Autocade is an international car cyclopædia that’s geographically unbiased, carefully edited for enthusiasts and media who want a quick, accurate reference. There is a greater emphasis on models produced after 1970.
Inside Autocade
Volkswagen Passat (B4/Typ 35i). 1993–7 (prod. n/a). 4-door saloon, 5-door estate. F/F, F/A, 1595, 1781, 1984 cm³ petrol, 1896 cm³ diesel (I4 OHC), 1984 cm³ (I4 DOHC), 2792, 2861 cm³ (V6 OHC). B4 carried over basic platform and glasshouse from B3, though with updated corporate look. Well laid-out interior, though exterior conservative. Not that refined but very competent in most other respects. No glovebox due to passenger airbag.
Manufacturing locations: Emden, Germany; Bratislava, Slovakia
Marque: Volkswagen | Model: Volkswagen Passat | Predecessor: Volkswagen Passat (B3) | Successor: Volkswagen Passat (B5)
Toyota Porte (NNP10). 2004–12 (prod. n/a). 3-door sedan. F/F, F/A, 1298, 1496 cm³ (I4 DOHC). Launched around the same time as the Peugeot 1007, the Porte (French for door) had an electric sliding door on the passenger side. Sliding door aided wheelchair access, and Porte was very popular in its first year. Some cosmetic changes in 2007, and improvements to fuel efficiency in 2010.
Manufacturing location: Japan
Marque: Toyota | Model: Toyota Porte | Successor: Toyota Porte (NP140)
Toyopet Crown/Toyopet Masterline (RS/RS20/RS30). 1955–62 (prod. n/a). 4-door sedan, 3- and 5-door wagon. F/R, 1453, 1897 cm³ petrol, 1491 cm³ diesel (I4 OHV). Mid-sized (by Japanese standards) family car, the start of Toyota’s longest-running nameplate. Designed in-house, apeing US models of the 1950s. Suicide rear doors. Independent front suspension, live rear axle. Conceived for private purchase—hence more comfortable than the basic Toyopet Master—but favoured by taxi operators. Acclaimed by local buyers, who felt the Crown was a major step forward for an all-Japanese car. Heavy, and diesel (from 1959, Japan’s first diesel passenger car) particularly underpowered. Larger 1·9 from 1961. Good for Japanese urban use and the rough roads of the era, and even finished in the Australian rally (the start of Toyota motor sport), but poor for American highways, with stability and refinement issues, and the 1·5 insufficient to get up a highway on-ramp. Toyota wound up posting a substantial loss at the time in the US. The Toyota Origin was modelled after the original Crown.
Manufacturing location: Japan
Marque: Toyopet | Model: Toyopet Crown | Successor: Toyopet Crown (S40)
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