CC has recently seen my favourite Holden Commodore spots from our recent trip to New Zealand. But what about other sights, unfamiliar in some way, be it name, appearance, or even existence, that we encountered. It’s a Toyota, Jim, but not as we know it.
Let’s start with the Toyota Ractis, a name that was new to me, and frankly sounds more like a garden chemical than anything else to my English English ears.
This is first generation Ractis, dating from 2006, which is a people carrier/MPV/compact minivan/monospace adaptation of the Yaris/Echo. This 2006 car was imported used to New Zealand in 2013, and has a 1.5 litre engine.
Although Europe did not get this car (or anything else under the Ractis name), we did get its predecessor and its successor under the Verso nameplate.
Talking of the Yaris and Echo, how do take yours? There’s the Vitz Clavia, complete with a chrome effect grille.
This 1999 car has a 1.3 litre engine and was imported in 2004, and mostly closely resembles the Yaris we saw in Europe.
Or the Platz, the Japanese market version of the Echo saloon, which Europe didn’t get.
This is a 2000 car imported in 2011, with the same drivetrain as the Ractis.
Or just a plain 2000 Vitz, with the 1.3 litre engine? It starts to feels as if a BMC badge engineering exercise has been going on.
Alongside the Vitz is a 2002 Toyota Estima, the second generation of the Previa seen in Europe. In contrast to the first generation, sold in the US as well, which had the underfloor mounted engine between the front seats, this car was built on the FWD Camry platform, thereby echoing usual practice from most other brands.
Another Vitz family member was 2004 Toyota Porte, a 5 seat MPV with an unusual sliding door on the passenger (left) side.
As befits a member of the Vitz/Yaris family, it comes with a 1.3 or 1.5 litre engine. In this case, a 1.3 litre car from 2003 imported in 2013.
One other Toyota that was new to me was this 2005 Toyota Mark X (X not 10). It sits in the Toyota range somewhere just above the FWD drive Camry. The Mark X has a rear drive platform, and followed the JDM Mark II and chaser saloons.
The X name references the fact that, like the preceding Mark II, it was built on the Toyota X platform. The usual engines for this generation were 2.5 and 3.0 litre V6s, with a no-option 6 speed automatic transmission.
This 2005 car was imported in 2017, and was clearly being well cared for by the new (and quite proud) owner, who was intrigued that I was intrigued, until he realised I wasn’t a Kiwi and that the car was unfamiliar to me.
Another unfamiliar Toyota was this 1996 Corona Premio, which to those suffering from jetlag has a certain Peugeot 405 look about. In Europe, the Corona name died out in 1996, replaced by the UK built Avensis, related to the Caldina.
This Corona is a tenth generation car, known as T210, and this example was imported used from Japan in 2001, with a 1.6 litre engine. Just to keep us on our toes, Toyota turned the Premio into a free-standing model from 2001, paired with the Allion, and the Corona name dropped. (I hope you’re keeping up on these Toyota name plates; I will never complain about BMC or Rootes marque and badge swapping again.)
Another 1996 saloon that was unfamiliar was this Ford Telstar Orion. It would have been familiar if it was badged as a Mazda 626. The Telstar Orion was actually a continuation of the previous (second) generation of the Telstars, which was a badge engineered 1987-92 Mazda 626 saloon. For the Kiwi market, the car was assembled in Auckland by Vehicle Assemblers of New Zealand, which was a Ford-Mazda joint venture.
More, I was going to say interesting, intriguing was this Honda Mobilio, a seven seat minivan (2+3+2 seating) built on the Honda Fit/jazz platform.
This is a 2003 car, imported to New Zealand in 2012, after the model has been discontinued. This was one of the most unexpected sights of the trip.
More familiar, if only because I recognised the name, was this Honda Crossroad. The name was first used in 1993 for a badge engineered (and UK built) Land Rover Discovery series 1 sold only in Japan. In 2007, Honda used the name again, for this more compact SUV, related to the Stream MPV. 
The Crossroad was sold only in Japan from 2007 to 2010 and came with a 1.8 or 2.0 petrol engine. This is 2007 2.0 litre car, imported in 2018.
The Crossroad was effectively a re-bodied HR-V or CR-V, though the styling shows some Nissan Cube influences. I certainly didn’t predict Honda as I walked up to it.
Another car that familiar by name only was this 1995 Nissan Bluebird. Europe used to have Bluebirds, up to 1990 when the UK built Primera took over. This car, known as the Bluebird U13 series was first introduced in Japan in 1991 and was assembled by Nissan from kits in Auckland until 1997.
This example is a 1995 car with a 1.8 litre engine, and wearing its 24 years pretty well, even if the styling clearly places it in the early 1990s.
Also familiar in name only (just) was 1994 fourth generation Toyota Tercel hatchback. North America had the saloon, Europe only the second generation Tercel in small quantities.
This car was imported to New Zealand in 1999, and has a 1.3 litre engine. Is it me or is there a hint of AMC Pacer after a hot wash in that bubble shape?
