A wine red Toyota Previa, seen at a car inspection site in east Beijing. The pretty Previa was in a pretty good shape, and likely the best I have ever seen in country.
The first generation Toyota Previa (XR10) was manufactured from 1990 until 1999.
The first-gen Previa has a fascinating history in China; it was not officially sold here, but it was assembled by various companies in Guangdong during the mid-1990’s. There were also Chinese copies. And some cars arrived via diplomatic channels or the gray market.
As far as I can tell, this particular car was a made-in-Japan original. Until five years ago there were still quite a lot of Previa’s on the road, but today they are almost extinct.
The first generation Toyota Previa had a unique front mid-engine, rear wheel drive layout. The engine is located under the front seats, behind the front axle. This layout was only used for the first generation, the second and subsequent generations had a more conventional front-engine, front wheel drive layout.
The interior was in a good shape. Seat covers are after-market. The Previa was available with three engines: a 2.4 petrol, a 2.4 supercharged petrol, and a 2.2 turbocharged diesel. The 2.4 petrol was the most common.
The wacky center stack with the side-mounted air vents, the slider aircon- controls, and the original stereo system with a tape deck and a CD player.
Second row with three seats, the one on the left folded up to allow access to the third row.
Design was very subtle, without a line too much. Present-day Toyota minivans are a total mess compared.
Only the windshield wiper disturbs the harmony.
Same thing here. these wipers are gigantic. Toyota should have found a way to hid ‘m under the bonnet-flip.
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