(first posted 1/27/2017) This generation Cressida has long developed a reputation for its clean, timeless styling, quality materials, and solid construction. In other words, a car built for the long haul. And so it was, quite literally: although its X70 generation sedan counterpart was built for only four model years (1985 – 1988), this wagon stayed in production all the way to 1997, although not imported to the US after 1988. As such, it’s somewhat of a counterpart to the long-lived GM B-Body box wagons, which had a 14 year lifespan, one more than the Cressida wagon. Now if only it had come with wood grain sides like its predecessor. Never mind; I take that back…
Here’s its woodie predecessor, two generations back, whose CC is here. It sported decidedly broughamesque influences, from its Cordoba-ish front end to its bulging hips. The transition stylistically from this pastiche of styling gimmicks to…
…this, a very clean if a bit conservative design, is quite the transition (note: there was another generation between them, which rather split the difference). And its conservative aspects are of course only fitting, given the Mark II’s role in Japan, as something of a junior Crown. It may have come out the same year as the aero-rebel Taurus, but that was not going to fly for the Cressida. At least not for the time being.
Under its hood sat the latest evolution of the venerable M-Series Toyota inline six, whose family line dated back to 1965. In the Cressida’s 5M-GE version, it was essentially the same engine as in the Supra, sported an alloy DOHC hemi-head, 2,759cc displacement, and of course fuel injection. And it sported the first use of hydraulic valve lifters in a DOHC engine, eliminating the need for valve adjustments. HP was listed at 156 for the US version in 1985. Price? $15,945 ($36k adjusted). A 1985 Pontiac Parisienne wagon started at $11,799. That explains why the Cressida was not ever a high-volume car in the US; price-wise, it couldn’t begin to compete with the US bread-and-butter cars.
Yet the Cressida developed an intensely loyal following, mostly on the West Coast, where it found great favor among a certain clientele. The same ones that would go on to likely become loyal Lexus clients. In fact, this and its successor, the final generation of Cressidas sold in the US, can rightfully be seen as a proto-Lexus.
Cressida buyers generally had higher levels of education and income, and could have afforded something even more expensive, but were drawn to the understated luxury of the Cressida’s excellent material quality, build integrity, and superlative reliability and longevity. These were blue-chip investments, and they still have a bit of a following, although they are finally becoming a bit scarce on the ground. But the ones that are still around are typically well-kept, like this one.
Speaking of longevity: I said at the top that this X70 Cressida wagon was built until 1997. That’s because its successors didn’t offer a wagon version, so Toyota just kept building this one. Why not? It’s hard to improve on, for a wagon. Of course that was mostly for domestic consumption, and wagons in Japan were traditionally commercial vehicles, not family cars.
And in the US, loyal Cressida wagon lovers just need to keep them going another five years, as in 2022 they’ll be able to legally import 25 year old 1997 Cressida wagons from Japan. Maybe that won’t be necessary; this one looks good to go for another 25 years.
Sweet looking Cressida wagon. I’ve always found the wagon version more attractive than the sedan.
Don’t recall ever seeing a wagon with dual rear wipers…….
Really like the square body style and huge windows for great vision.
Toyota Camry wagons in the 1990s had dual wipers.
Looks like ours. Made in USA (Indiana).
What sold us on it was the 3rd seat.
I wasn’t aware they made Camrys in Indiana at that point. I thought it was after the FHI deal that Toyota began making Camrys at the Legacy factory in Lafayette.
Correction (to self): According to Wiki, XV10 Camrys were built in Georgetown, KY.
Yonyola
One thing about Toyota Camry’s that is off, is that they make ugly wagons.
The sedans are nice and well made. The wagon versions never come off as nice as the sedans / coupe.
I agree; we didn’t buy it for the styling. The Volvo 740 looked better; a boxy look isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The Accord wagon was downright sleek but an entire size class smaller with no third-row seating.
Same with the Subaru Legacy.
In Atlanta, the Cressida was quite rare; much rarer than its crosstown Maxima competitor. The ’85-’89 (?) FWD Maxima was quite broughamtastic with button tufted velour, power everything, a Lincoln/Mercury style keypad on the door, and it talked. I knew a bunch of people who had that generation of Maxima and almost nobody with a Cressida.
1985-1988, and yes, the mix of brougham details and the new FWD VG30 powertrain and “sonar suspension” was unique. It seems like the Maxima especially took off with the ’89 “4DSC” redesign, while the Cressida just withered away, finally killed off by the ’92 Camry and ES300.
One of my favorite cars of all time; the RX60 version was my first car, I’ll share that story with you guys some time. I guess the US didn’t get the RX60 wagon (1981-85), which came in between the two models featured here – I only ever saw those ones in basic DX trim, though.
We got that generation Cressida (MX63) too.
