Introduction

Introduced in 1991, the Previa was an excellent, long lasting minivan. The only one problem - it was designed for Japanese market with only a four-cylinder engine available. In 1998 the Previa was discontinued and replaced by the Sienna in North America, although it's still sold in Europe.
Rear-wheel drive. All-wheel drive version is available. The longitudinally-mounted 4-cylinder engine is located under the floor between the front seats; to fit the tight space it's tilted towards the passenger side.
Only one engine choice: 2.4-liter four cylinder 16-valve twin cam engine. Earlier models had only 138 horsepower. Starting from 1994 model, the supercharger was added to increase the engine power to 161 h.p. The Previa's spaceship-like interior is roomy and comfortable. Fit and finish is very good. Driver's place is comfortable; great visibility. The third-row bench seat splits in half and folds up easily against the sidewalls making a lot of space for cargo.
Great maneuverability, rather car-like handling. ABS is optional. In NHTSA frontal crash test, 1994-1997 models have four stars for driver and three stars for passenger protection.

The engine

Toyota Previa comes with DOHC 4-cylinder 16-valve 2.4 L engine with 138 h.p (161 h.p starting from 1994), with cast iron block and aluminium alloy head. There is no timing belt; to increase durability a maintenance-free timing chain is used to drive the camshafts. The Previa engine is proven to be very durable and can last very long if properly maintained.

Strengths

- Very reliable powertrain
- Comfortable driver's place
- Spacious interior
- Car-like handling
- Folding up rear bench seat

Weaknesses

- Some parts are quite expensive
- Slightly underpowered
One of the common problems - the supplemental accessory drive shaft (SAD shaft). It starts making noise at high mileage. According to Toyota, the complete shaft must be replaced (around $1000), although there is an aftermarket repair kit available.

Few maintenance tips

- Wash your car regularly, wax it once in a while to keep the car body shiny and protected from harsh environment.
- If you live in the area with high humidity, rustproofing will help to protect the car body from corrosion.
- The Previa's oil feeder system is only designed to automatically top up the engine oil; change the engine oil regularly according to the owner's manual.
- Change transmission fluid regularly.
- When changing the spark plugs, it's good idea to replace the distributor cap, rotor and wires at the same time.
- Try to avoid overheating the engine; this may cause serious problems.
- Take care of minor problems as soon as you can, before they cause something serious.
- Always check your parking space for leaks, and if you find one, get it fixed as soon as you can.
- At least once a year have your car inspected in the garage on the lift (e.g when doing tire rotation) to keep it safe. Many components (e.g brakes, steering, suspension) cannot be properly inspected by simple visual inspection at one of those fast lube places; the car must be on the lift.

Toyota Previa specs. (1996 US model)

Dimensions 

Length 187.0 (4750 mm)
Width 70.8 (1798 mm)
Height 68.7 (1745 mm)
Curb Weight (LE model) 3,875 lbs (1758 kg

Supercharged DX/LE
city: 18MPG (13.0 L/100km)
hwy: 22MPG (10.7 L/100km)

Supercharged All-Trac 4WD DX/LE
city: 17MPG (13.8 L/100km)
hwy: 20MPG (11.8 L/100km