Dependability. Consistency. Punctuality. All of these are great attributes to have, but sadly they aren’t as cool as not responding to texts, showing up late or spending all of your cash on frivolous things.
There are few car brands that represent reliability and quality like Toyota. It’s the first car you recommend to non-car friends, and I’ve had a Toyota product as one of my two vehicles for the last quarter century. Still, we need to face a simple fact: generally speaking, most Toyotas aren’t cool. Oh sure, there are Supras, 2000GTs, AE86s and the like but most of their products are bought with the head and not the heart. Do you think that I purchased a certified used 2000 RX300 because I had a poster of it on the wall growing up?
Oddly enough, one of the coolest Toyotas was also one of the company’s boxiest and stodgiest looking products: the Land Cruiser (which is not the crossover mentioned in the headline; that’s coming in a bit). Since 1951, this Jeep rival has stayed true to its functional style-be-damned roots to remain arguably the most durable and bulletproof SUV ever.
There’s another Toyota from years past that’s also cool despite (or perhaps because of) its somewhat dorky looks. This funky product was almost impossible to categorize, but it was able to do so many things with a mere 63 horsepower. In many ways, it was ahead of its time, and that time has now arrived a mere forty years later. Let’s bring back the Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon!
Cruise(r) Control
They might not be bought by a cult that covers their dash tops with toy ducks, but Toyota continues to make legitimate, semi-indestructible off-roaders like the striking new Land Cruiser and the also-rugged 4Runner and pickup truck-based Sequioa (technically, they’re all on the same platform).
If you look in the background of those Toyota television commercials behind red-clad ever-present Jan (how can a person be so perpetually chipper in a fucking car dealership?) you’ll also see a whole bunch of crossover type vehicles. On the website I count at least six; all of them excellent, rational machines and I’d love to own precisely none of them. That’s a shame, since the first Toyota to arguably called a “crossover” was bizarre-looking and remarkably capable ‘lil chunk-‘o-fun.
Not An ATM, But It Was Money
Toyota was a good decade late to the party that the Europeans had started when Toyota released its first front wheel drive compact, the Tercel for 1979. This rather dumpy sedan was replaced with equally lackluster looking hatchbacks for 1983, keeping the rather odd-for-a-new-FWD-compact longitudinal engine (also that penguin at 0:14 in the ad below looks like a robot).
Ah, but as that weird ad pointed out, this was the tip of the iceberg because someone must have looked at this drivetrain setup and realized how easily they could hook up a driveshaft to the back of the transaxle and get a four-wheel drive model.
This option that was made available exclusively on a special bodystyle of the Tercel. If you don’t remember the 1983-87 Tercel wagon, you wouldn’t be alone. Just calling it a “wagon” was a bit of a misnomer since in many ways it really defied that description. Honestly, the name that most people referred to it might jog your memory: “the Money Exchange Car”.
Now you recall it, right? This disproportionately tall box sitting up on its tiny little wheels looked almost like your typical AI mashup of today with proportions seemingly at odds with each other. The asymmetric, squared off grille in front looked like something off of a piece of construction equipment. Massive rear quarter windows didn’t line up with the other side glass, the roof bumped out above the door tops.
The crowning glory and source of the Tercel wagon’s nickname was on the tailgate: an off-center box that looked remarkably like a 1980s “Money Exchange” or ATM machine. The license plate was placed in a sunken area where the screen would be on a cash machine, while the door handle for the hatch seemed to be where dollar bills would be dispensed once you typed your commands into the touchpad that happened to really be the backup light.
Inside, the funkiness continued with oddly-shaped seats featuring upholstery that looks a bit like the lumberjacks that Notorious BIG would wear. The top of the dash received an inclinometer that was similar to what “real” offroaders such as the Land Cruiser might get.
Ah, but the Tercel 4WD could actually be considered a real off roader, despite its size and notably low-powered 57 horsepower engine. The 1.6 liter four was hooked up to a six-speed manual that included five forward cogs as well as a “granny” ultra-low first gear, so Toyota expected you to take them up on at least part of the promise the Tercel wagon’s looks made.