I used to have a 1983 CRESSIDA with auto.Loved that car alot full of character(unlike european cars from same era,except for Peugeot504).i remember when i used to put the car in D the back of car was going down,when shift to R the back was going up which i had found quiet cool back then.
Did it have air suspension or just a worn-out suspension?
I wonder if this is a recent import to Oregon since the 867 JLT plates are fresh off the shelf and the car was registered in October? Good catch finding this car Paul and I had no idea Motorized Seatbelts existed in 1986.
You have a very strong interest in license plates, eh?
I collect them as one of my hobbies and am always on the lookout for the current high across various types. I use the Oregon plates (mainly) on curbside classics to learn more about the vehicle or vehicles.
These cars are so beautifully finished. While my fav MarkIIs are the ’93-’96(07?) hardtop sedans, this generation has a leanness that the ’89-’92 and subsequent generations lacked. I think the way the windows are so skillfully faired into the chrome frames is very attractive; the following body style didn’t achieve this as effectively.
I’m a Nissan fan, but the Cedric wagon which was also built forever isn’t nearly as modern or attractive (though that’s a Crown rival).
+1 on the window frames, they’re so cleanly done. Subtle quality.
The window and frame treatment is probably due to Audi who figured out how to implement the flush fit on its new aero C3, introduced in 1982. Once that was done, many manufacturers followed.
Looking closely at Cressida windows, I don’t see the caps anchoring the window to the track as they do on Audi. Toyota must have come up with clever solution, eliminating the caps.
You can see the caps on Audi windows:
http://shop.euroimpex.lt/product_images/00147532_354927917.jpg?big=1
I’d never noticed those before, but on closer look, they are very well done. Quite rare to see a car with flush fit window surrounds that are trimmed with brightwork!
This is why CC is special. I wasn’t aware of this before now. It’s great to get these insights. Is this Cressida as close as Japan got to a long-lived workhorse like the Volvo 240?
There are many Toyota products that I’d call “long-lived workhorses”.
I was thinking more about the length of the production run.
We had a sedan in the same color as the featured wagon for a couple of years and really enjoyed it. Like Paul said everything was high quality and the ride/handling balance was superb. I still wish we had it.
Cressidas were never all that common around here, at least by the time I was old enough to identify them among other rather generic-looking 80s designs. That said, count me in as a fan of the final two generations.
Toyota must be given credit for successfully integrating the car’s traditional styling and appeal with interiors that boasted ergonomic layout, up-to-date electronics and amenities, and relatively contemporary-yet-still-conservative interior appearance.
Compare that to any American car in this field and the interior typically looked about 15 years behind the times.
Oh, contrare…
They aren’t that uncommon…you just gotta keep your eyes peeled.
I used to own an 84 light blue Cressida, around 2008-09. I lowered it, installed JDM fender mirrors, and slammed it on Watanabe rims.
It drove like a Japanese Cadillac, but was really a 4 door Supra, albeit, since it shared the same 5Mge straight 6. I bought it in Lexington,MA(outside of Boston).
It was a fun vintage Toyota cruiser, till I heard a rapping in the bottom end(bearings?). What a sad day it was to let go of the Cressy. It even drove onto the flatbed of the tow truck.
My friend had an 87 for sale, for $800, but I was too busy storing cars, six at the time. So, buying another car, wasn’t happening. Not sure if he still has it or not.
My other buddy has an 86 Cressida with only 67,000 original, he was offering a year ago for $1200. He has since changed his mind, and might keep it.
There is a clean one for $2000 for sale right now, think it’s an 87 or 88.
There out there, and not as rare as you may think.
This one below, is similar to mine.
It’s an 81, mine was an 84. The only difference is the egg-crate grill on the 1983-84 models:
You’re probably too young to remember many Cressidas being around, but they were actually pretty numerous in the New England area. The generations from 1981 to 1988 were especially popular when I lived in the Fall River area during that time. I remember seeing quite a few on trips to Quebec as well.
Perhaps the most (in)famous was a Dark Blue Pearl 1987 Cressida (virtually identical to my dad’s 1988 model) owned by Charles and Carol Stewart. Mr. Stewart made news when he killed his wife in that Cressida in downtown Boston in 1989. I’m sure several here will remember that story.
Down here we got CRESSIDAs all the way till 1995.last generation they offered the base model which came with four cyl(22RE)&five speed stick and black bumpers.most are still on road but the LUXURY version with six under the hood had sufferd alot of headgasket issues.
Definitely not common, but I feel like I saw quite a few of these in sedan form, well into the 2000’s. The wagons? Not so much–those were well and truly rare. A friend in college had a Cressida, a burgundy sedan with grey interior–quite a nice car, in my opinion, even at the time (2000-02). The styling really hits the mark as well; angular without being absolutely square, well-proportioned, and with a certain elegance.
The alloys on this one were rarely seen, and are especially nice.
In the U.S., those alloys were exclusive to the wagon, as they were a bit narrower.
