Toyota Previa

The Toyota Previa, also known as the Toyota Estima (Japanese: トヨタ・エスティマ, Hepburn: Toyota Esutima) in Japan, and Toyota Tarago in Australia, is a minivan that was produced by Toyota from 1990 until October 2019 across three generations.

The name "Previa" is derived from the Spanish for "preview", as Toyota saw the first Previa as a vehicle that would preview technologies used in future minivans. The Previa was the second largest minivan in Toyota's lineup in Japan after the bigger and more luxurious Alphard/Vellfire.

The first generation, designed by Toyota designer Tokuo Fukuichi and Calty designer David Doyle in 1987 (patent filed 24 December 1987), was introduced on 27 January 1990, and had only one sliding side door for the rear passengers. It featured a mid-engined platform, where the inline-four cylinder gasoline-powered engine was installed almost flat beneath the front seats, canted at a 75-degree angle from vertical to the right, viewed from the rear of the vehicle. This allowed the designers to maximize interior space for a given exterior size.

The vehicle was sold in Japan as the Toyota Estima, taken from the word "estimable." In the United States and United Kingdom, it was marketed as the Previa, which is derived from the Italian previdenza, meaning providence or foresight.

The first generation Previa is 4,750 mm (187.0 in) long, 1,800 mm (70.9 in) wide, and 1,780 mm (69.9 in) high (with the dual moonroof option), riding on a wheelbase of 2,870 mm (112.8 in). It was available in both rear- and all-wheel drive versions (branded All-Trac) and powered by a 135 PS (99 kW) JIS inline four-cylinder 2.4-liter fuel-injected mid-mounted engine. All-wheel drive models use a viscous-coupled center differential which normally splits torque 50/50 from front to rear. Available with a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual gearbox, this Previa also seated seven or eight people, with three seating configurations offered; however, North America only received two configurations, both seating seven passengers. All first-generation Previa / Estima vans were assembled at the Toyota Auto Body Fujimatsu plant in Kariya, Aichi.

The Previa was available with either four-wheel disc brakes or traditional front disc/rear drum brake setup, with anti-lock brakes (ABS) as an option. Some rear-drive models use independent suspension at all four wheels, with Macpherson struts at the front and double-wishbones in the rear; most models are equipped with a rear suspension which uses a beam axle located by a four-link arrangement with Panhard rod. A lower-cost eight-passenger model, introduced in February 1993, uses the AWD rear suspension.

The Previa / Estima was equipped with a 2.4 L 2TZ-FE I4 engine with a nominal output of 99 kW (133 hp; 135 PS) at 5000 rpm and 206 N⋅m (152 lb⋅ft) at 4000 rpm. Base models were equipped with a five-speed manual transmission, a four-speed automatic transmission was available as an option; higher trim levels came with the automatic as standard. For the 1994 model year, the 2.4 L 2TZ-FZE supercharged engine was made available. The supercharger was mounted in the front of the vehicle, driven by a belt off the SADS accessory driveshaft, and engine output increased to 120 kW; 161 hp; 163 PS at 5000 rpm and 273 N⋅m (201 lb⋅ft) at 3600 rpm. In the United States, the five-speed manual transmission was discontinued starting with the 1994 model year.

In Japan, the Estima Lucida and Estima Emina also were available with the 3C-T intercooled turbodiesel I4 engine.