Japanese minivans: left and right hand drive
If you want to buy a minivan from one of the Japanese manufacturers, then the choice in the salons of official dealers will not be so great. At the moment, there are literally several models: Toyota Hiace and Toyota Alphard. This is if we talk about new cars purchased in official showrooms. However, drivers know that in fact the assortment is much wider, however, they will have to search using different methods:
- through car auctions - we wrote about many of them on our website Vodi.su;
- through domestic sites with ads for the sale of used cars;
- through foreign ad sites - the same Mobile.de;
- go directly abroad to bring a car from Germany or Lithuania.
In this article, we will talk about Japanese right- and left-hand drive minivans, which, unfortunately, are not officially represented in Russia.
Toyota Previa
Under this name, the model is produced for the European market, in Japan itself it is known as the Toyota Estima. Its production was launched back in 1990 and has not stopped until now, which is a clear indication of its popularity.
In 2006, the most modern generation appeared. This is an 8-seater minivan, its body length is almost five meters.
Specifications are very revealing:
- a wide range of power units - diesel, turbodiesel, gasoline with a capacity of 130 to 280 horsepower;
- front or all-wheel drive;
- mechanical, automatic or CVT transmissions.
The minivan boasts a streamlined one-volume body, the rear door opens back, making it easy for passengers to get on and off. The price of a new car will be from 35 thousand dollars, a used car can be bought in Russia from 250 thousand rubles, although the mileage will exceed 100 thousand km, and the year of manufacture will be no later than 2006.
Nissan caravan
Another 8-seater minivan with a recognizable angular profile. The caravan went through 5 modifications. In the most recent generation, this is a very interesting monocab with a body length of 4695 millimeters.
By the way, its rebadged counterparts are:
- Nissan NV350 Urvan;
- Isuzu How;
- Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Van.
Accordingly, all these models have identical technical indicators.
And they are quite good, as for a small city minivan:
- two- and three-liter diesel and turbodiesel engines;
- power - 105-147 horsepower;
- rear drive.
The minibus is very popular in Asia - Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand; in Latin and South America - Mexico, Brazil, Argentina. It can also be found on our roads, especially in the east of the country.
Nissan Caravan Elgrand
This model is similar to the previous one only in name, in fact, the difference between them is significant:
- appearance - although it is also a monocab, however, the hood is more powerful with a large radiator grille and a wide American-style bumper;
- the capabilities of the engines have been expanded - they are more powerful (170-280 hp) and more voluminous (2.5, 3, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5 liters);
- the layout is both rear- and all-wheel drive.
The minivan was created with the expectation of a sophisticated American, Canadian and European consumer. The engines were taken from the Nissan Terrano SUV. The original exterior and interior will no doubt appeal to lovers of comfortable trips. Boarding and disembarking of passengers is facilitated by a sliding door.
The car is still in production, there are options for both left-hand drive and right-hand drive.
Mazda Bongo Friendee
This Mazda model is visually similar to the previous minivan. The restyled model Ford Freda was built on the same basis - that is, created specifically for the US market. Both of these minivans are great campers for long trips. In particular, the interior space can be easily expanded with folding seats and a retractable roof.
In one of the configurations, Mazda Bongo and Ford Freda were equipped with a “single navigation” system, that is, they had the entire set of tools for autonomous living:
- gas stove;
- water dispenser;
- retractable double tent on the roof;
- hood.
Unfortunately, at the moment the car is out of production, but you can buy it on auto sites in the UK and the USA. So, a camper in excellent condition and with a mileage of 100 thousand km costs around 8-10 thousand pounds. There are also cheaper copies, although they are worse preserved. But in general, an excellent 8-seater family minivan.
Toyota Sienta
A fairly successful model of a right-hand drive 7-seat minivan exclusively for the Japanese market. The release of Sienta was launched back in 2003, and this 5-door minivan is still in the series, in addition, an updated 2015nd generation appeared in 2.
In Vladivostok, you can order this right-hand drive car. Moreover, second-hand options are presented in a large number. True, the car is designed exclusively for the Japanese and for Japanese road realities, so 7 adult Siberians are unlikely to feel comfortable here. But due to the fact that the seats of the second and third rows are separate, they can be folded, so 5-6 people can fit here normally .
Sienta in its appearance is a bonneted minivan, that is, a two-volume vehicle with a pronounced hood. In general, her exterior is sharpened for rounded retro shapes, and the round headlights of the front optics contribute even more to this.
Specifications - Medium:
- 110-horsepower one and a half liter injector;
- front-wheel drive;
- transmission - stepless variator, there is also an automatic transmission in earlier models;
- body length - 4100 millimeters.
In general, the car is interesting, but it is more suitable for women to take their children to school, to music or dancing.
Mitsubishi delica
Another legendary minivan that appeared back in 1968. Initially, the car was used to deliver mail and goods, but today it is one of the most popular models in the Japanese automotive market.
It is clear that over the years Delica has come a long way of evolution from a clumsy rectangular bead in the style of the 60s to a completely modern car, which is used not only as a family car, but also off-road. In addition, there are both passenger and cargo versions.
Specifications are very good:
- a line of power units - diesel, turbodiesel, gasoline;
- mechanical, automatic and variable speed transmissions;
- 8-seater salon with transforming seats;
- sliding rear door, which was used on the very first minivans.
It is not officially represented in Russia, but you can buy a used one at prices of about 1 rubles for a 000 model. There are also many offers on foreign auto sites, although you will have to spend money on customs clearance.
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