Unseen in Europe is the 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante saloon. The Diamante was assembled in Australia, alongside the closely related Mitsubishi Verada saloon, although there were significant differences between the Japanese and Australian versions, including for example MacPherson front suspension in place of multi-link on the Japanese version.
However, to keep us on our toes, this car was actually built in and imported from Japan, imported in 2001. This example has a 2.5 litre V6 engine, and fits many of my criteria for a V6 saloon.
And to finish, one name that is familiar and well-loved on CC – the Ford Falcon. I can’t hope to match Johnh875’s history of the Falcon, and I won’t try. This example is a 1999 Falcon Futura AU series estate.
A 4 litre 6 cylinder engine gave 211 bhp. The most striking thing about this car was the size of it – all but 200 inches long – and the overwhelming whiteness of it in the sunshine. I don’t really do white cars and this reminded me why.
Our overall impression of New Zealand was hugely positive – friendly, welcoming people, great scenery, wildlife and vegetation and driving on the correct side of the road. What’s not to like?
I was standing at a pharmacy counter last evening wondering when the pharmaceutical industry will run out of those nonsensical names they pick for their pills. I now see that they have a fertile field yet to till. Ractis, Clavio, Mobilio, Premio and Caldena are all names I could hear on television with the serious man’s voiceover while attractive older people walk through gardens or treat their grandchildren to ice cream. “Ractis! For a better you!”
Warning: Ractis may cause serious and permanent side effects including sweating, nausea, vertigo, fever, rashes, unexplained weight gain or weight loss, dizziness, or death. See your doctor if any side effects persist and stop taking Ractis immediately. Do not take Ractis if you are allergic to Ractis or any of its ingredients.
Warning! If you experience Platz or Vitz for more than four hours while taking Ractis, consult your physician or car dealer immediately.
Coincidentally the only two countries that allow pharmaceutical advertising on TV are the US and New Zealand.
The Crossroad looks like a low-roof Element without suicide doors. The window cutoffs, etc.
Great looking car imo but the cheesy Hummer-esque aftermarket grill really needs to go…
All of the older JDM imports I am very familiar with from my trips back to Siberia over the last 20 years, Carinas, Premios, Mark IIs, etc are automotive white noise there. The taps got shut off (or atleast severely restricted) somewhere around 2007 as Putin’s government made efforts to bolster new car sales of locally manufactured vehicles (both Russian and foreign makes), to the chagrin of just about all of Siberia. A 7 year old Corolla with an automatic, air, power accessories bought for $5000 in the early 2000s was an easy choice over a new-but-already-disintegrating Lada 2110 for the same price for most who had that kind of money for a car. These now-20+ year old Toyotas are still out in hueg numbers, but Siberian conditions are inevitably taking their toll and even these Golden-Era Toyotas/Hondas etc are succumbing eventually. You can still get used parts (engines, body panels, etc) easily shipped from Japan, so that has helped mightily to extend lifetimes.
IMport restrictions happened here too mostly for safety reasons JDM cars do not have all the safety features of export versions so what can be left out is, Recently theres been an outcry over Suzukis popular Swift and the near zero rating of the JDM version as opposed to the ones sold here new
Fixing your import when not if it breaks down or you crash it can be a nightmare while the cars come in by the shipload the parts do not mechanicals are shared among other models trim and lights and panels not so much.
JP and JFrank:
Ractis is no laughing matter! A friend of mine nearly lost a leg to it and spent many weeks in Intensive Care. A dose of Orochi is the only known cure…
Great post on some unusual, and yet somehow familiar cars, Roger!
A few thoughts (from a North American perspective):
The maroon Vitz Clavia has a Buick thing going on with that waterfall grille.
I’m getting more of a Jeep Cherokee vibe from the Honda Crossroad than a Land Rover feel.
The Toyota Porte looks like a next gen Scion XB (not the X-Box like Paul’s)
Nissan Bluebird? Looks like a ‘92 Altima to me. 😉
If the Tercels we got here looked like that car, I may’ve actually considered one! Neat looking car. Instead, our hatchback featured an ATM on the rear tailgate. It was weird… you kinda had to be there.
Is that Falcon Wagon a Hearse?!?! The Falcon Wagons we got here many moons ago were not anywhere near that long!
And if Personal Luxury Cars wouldn’t have fallen out favor 😢, we may’ve even gotten our own Mark X (of the Lincoln variety).
And finally, it’s on my bucket list to see the Southern Night Sky. From what I understand, all of the constellations with which we are familiar here in the Northern Hemisphere, all appear upside down, down under. Well, it would appear that the same thing is true for the cars… the steering wheels are all on the WRONG side.
(My retort to your last paragraph Roger… no hard feelings. 😀)
I thought the Vitz was a modern take on the Wosleley Hornet rather than a Buick but the same theory holds.
Certainly, there is no Land Rover in this generation of Crossroad.
And the Falcon is not a hearse – just too big to be all white.
And by having their steering wheels on the “wrong” side, the Kiwis qualify to play cricket. Oh hang on……they’re a bit too at it…
Is it just me who knew that formal-grilled Vitz absolutely had to be JDM before even reading the caption?