A work colleague bought a new 83 Cressida wagon – white with blue cloth interior. A great car that she drove for 20 years and 300K, replacing it with a Subaru Outback. These were drum tight, quiet, smooth, dependable cars that sold in very high numbers in SoCal. I was impressed that all the power accessories still worked like new on the 83 wagon when it was traded in (the engine and transmission were finally wearing out). The later Cressidas owned by many friends seemed to be somewhat less reliable – perhaps due to increasingly complicated electronics.
I have a friend who still drives her mother’s very low mileage later model (I think it’s an 89) Cressida as a second car to their Lexus. While many Cressida owners I knew did go on to Lexus, quite a few also bought the 1992-96 generation Camry in XLE form as it was virtually the equivalent in terms of quality and appointments, if not quite in status.
Nice find. I can’t remember if Oz got this gen as a wagon, but the sedans were all over the place back in the day.
My memory’s a bit hazy on this too.
Oz 83/4 Cressidas all seemed to be fours like a blinged up Corona then the six came back in 86 or so, engines were a good swap into Hiluxes for more power and with the right bellhousing a bolt in swap.
It’s a nice wagon with very clean ’80s lines but I actually prefer the more Broughamtastic ’78-’80 model.
OMG I WANT ONE.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these. It’s gorgeous.
I find it hard to believe that you haven’t seen one somewhere between life in Indy, South Bend and Rose-Hulman. If I find one nearby, I’ll give you a shout out.
Yes, these wagons, sold as a Mark II in Japan, continued to be built until 1997 – as Paul mentioned, they were primarily commercial vehicles – used by local merchants and tradesmen. They appreciated their solid construction and reliability. They still show up on used car lots here.
While you could get a four cylinder, most came with the “G” series 2.0L SOHC straight six, a newer and more emissions friendly engine than the older “M” six. The model designator was GX71 – still remembered much like the AE 86.
I was disappointed when Toyota discontinued the Cressida wagon when they did. While I love the four door sedans, I’ve always found the wagon practical and attractive at the same time. 🙂
I’m very familiar with this generation of Cressida. It was a terrific car. A strong step up from the first generation Camry. Heavier, more luxurious and a lot more money. It competed with Volvo and Saab, but it was a Toyota – so it wasn’t seen as a real competitor, when in most ways – it was.
The Camry had just had a redesign in 1985 and it was a solid hit. The Kleenex-box-shaped first generation Camry was outstanding and it brought attention to Toyota from an entirely new demographic, compared to the old Corona and Corolla days. In 1985, the second generation Camry appeared on dealer lots and it generated a lot of praise.
The Cressida was still in the older square vein design, so it was competing against the new Camry wagon, and the new Camry was being seen as the better value for what seemed to be essentially a similar car. Toyota, in a way, leapfrogged over itself with the new Camry in regards to the Cressida. The Cressida lost sales to the new Camry.
But the Cressida was an excellent car in its own right. Had the original first generation Camry remained in production another year or so, the Cressida would have probably sold better.
Worst part of the Cressida? The damn automatic seat belts. Even the Camry was cursed with those stupid things. Other than that – perhaps priced too high, yet actually worth the price.
I do remember the Cressida in both sedan and wagon formats, but never saw a lot of them, or perhaps I should say I didn’t see many sedans but very few wagons. I was not impressed with the styling at the time, I recall them looking busy, but the pics in this thread look better than I remember. Both versions, but especially the wagon, it seemed like they went from new to ratty in nothing flat. Which is probably a reflection on the owners, not the car, and I’m in California, not the rust belt, so it wasn’t rust, but shortly after they were brand new, they looked old and tired. I can’t add much detail to that, except it’s what I remember.
We didn’t have the wagon, we had the sedan, bought used. It was one of the best cars we ever owned. Mom used to love saying “Let’s take the Cressida”. It had a straight-6 IIRC which just purred.
Weirdly enough, it followed on from a Cimmarron with the V6 and the automatic and all the bells and whistles, also bought used, which never gave us trouble that I remember. A Cimmaron was perhaps a poor Cadillac, but, especially in the final couple of years, was a terrific Chevrolet. Mom loved that car, too. Cannot remember what caused us to get rid of it, or the Cressida either. Most used cars have their “sweet spot” when repairs are still infrequent and parts are still easy to come by.
Almost has a Peugeot 604 look from the side.
I actually own one of these! This exact color and combination.
It has 250k on body and about 15k on a replaced 5M-GE from 2010.
I just got a 1JZ-GTE (non-vvti) and r154 transmission (and all accessories needed) and will be swapping it in the coming year. Looking to push 440 at the wheels, keep an eye out for one with an “86 Toyo” vanity plate on the front from the original owner.
The wagons actually also have a single piece rear axle and open diff, so most changes for rwd or slides will require that to be addressed.