998 version today.
I think that the meme for minivan became like “Malcolm in the Middle”‘s mom, a harried housewife with too much to do. When our kids were younger a minivan would have made perfect sense, even the kids thought they were cool (about 15 years ago). My wife said no way in Hell did she want a “mommy mobile”, so, Hello Aztek… (faux SUV)
These are practically indestructible, and hence Eugene is still crawling with them. It’s a vehicle that was much misunderstood and under-appreciated, but I understand why. There’s still a few in the Oregon Taxi fleet, although the numbers are finally dwindling. Which given their age and mileage (600k+) is not surprising. Maybe I can document the last one when it finally is withdrawn from service.
I suppose that like the tired Crown Vics still plying their trade I am supposed to be impressed by the durability. If only 1% of the paying riders share Tom C’s weak stomach with these, over 20 years and 600k how gross these are getting. Never mind the out of date structure and which one of those 600k but not 601k parts are going to fail when late for the airport. Where is the local taxi authority. Are there no standards. Does not paying the regulated fare get you a safe comfortable ride.
Regarding the ride: I’ve driven and ridden in these a number of times, and there’s nothing untoward about their ride. It may not be the best in the world, but to my knowledge no automotive review has ever called these out for having a motion-sickness inducing ride.
I don’t know what Tom C’s problem was; maybe something he had for lunch, and he associated that with the Previa.
Yes, our taxis are regulated, to a point. I don’t think I’d feel any safer in an old CV, actually. And I’m not too worried about a Previa breaking down on the way to the airport.
The initial impulse and over-arching purpose of CC was to document the older cars still working on the streets. That’s what we do: celebrate the survivors. Was that not clear to you?
I know it sounds strange but it happened to me twice Paul! Maybe I was more sensitive to the way they rode than others. If you get a chance you should try riding in one and let me know if I am out of my mind!
I’ve only ridden in one Toyota Previa, and I actually enjoyed it. It rode comfortably, without being too floaty. There was enough room for seven American sized adults and carry-ons. I’d buy a used one if I can find one in good condition.
The two models are quite different if i may say … the rear drive version is not unlike any other Toyota van with the engine underneath the cabin front seating position ..the permanent four wheel drive variant is much faster around corners (under hard power) and inspires quite fast driving for a van if you have a mind to get along and keep pace with ordinary two litre cars being driven quickly on the open road, even hill country roads as we have plenty of here in NZ
Maybe you should buy the last Previa taxi in Eugene?
The taxicabs in Astoria and Seaside look even more jaring than that Previa.
I have had pretty good luck with my previa so far (knock on wood) just passed 350 000 kms on what appears to be the original transmission and engine. The usual maintenance for a vehicle of its age I think with the $800 purchase price and repairs I am maybe at $2500 total with about 5 years of use. The majority of the service can be done from under its small hood. The passenger seat needs to be removed for spark plugs every couple of years but takes the whole of 20 minutes and once it is out of the way a lot easier than some v6 engines I have worked on. For power with the equipped supercharger it has been more than enough for me and seems like a rocket compared to the vw busses and diesel Jetta it replaced….
I read this before leaving for work this morning, and had the idea of counting how many of these were on my route into work (Auckland NZ).
Pretty much forgot to, until in the last kilometre or so I saw one, which reminded me. It was at a junction, and I noticed it was giving way to another one. Then at the next set of traffic lights there were two later ones pulled up alongside each other. This place is very much swarming with them.
I’ve always liked its quirky styling, and having ridden in one as a passenger, I found it quite comfortable. i’d buy one myself if I can find one that hasn’t been driven to the ground. It doesn’t have to be perfect in terms of cosmetics, as long as there are no holes in the body to let rain leak into the van; it is a used vehicle, after all. It does have to run good, and it’s safe to drive.
Orchardists in Hawkes Bay run large fleets of these things dished out to fruit picking gangs for transport.
