From Winding Road comes news that the Toyota FSC Concept car from 2005 has hit the road in Japan as the Mark X ZiO::
Toyota’s clearly trying something different with the ZiO which is some five inches shorter than a Camry and whose beguiling mix of sedan and wagon, with a hint of SUV thrown in for good measure, sees it officially labeled as a “new category vehicle.” No kidding.So does Winding Road call it "new and intriguingly left-field" because it's yet another entrant in the mid-sized, blob/block-shaped, car-based, seven-seat segment? Or because they can't admit they like a minivan?
Either way, it's probably never coming to the US.
Japan Report: Toyota Debuts Mark X ZiO [windingroad via dt reader jj daddy-o]
Previously: Honda Stream
Looks incredibly similar to the Mercedes R class, but with a bit more Lexus SUV thrown in there.
looks just like the mazda cx9
Obviously designed as competition for the home-market Honda Odyssey. (http://www.honda.co.jp/ODYSSEY/type/)
Toyota has a history of copying Honda's revolutionary market segmentation. Some other examples?
Stream=Wish
StepWagon=Voxy
SMX=Noah
[the dimensions are pretty close to Honda's Stream, the Crossroad, the Odyssey, and the Elsion. Never mind Mazda's M5 and who knows who else. -ed.]
"Mark X ZiO" is quite a mouthfull. But I guess not all cars can be as perfectly named as the "Odyssey".
All I know is, one of these rolled up next to me at a stoplight last weekend, right hand drive and all. I'm sitting there in a Passat, V6 5-spd. Not exactly a total slow poke of a car, at least compared to any minivan.
I was in a hurry. This guy was also obviously in a bit of a hurry and potentially about to get into my right turn late about a quarter mile down the road. I noticed it was RHD, but spaced out and by the time the light changed I assumed it was just some jackass in a minivan about to cut me off.
Haha, I says. No chance!
He got about a car length on me right off the line, I held with him for a bit, and then from about 50 to an unmentionable speed he walked away. It was dumbfounding until I realized it was a non-native species. Glad to know he probably had an 80-some horsepower advantage. :)
Anyway, they're at least doing some testing stateside around Ann Arbor.
I want one.