Toyota Estima receives a facelift in Japan

Toyota Estima

It may seem like the latest generation Toyota Estima (also known as the Previa and the Tarago) has just been launched, but Toyota has quickly given it a facelift to keep it fresh, and hopefully keep the showrooms busy. With the facelift, Toyota seems to have completely changed the shape of the headlamps to ones that point downwards compared to the outgoing model which curve upwards a little towards the center of the grille. Nothing much has changed on the rear though.

Two engines are available – an inline-4 and a V6. The baseline inline-4 version is powered by the 2.4 litre 2AZ-FE producing 170 PS at 6,000rpm and 223Nm of torque. The larger of the two engines is the 3.5 litre BEAMS Dual VVT-i 2GR-FE engine producing 280 PS at 6,200rpm and 344Nm of torque at 4,700rpm. The inline-4 gets a Super CVT-i transmission while the V6 gets a 6-speed Super ECT automatic.

Toyota Estima

The Estima has some interesting gadgets to help drivers control its bulk. One is Lane-Keep Assist (LKA) which detects the lane markers on the road and takes control of the electric power steering to keep the car on course. The Adaptive Front-Lighting System low beam headlamp also swivels according to steering position to help light up the upcoming road around a bend.

Hill assist will automatically apply the brakes for you when you move from a stop on an incline to stop the car from rolling back. Finally, S-VSC is an enhancement from the regular VSC system which uses the electric power steering to apply appropriate steering torque to help stabilize the car.

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • adunadun (Member) on Feb 04, 2009 at 8:38 pm

    butt look same? am i right? or wrong?

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  • cam.shaft (Member) on Feb 04, 2009 at 9:09 pm

    errrr…..wat facelift?

    not even a back lift =___+

    *bleh*

    cam.shaft

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  • e-nabilll (Member) on Feb 04, 2009 at 10:57 pm

    which part is facelifted ??!

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  • csv (Member) on Feb 04, 2009 at 11:03 pm

    facelift or not, alot of 40 plus ah pek will buy this to ferry their family around from grey importers.

    no effort at all in the facelift department.

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  • mct (Member) on Feb 04, 2009 at 11:49 pm

    paul!
    is cvt for 2.4 ! no 4 speed gear box is available when this new generation of estima begin !!
    6 speed auto for 3.5 v6
    if you didn’t believe me then see for your self
    http://toyota.jp/estima/spec/spec/index.html
    inside clearly stated 2.4 estima is using super cvt-i

    IF you are a fans of this mpv
    you will definitely tell which part have been modified
    what i have notice is front light, rear light
    bumber, spot light. other change ? dunno

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    • apai_eva on Apr 19, 2014 at 1:01 pm

      lower front grille, bumper & fog light & finally head lamps.

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  • NutzeyWagen (Member) on Feb 04, 2009 at 11:52 pm

    yes, only the headlamps look a bit different pointing downwards slighty compared to previous. can’t seems to find any other significant ‘facelifts’. facelift? no face lah!

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  • scooterist (Member) on Feb 05, 2009 at 12:08 am

    toyota guys is running out off ideas…

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  • nonengko (Member) on Feb 05, 2009 at 12:31 am

    Facelift or no facelift this MPV is superb. No problems with it since I acquired it in 2005. The replacement for the Estima is another Estima, albeit a newer one.

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  • Dracryst (Member) on Feb 05, 2009 at 2:33 am

    About the rear, I noticed there’s some really minor changes taken place.
    The taillights, as to our current version has 2 white stripes under the red line, instead they redesign it to be full red and white lines. Besides, they also redesigned the rear reflectors. Don’t forget the new wheels.

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  • king (Member) on Feb 05, 2009 at 2:48 am

    facelift??? WTF ?????????????

    like that even Brothers also can do better facelift anytime…what for need to wait for toyota to launch in japan?

    toyota is becoming like a huge car accessory manufacturer…

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  • mct (Member) on Feb 05, 2009 at 3:31 am

    facelift doesn’t mean changing it’s face only
    some internal lift will be done too ,just because you cannot notice them doesn’t mean it is not there . something will change under the skin for sure .

    some luxury car like benz , every times they facelift their car they claim how many thousand of part is being change.

    Paul Tan says: Yes of course, in this case I think VSC has been upgraded to S-VSC, etc.

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  • the stik (Member) on Feb 05, 2009 at 7:31 am

    favorite choice for a multi-level-marketing businessman hehehe..

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  • BanyakMasukWorkshop (Member) on Feb 05, 2009 at 10:18 am

    to be fair to toyota.. i think they didnt need to really do much to this mpv. in a way, the estima is the iconic mpv especially in asian markets. it practically sells itself. and the fact is, it is a very good product.. it would be very difficult for toyota to do very much with it.. so they’ve probably decided to keep it minimal, improve where they can and more or less maintain its physical look. why spend millions more to effect major physical looks when it wont help sell more than they are already selling today?

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  • lambov12 (Member) on Feb 05, 2009 at 11:55 am

    this is really the same case as porsche ..

    jus wanna keep the porsche as similiar as the 911 …

    jus change the face only ..

    the backside didnt even have some changes ..

    come on toyota, this is not wad we called as “facelift”

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  • BanyakMasukWorkshop (Member) on Feb 05, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    lambov12 said,
    February 5, 2009 @ 11:55 am

    this is really the same case as porsche ..

    jus wanna keep the porsche as similiar as the 911 …
    _____________________________________

    very true.. but the porsche still sells 911’s by the busload. so much so that its put porsche in such a strong financial position, that they’ve now bought more than 50% of VW. just coz you dont like the look of the 911, doesnt mean ardent porsche fans who actually put money down to buy the car think the same way as you do( you’re probably not in the target market then).

    likewise with the estima as with the porsche.

