Toyota Previa

Drove my Friend's Previa and love it for the space... Great for Road Trip up North but will have to wait a while longer for Covid-19 situation to be stable before borders are open...

I remember the first time I got my driver's license and had rented out a Previa for the weekend up to KL. To date I haven't found a more comfortable 7-seater. Although now it attracts a 20k VES penalty, there is still nothing out in the market that matches the bullet-train dynamics, the ride height and its reliability. The new folding 3rd row seats are mesmerizing to fiddle with and keeps the rear neat and usable for transport of market stuff or luggage.

In terms of driving, I really love the high seating position. The driving dynamics are better compared to say an Alphard - it is a bit more agile and slick in heavy traffic to say the least. Mid-speed overtaking and speeding up also feels powerful - thanks to the big naturally aspirated engine. Wind noise is also greatly reduced - largely due to its aerodynamics mirroring a shinkansen. On the NS highway the Previa feels like it was made for this - something I couldn't get in a Honda MPV. As a daily drive it doesn't feel like a huge burden on my wallet too - it is somewhat frugal for its size, especially since I drive often on the highway.

Compared to my previous Honda, it feels a lot more bulletproof - the suspension seems to last forever unlike the Honda where it started to sag and eventually couldn't carry more than 4 people. Maintenance wise so far there hasn't been any issue such as aircon or engine mount problems - both which i faced often in my Honda.

I thought Toyota would make a reliable and good vehicle but boy was I wrong. This car is way too overpriced and lacking in every aspect. Less than 2 years of ownership, the rubber railing on the back began to warp, requested for a change since it is covered by warranty, the item had to order from Japan and took forever. Servicing is also a pain, took a long time and inefficient. Asked to check knocking noise in the steering wheel when turning but could not find anything, only recently we found out that they screwed up the wheel alignment causing the tires to wear out on one side! Went to change tires and did wheel alignment and the knocking sound is gone! Engine noisy and underpowered, poor petrol consumption, unfriendly console with touch sensor, I can go on and on...Ultimately sold it and went with VW Touran despite the smaller size. Please do your research before buying.

This car is smaller on the inside than the sharan,less powerful,less well built and selection of materials is poor. People just dont do their research and buy on brand.The previa has really thinly padded seats on the last row and makes long journeys a pain. The NVH is really bad and the mark up by toyota is so high, it is unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!