Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2001 19:18:37 +1200
Reply-To: Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject: Anyone want images of Hiace and Estima (narrow "Previa")?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I can send images of a Japanese-market 4x4 Toyota Hiace van and the
narrow/short-bodied Toyota Estima, if anyone's interested. I was intending
to send them with the T3 images (Toyota SPAM?) but forgot.
Both were used imports, imaged in used-car lots in Dunedin, NZ.
This particular Hiace is a full-time 4WD 3.0 EFI turbodiesel 5-speed Super
Custom (short-wheelbase), with factory Cool & Hot Box & coffemaker between
the front seats. Options included electric curtains, dual & triple
(standard: single) electric sliding sunroofs. Electric windows & locking &
dual aircon standard. Torsionbar rear suspension in Super Custom form;
cartsprings in lower levels. The 3.0 turbodiesel (1KZ-T engine) should
easily top 100mph. Only the 3.0 seems to be available with full-time 4WD;
other engines (2.0 & 2.4 gas, 2.4 turbodiesel & 2.8 diesel) come with RWD
or part-time 4WD. Bare-bones van, "Kombi" equivalent, various more upmarket
trims or Super Custom. Vans come with options of dual sliding doors and
small-diameter dual wheels with totally flat floor (no wheelarches), short,
medium & very long wheelbase. I have seen at least 2 stretched ones used as
airport shuttles; these look good, with dual rear axles. If I didn't have a
VW van, a Hiace is certainly what I'd have. Apart from handling and lack of
walkthrough, the Hiace is objectively a better vehicle than a Vanagon,
probably the best van in the world.
The Japanese market has tax penalties on noncommercial vehicles over 1695mm
in width, so almost all of the "Previas" (export name for Estima) sold
there are the narrow-bodied version, which shares the wide-body's wheelbase
but has a shorter body; I guess shortened in front of the cab, as the front
fenders are flared slightly to clear the tires. There are several
grill/light treatments (the one imaged here is the common one), all much
more aggressively-styled than the wide-body's. The narrow-body has
different wiper setup...unequal-length arms, both of which are normal
parallel units which park to the left and sweep up to the right. No IRS,
unlike the early wide-body. Estimas often had a factory Cool & Hot Box on
the floor under the dash center. Available as RWD and full-time 4x4; 2.4
DOHC gas and SOHC 2.2 turbodiesel (3C-T engine). Wide-bodies were not
available in 4x4 or diesel. All narrow-bodies have floor-shift, unlike the
wide-body's column-shift. I have seen many dozens of used-import
narrow-bodies here, but only 2 wide-bodied Estima-badged ones, showing how
rare the wide-bodies are in Japan, where all were brought from. Used
Estimas are also being imported from Japan to Australia and England, where
an Estima list is being launched.
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin, New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
ph 64 (3) 473-8863
fax 64 (3) 479-7527
84 VW Caravelle GL (to be fitted with SVX engine & Porsche G50 trans) RWD
87 Corolla 1.8 DX CE80 diesel sedan FWD
89 Corolla 1.8 DX CE96 diesel van/wagon FWD
89 Corona 2.0 D Select CT170 diesel sedan FWD
92 Toyota Estima Lucida (=Previa) 2.2 turbodiesel RWD
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