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  • autojohndoe (Member) on Feb 05, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    better we understand what facelift means to the Toyota Japan engineers… maybe they definition is not same as malaysian…

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  • shun2u.CoM (Member) on Feb 05, 2009 at 4:41 pm

    nice la..;)

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  • ago87 (Member) on Feb 06, 2009 at 1:03 am

    No matter what…
    It still looks better than our facelift…
    Right???

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  • MazdaAstina (Member) on Feb 06, 2009 at 7:55 pm

    Hi Paul,

    I’m looking into the a 2nd hand Toyota Estima. This is the model before the current one that we see on our roads. Do you have any write up on it or can u recommend where i can get info on it?

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  • Sex is wonderful, but it's like champagne.If you're forced to have four glasses at every meal you start to fantasize about water. (Member) on Feb 12, 2009 at 2:52 pm

    no differnce

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  • The front is definitely look better than the first released version 3 years ago. It looks "perfect" now, for me. Cannot wait to see when will they start importing it as unreg.

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  • estimalover on Apr 11, 2009 at 2:19 am

    it's so damn expensive….costs RM220k+++ in Sarawak…dono KL or West Malaysia price…

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  • wan8601 on Apr 23, 2009 at 5:30 am

    hello everybody..

    i want to join estima group..but i dun know how to find that group..if anybody know,can u email to me?

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  • berapa harga 2006 ek?

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  • The price depends on many element; namely:

    1. Variant; some variant command better price than other as they come with many amenities; i.e seats design-electronic-vacuum door(s)-MFS multifunction steering-panoramic roofs-electric seats-keyless go starter-wheels size: read the rear moniker AERA-S, X-T-L-G for instance.

    2. Manufactured year; new third generation Estima/Previa/Tarago started in 2006-not really total makeover from last generation (2nd 2000-2003 [facelift] 2006) but rather mild. The newer model you have the pricier the price

    3. Cylinder capacity; 2.4 vs 3.5 not that much BUT to avoid catastrophe to our pocket if not bank account please stay away from 3.5/3.0 (2nd gen). Resale value not great

    4. Dealer; some dealer quoted lower that competitors. This is understandable as some have bigger overheads, less volume etc.

    5. Negotiation: if your tougher in negotiation you can beat the SA.

    MY 2 CENT: go for less pricey model with newer manufacturing year. Shop around and the price normally from RM170k+ for 2006 ACR50 model. They're two types of bumpers (three if you include Hybrid).

    Now is buyer market, thus use your discretion wisely.

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  • Storm47 on Aug 11, 2009 at 6:24 am

    Dear Wan8601,

    I heard there is one motoring group of Estima in Msia which is very active and have lots of members. You may want to the following club's website:

    www.meog.org

    Malaysian Estima Owner Group (MEOG)

    I hope it helps. Thanks

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  • wanie on Aug 25, 2009 at 10:49 pm

    nice n comfortable…

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  • shamburke on Sep 02, 2009 at 4:52 pm

    Dear Wan8601,

    You might also try www.myestima.com

    Regards

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  • i've told by one of the importers that there's two type of estima. CKD and CBU. Both have different pricing.

    does estima have CKD???? i never heard that b4.

    it really sounds fishy.

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  • shamburke on Mar 15, 2010 at 7:23 pm

    CKD estima???..never heard of one!!!

    all CBU..either through grey importers or direct from UMW toyota!!

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  • estima in boleh land..really overpriced..hmm..

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  • shamburke on Apr 27, 2010 at 2:54 pm

    hahhahhahhaa…. it is not he estima is overprice….

    but the price is over!!!!

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  • ariffin on Jul 08, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    i am interested for an estima with passenger seat could be manouvered down for any wheelchair bound passenger to be taken along.any model suggestion?

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  • Kevin T.C.Lam on Mar 24, 2011 at 11:47 pm

    I have a question for existing Toyota Estima owner, wat is the fuel consumption like for the model from years 2002 ( the olde model) 2,4 CC. Coz I’m intereted to get 1 but worry about fuek price .

    Thanks.

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  • acr50 on Jul 13, 2011 at 2:40 pm

    hai, i’m a new estima acr50 owner.just want to know the best alarm system to be install in the car currently .

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  • soojin yi on May 08, 2012 at 12:28 am

    HI,all, i am looking for estima acr30 power door kits,thkX!

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  • Is it true that estima 2009/2010 ACR 50 2.4 facelift does not come with spare tyre brackets?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
    • Bond 007 on Jan 25, 2013 at 9:02 am

      Mine also year 2009 acr50. That salesman told me it doesn’t come with a spare tyre. Wondering is it true

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  • What different between ACR 50 and ACR 30

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  • apai_eva on Apr 19, 2014 at 1:12 pm

    acr30 = xcr30, acr50=xcr50 (wiki)

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  • Vinny on Sep 04, 2014 at 10:35 pm

    Does anyone know if the 2008 estima have 5 point harness for child seat? And any English owners manual out there?

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  • asfahan on Dec 08, 2014 at 6:00 am

    I’ve just bought estima 2010 acr 50 but so uncomfort with no spare tyre… Though the salesman provide the air pump & silicone patch, how could Toyota design without spare tyre? Doesnt make sense!

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  • Farez on Mar 14, 2015 at 12:49 pm

    Asfahan, I believe they have it on the wheelbase…have u check it?

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