Combined with its tremendous-for-the-outside-dimensions cargo capacity, the Tercel 4WD wagon was an immensely fun and useful little car. Look at this little sumbitch go in the ad below:
The Tercel helped pave the way for the “crossovers” that exist today, yet few (least of all Toyota products) offer such a tough little-car-that-could persona. The Tercel Wagon really deserves a revisit, and Toyota is supposedly working on something now that could create a perfect path to this end.
More Of A Good Thing
As elated as most of us are with Toyota actually producing the latest heritage-focused US-model Land Cruiser, there’s possibly more good news. In 2022, Toyota showed us the Compact Cruiser, supposedly an EV and a scaled-down interpretation of the latest Cruiser.
The Compact Cruiser is actually a unique design with bold, chamfered edges and modern interpretations of the typical ladders-and-skid-plates accoutrements of the off roading lifestyle. It’s all very industrial design looking; rather cartoonish and exaggerated. I obviously love it dearly, and if a guy that digs Lamborghini Espadas and Citroen SMs is into something that means it’s probably too over-the-top to sell in huge numbers.
To complement the Compact Cruiser, I think Toyota might need to do a version that’s toned down a bit, but just stripping off the roof racks and stripes and calling it a day won’t do it. No, they need to find something that balances ruggedness and suburban sensibility in equal measure. Cue the Oh What A Feeling trumpets- I have just the thing!
New Power, Same Dorkiness
Starting with the Compact Cruiser concept, the stubby proportions make it relatively easy to create a variation that pays tribute to the old Tercel Wagon. I’ve kept the flared fenders, but made them body-colored sheet metal to keep an aggressive look that’s still more toned down. The faceted edges used on the Compact Cruiser’s surfaces remain, and the giant rear quarter windows make the new Tercel wagon look a lot more airy in back than the blocked-0ff C pillars of the Cruiser Concept.
Are we putting an ATM on the rear hatch? Damn right, we are. A funky detail is the seam line on the top of the ATM “box”: that’s the rear wiper, and as it pivots around to wipe the rear window and then back to its resting place it would look like a filmmaker’s slate constantly doing “Tercel Wagon, Take One!”
The “lighting signature” matches the original car with the inset parking light, and it flanks a blocky grille taken verbatim from the old Tercel. The skid plate bumper off of the Compact Cruiser could work here as well.
Inside, we’ll have some chamfered-edge details to match the outside with grab handles befitting an off-roader. You can reconfigure the screen any way you’d want, but I would hope the default could be the inclinometer to pay tribute to the original Tercel wagon. Turn the car on, and a video of the Tercels driving into their places on the inclinometer plays.
The charger platform for your phones is a block that can be removed from the car. Of course, like on all of my sketches there will be a “gear” lever. Maybe I’m the only person on earth that doesn’t like touch buttons or knobs for gear selection but I’d be willing to bet money that there are other PRNDLheads out there, yes? Overall, I’m giving it a “tough” look that’s functional and rugged to fit the whole feel of the exterior design and will manage suburban abuse.
Funniest Looking Car You’ll Ever Love
Let’s face it: the Tercel wagon was made for these times. Many people want an a tough-looking vehicle but not something that makes you appear to be a fan of survivalist podcasts. These buyers don’t need Moab-level capability but at the same time aren’t interested in a pure poser. No, the world is finally ready for the little-wagon-that-could, and now it would have the kind of power the old one only dreamed of.
Look out, Stellantis: Jeep might still have more of a hip factor, but Toyota’s dependable-dull off roaders are getting cooler every day.
Let’s Raid The BMW Parts Bin To Make A Real Toyota Supra GT – The Autopian
Jeep Needs To Build An Off-Road Van And Here’s How They Should Do It – The Autopian
Just take the Hilux Champ and make a station wagon out of it.
