Earlier this week, I posted a Toyota Estima L Aeras G Limited ACR30 in Down on the Street. Today I will feature the non-JDM sister car the Toyota Previa in Picture of the Week. As it involves the first and second generations, I should have named that Pictures of the Week.

It’s funny how much you can actually observe from a cutaway drawing. Last week I already posted my amazement over the Galant GTO’s rear leaf springs. In the cutaway drawing of the Previa, I was also able to deduce a lot of things!

Cutaway drawing of the first generation Toyota Previa TCR20L
Cutaway drawing of the first generation Toyota Previa TCR20L

The first cutaway drawing above depicts the first-generation Previa. I’ve narrowed it down to a TCR20L as it is a seven-seater (eight-seater has the code TCR10L) and is a left-hand-drive example.

I have no idea why the A, B, C and D pillars and brake system are highlighted, but maybe this picture was used in a brochure to draw attention to the crash safety of the Previa. Another thing you could observe is the absence of an engine up front under the bonnet. That’s because the first-generation Previa (and Estima) is actually a mid-engined car!

Cutaway photo of the first generation Toyota Estima
Cutaway photo of the first generation Toyota Estima

In the cutaway photo above, you can see the engine is mounted in the mid-section of the car, driving the rear wheels. In case you see the potential in this, someone already transformed a Previa into a drift-missile.

Cutaway drawing of the second generation Toyota Previa ACR30
Cutaway drawing of the second generation Toyota Previa ACR30L

In the second generation Previa above, we can observe the drivetrain change from mid-engined rear-wheel-drive (MR) to front-engine front-wheel-drive (FWD).

We can also deduce the engine in the drawing above. The inlet fits the 2AZ-FE while the 1MZ-FE would have its valve cover sit much higher in the engine bay. Also in Europe, all Previas received the model code starting with ACR30L.