Toyota Estima

The Toyota Estima is a 7 or 8 seat Multi Purpose Vehicle.

There are three main versions the Estima made between about 1990 and 2000, Estima, Estima Lucida and Estima Emina. The Lucida and Emina models are approximately 110 mm narrower and 70 mm shorter than the standard Estima. The standard Estima is closest to the model exported to the UK as the Toyota Previa. One unusual feature is that there are only four doors. Two conventional front doors, a large sliding door on the left hand side, and a rear door hinged at the top.

The seven and eight seat variants differ only in the middle row, which on the seven seat version has two "captain's chairs", independent chairs with arm rests, where as the eight seater has a three seater bench which splits into a a double seat and a single seat both of which can be rotated to face backwards.

Many used Estimas have been imported from Japan to the UK, due to the relatively low value of used cars in Japan and the fact that both countries drive on left. The cars come in a wide variety of specifications with a 2.4 litre petrol or 2.2 litre turbo charged diesel engine. There are both two and four wheel drive variants, and both manual and automatic transmission.

The reason for the difference between the smaller Emina and Lucida models and the larger Estima is the vehicle tax system in Japan, which is based on the product of length and width of the car. The smaller variants small in to a lower tax band.

In 2000 Toyota introduced a new model of Estima with sliding doors on both sides.

External links

• UK Toyota Estima owners site