The U13 Bluebird was indeed the (original) Altima on the US market. (Very early ones were branded Stanza Altima for some esoteric reason).
Australia from the ’70s to the ’00s built their full-size cars on two wheelbases, short for the mainstream sedan (Falcon, Kingswood-later-Commodore, Valiant) and any coupe variants and long for the wagon, ute, panel van while those lasted and a luxury sedan. Initially the LWB was an import substitution, replacing actual full-size American cars at the high end, and then it just made sense to use the longer stretch for the load-luggers.
LOL You know youve only scratched the surface Roger ex JDM badge soup is fascinating I find myself behind cars in traffic thinking what the hell is that ahead of me and what possessed you to buy it,
The Toyota Corona was the best selling car in NZ for many years plus the local assembly cars had the Chris Amon suspension tuning which though he benchmarked on the Peugeot 405 wasnt really as good, I had one and its capability made it boring to drive at our ridiculously slow speed limit, Toyota also galvanised our Coronas, they were good cars and were missed when the Thames assembly plant stopped building new and changed to refubishing used cars under the Signature class badge which come with a long warranty etc,
What you left out and may not have noticed is the various mechanical configurations ex JDM cars come in, petrol petrol auto,manual 4×4 diesel turbo diesel ato and manual, I drove a Corona Premio with Beams engine manual trans and 4×4 from Auckland to Napier a mate of mine’s sister gave it to him to dispose of, any way it went ok plenty of go it used lots of gas and steered poorly the 4×4 accounted for the fuel consumption JDM spe suspension was thw steering issue nowhere near as competent as my NZ FWD Corona had been quite disappointing really, but someone stumped up $1200 and took it away happy.
I’m glad you enjoyed CC paradise here Roger and look forward to more of your observations.
Outstanding discoveries Roger. The proportions (and profile) of the Honda Mobilio, remind me a great deal of the OBI Orion II accessible bus, which debuted in the early 1980s. An ideal shape for a people mover.
A pic…
A friend of mine is determinedly uninterested in cars, and wanted to buy the most inoffensive, bland appliance on the market. He nailed it with a beige Platz. Almost completely invisible on the road and utterly practical. To be honest I’m a little bit envious of his choice.
Platz? Is it pronounced like “Plotz”, like the Yiddish word that means to be overcome with emotion or exhaustion? I plotzed in my Platz and went home…
Vitz sounds like the German “schwitz” or the Yiddish (I think) “shvitz” meaning to perspire. I’d love a car named sweat…
Along those lines, Vitz Clavia sounds like something that you should go to the doctor to have treated…
Ractis sounds like something you take to treat Vitz Clavia… The anti-biotic didn’t do anything, but the Ractis just knocked it right out… The Ractis looks like Toyota’s answer to the Honda Fit.
I agree, this kind of badge engineering makes the whole Oldsmobile Cutlass cloning issue seem rather small.
Speaking of the Honda, the Mobilio looks like someone took a Fit like vehicle and just stretched the greenhouse above the beltline. I have to imagine it’s got plenty of headroom, though.
The 2nd gen Honda Crossroad looks like it was trying to cash in on the popularity of the Hummer. I initially thought it was a baby Hummer that had been rumoured for so long while Hummer was still a viable entity.
We got the Diamante here in the States, it was a very nice car as I recall. But I think it got dragged down with the rest of the Mitsubishi line’s fortunes in the US at that time. A shame, really.
We still see a few of these older JDM designs here in Tokyo. My son has a 2007 Ractis that replaced his earlier Fun Cargo. The Ractis was a follow on to that model. Its a great little car – has the “magic” fold down rear seats that go level with the floor, giving a huge rear cargo area. Jim.
I went to replenish my coffee supply earlier and parked next to a bright red Ractis, when I emerged from the shop a Voxy was parked other side of my car surrounded by imported Toyotas and followed a Honda Opa out of the parking lot, Just a regular trip on the streets here.
I would guess the Opa is aimed at older male drivers, with room for plenty of grandchildren.
You do have to wonder where the Japanese get these names from sometimes an Opa seems about the same size as a Toyota Wish sort of a station wagony thing.
You know, every time I look at this my brain sees “Racists”.
While are not welcome in my driveway, or my garden…
Wow, I didn’t know the second-gen Telstar lived on for longer in NZ! It’s funny seeing the differences between the Aus and NZ markets — it often seems like the smaller of the two has historically had even greater variety.
Interesting use of the Orion name on that Telstar, borrowed from Ford of Europe. From memory Ford NZ also borrowed the Mystique name?
The Mark X is a car I’ve written about before. Definitely appeals to me!
Yes William NZ always a ridiculously crowded car market from way back lots of things unheard of in Australia were sold here and brands that were deliberately restricted in OZ by GM and Ford to promote local production cars lived on here and sold quite well, NZ assembly produced versions of Australian cars not seen in Australia and Australian cars built solely for export also arrived here, it makes for interesting traffic for the Curbivore as Roger has found.
If Ractis does not provide relief, Abraxas may be used. Applied aurally.