Mixed feelings about these. As a kid, I thought these were neat with their unique mid-engine design, but I eventually realized it was a pointless dead-end. Poor crash test results are never a good thing, but people expect a minivan to be especially safe, sealing the Previa’s decline. I don’t see many anymore, either in Rhode Island or where I go to school in Pennsylvania. Then again, the newest ones are eighteen years old, and they didn’t exactly sell like the Camry.
Saw a Previa the other day
Sold Toyotas in the early 1990s, and enjoyed driving and demonstrating these. But as noted earlier, the price made them a hard sell, among other reasons. Quite a few potential customers said, “Only a 4 cylinder engine?”. But they handled very well, and were sufficiently quick with the rarely seen 5 speed manual. Supercharged engine was too little, too late, too expensive. A supercharged manual, a combination not offered in North America, would make a great sleeper, and alternative to a VW Vanagon Subaru conversion.
My brother-in-law ran one of these for years. With four children, they needed the space. We all called it the Moon Buggy for its looks.
What always struck me about these was the pronunciation of the local name, Tarago. There’s s river in Gippsland where I grew up called the Tarago – pronounced TA-r’go. I wonder how many people mispronounce the river as a result? Thanks Toyota! 🙁
I forgot to mention: the Previa is the basis of the Tartan Prancer – the “Honda of Albania” in the new Vacation movie.
These are decently common in Portland, OR and I can sometimes see nearly a dozen in a day, but usually 3-6 is more common. The Previas range from rusty beaters driven by tourists or recent transplants to non-rusty beaters that have lived in the Pacific Northwest their whole lives. Some Previas wear the patina of about two decades of service and some have been spiffed up with new paint, rims, and maybe even a bit of a lowering job. Some parents still use these to tote their kids around in, but not all Previas have baby seats in them. Some have lumber, tools, and other necessities of a handy person, but some are full of bikes, snowboards or skis, or other sport paraphernalia. Even have seen a Previa or two being rescued from retirement with people prepping it for new lease on life instead of more years rotting in the weeds. When I was in Missoula earlier this year I chatted with a fellow that had bought a Green Previa All Trac whose tranny had no Reverse from Oregon. He sounded quite stoked about his new adventure mobile.
A co-worker at a small company I had worked for in 2008 had a ’91 Previa van, but it wasn’t an AWD. If I remember it was grey with a dark blue interior and he had added a DVD player in the centre of the funky designed dash. The body had some light damage from apparently being kicked by some drunk, and years of the Canadian elements gave it a faded look. I think it had gotten me started on researching Previas at the time. I was impressed that the van could possibly reach 500,000 kms. But I wasn’t so impressed with the crash rating, although my co-worker didn’t care. I think his van was either around the 300,000 km mark or approaching it, but it ran smoothly. He had purchased it used after his first van was totalled. He mentioned that he picked up a used car magazine and found it for a good price (can’t remember if it was $7000), so he called up the owner right away on the same night and made the purchase. He mentioned that the front seats swivelled around for playing cards with the passengers and it had an ice maker. The headlights had completely dimmed at the time causing him to be pulled over, and I think he had an issue which just was remedied by replacing the spark plugs. I still see a few of these vans from time to time.
I’ve had 4 Previas – one stateside model and 3 JDM Lucidas – as has been mentioned above, they’re absolutely unbreakable. Three had more than 150K miles on them and gave us zero problems. The engine, given its location, is over-engineered – it has a timing chain that’s good for the life of the vehicle. The only area that might pose problems is the Supplementary Accessory Drive System (SADS) which is the shaft that runs off the crankshaft to the front of the vehicle to drive the accessories – unless serviced, the bearings can wear out, resulting in a whine.
Regarding the ride, all of ours I thought rode rather taut, compared to other vans – I never experienced any wallowing. The lower center of gravity given the mid-engine also gave them fairly flat handling in corners.
Though they switched to a typical front drive layout, they are still being sold new here in Japan.
http://2016toyotalexus.com/2015-toyota-estima-engine-specs-and-price/
The 4WD models actually corner quite well under power, very neutral, and they have front and rear swaybars that are substantial enough too, with decent gas shocks and lower profile tires (not light truck) they are quite fun to drive. You can even upgrade engine output with the usual tricks (mine runs a V8 ‘flowmaster’ rear main muffler, has more fuel through the pump both on main and boost, K&N filter, and re-adjusted wastegate actuator so that boost is retained longer)
It gets up the Bombay faster than the normally aspirated 4.2 diesel Landcruiser ..20kms faster at the top in fact !
I’m late here, but enjoyed this William (as I enjoy all your articles!). Our family car when the Previa (as it was badged in NZ) arrived was a 1985 Toyota Townace (Tarago in Australia), so we were fascinated by the Previa (although I leaned more towards the Espace which was also sold in NZ). The Previa had fantastic styling inside and out, and is still incredibly common on the road here – albeit it seems that 99% of the ones left are ex-JDM used imports, and the majority are the narrow-body Estima. And no, my parents didn’t get a Previa or Espace; as soon as I left home for University they traded the Townace on a Telstar station wagon.
I own and daily drive a 1992 Previa with 409 000 kilometers on the odo.
At this point you do need a good supply of spare parts. I have a spare Previa for that purpose.
You have to service it yourself; nobody else is going to want to do it for you. It’s not hard, but it’s unconventional.
But I love it. It’s practical and in my opinion beautiful both aesthetically and technically.
Due to economics nobody will ever make something like this ever again. The 90s were great.
I totally agree. You’d think that for the amount of time the Previa had been on the USA market, there’d be plenty of service parts and service to keep the vehicles running indefinitely.
It’s the Greenbrier of the 1990s.
A woman I worked with had one of these. She and husband did not have any children but they did have 2 Saint Bernards.
Although I never drove a Toyota Previa, nor did I know anyone personally who owned one, I got to ride in one as a passenger. My parents and I were in London England, when someone picked us up in a Toyota Previa. An RHD version no less. I hadn’t seen one in a long time, never mind one used as a taxicab.
Naturally there’s a model of this – sort of. It’s the narrow-body Japanese Estima Lucida, not the wide-body we’re used to. And being from Aoshima, there have been several variants available.
As if the originals weren’t enough for us, used Estimas imported from Japan are a common sight in Australia – I saw one in my little town last week.
I started selling Toyotas in 1994, and soon learned that Previa owners were like Cressida owners, they were died-in-the-wool Toyota aficionados. I was not fond of the styling but really liked the way they handled and drove, especially the SC/AWD LE models. They were hard to get in Central Illinois, but my customer with ’91 Tercel AWD wagon ordered one when he found that the Sienna would not have AWD. Loaded, it was priced at $38,000.00, when you could but a pair of Chrysler vans for that amount. My customer loved it, and put 108,000 miles on it before he passed away. I bought it from his wife, and enjoyed it immensely. Traded it for a 2014 Scion xB when it had 239,000 miles on the clock. Should have kept it, but decided to trade when the A/C stopped working. One of the best Toyotas I ever owned.
I remember when the Previa was on the market. At the time, I didn’t find its appearance attractive. I thought it looked like an egg on wheels, or a lemon on wheels. It wasn’t until after it was discontinued and replaced by the Sienna that I decided I liked its styling. It’s crazy how tastes change.
I have a 1997 left hand drive supercharged automatic in dark green with 215,000 miles/350,000 km. Before this I had a Toyota “Van”, aka Hi Ace. It handles so well. I enjoy the body style immensely. I sometimes park it in front of my cousin’s modern styled house and they go well together. I dislike the mileage and the automatic (with overdrive) transmission. It does pain me to say the Hi Ace was a much much better cargo hauler. The Previa with the second row captain chairs are more difficult to remove than the Hi Ace second row bench. I have great respect for Toyota as their vehicles are well engineered.
Hi there. Unless I’m mistaken, I think the Toyota Van was based on the JDM Toyota Town Ace.