Extend the rear windows upwards instead of downwards and this is exactly what the latest LR Discovery should have looked like.
It would be nice to have actual front bumpers again instead of a giant hideous grill.
But that incline meter is a must have. I pulled one off a 4Runner from the junkyard and popped it into my Toyota truck when I was younger. All I had to do was plug it into the existing wiring harnesses and the back of the dashboard had holes in the metal backing so I knew exactly where to cut for perfect placement.
Did it really offer my much advantage when I went off road? Not really.
Was it cool as hell sitting atop my dash? Most definitely.
Brilliant! Sign me up.
I like Toyotas new design language. This Tercel looks the business. I’d never buy one because it’s just not for me (I need an AWD 700hp German sedan or wagon). We used to call my friends AWD Tercel wagon “ the lunch box”. A new version like this would crush it, methinks.
Isn’t Subaru already sort of doing this with the Forester? Kia with the Soul and Nissan with the new Kicks?
That being said, I’m digging all the details in this concept – hope to see it come to fruition!
Not with the Forester. The original Forester was a similar size and shape to the Tercel wagon. Now the Forester looks like a shrunken Ford Explorer. Crosstrek may be the closest to the Tercel wagon in size and vibe.
Came here to say similar, that CC looks like my daughter’s Soul with a slight lift and a couple accessories. 4WD is all the Kia lacks. Well, that and the endearingly weird cargo window. But I like your improvements and would definitely consider paying the Toyota tax, especially if hybridized for torque and efficiency.
shutupandtakemymoney.gif
also this, brought to you by the Toyota marketing department in 1982…
“HAPPY CHOICE!!!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qPO05ePkyU
“Caribou!”
love this. wish it was just a hair more “wagony.” I appreciate that you included 4 reminders for every possibly perspective inside and out that its 4wd, just like the original.
Massive fan of the original Tercel 4wd. They were very popular in Australia and I’ve had two before purchasing its replacement the Corolla All-trac 4wd Wagon (decadant me wanted to keep up with the traffic). All of them have been incredibly reliable and with 50/50 weight distribution they handle better than a live rear axle should!
This is a fantastic interpretation Sir. On the exterior I do like how you carried the C pillar over to make that roll over bar gesture the originals had and bringing back the chunky buttons flanking the instruments.
The only thing I’m not 100% sold on is the cruisers wheels being so shiny. I think a modern interperation of the original 80’s chunky alloys or white steel wheels would work better personally.
Not sure if you ever got to see the TJ Cruiser concept that Toyota aired a few years ago which I really like and in a fever dream I gave it a Tercel Makeover https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MmYB-2VDqbM0kW0pFXs24zUYPR9L7wBT?usp=drive_link
As a current Tercel owner, I’d buy that in a heartbeat. Give it a hybrid where I can lock it in when I want for errands around town, and then put it in auto hybrid mode for long road trips. Small displacement, simple, reliable, little bit of ground clearance for the snow/backroads, and just keep it affordable ffs. Since that will never happen, I’ll keep driving my ’99.
I have a 95 Tercel, a two door base model with a four speed manual. Reliable, cheap, and easy to work on, although some parts are starting to get a bit hard to find.
I’d love a modern version, although part of what made the 90’s models interesting was the low cost and lack of features. As you mention, I think that would be too hard to do today 🙁
Oh ya the majority of parts I have to go find myself in the scrapyard
I hope you realize that 95 Tercel is never, ever going to die.
This has an excellent chance of being the next PT Cruiser/ Kia Soul geezermobile.
Scratches my Element itch. I like it.
That’s a true compliment there- thanks!
The door bar is an interesting concept. Makes it look like you’re seeing the structure of the door rather than it being purely for looks. The placement of the controls might prove to be a bit of a problem, though.
I think a good challenge to continue with the Tercel theming would be turning a modern Toyota into a Paseo. Turning a front wheel driver commuter sedan into a downmarket but stylish coupe by replacing the bodywork aft of the A-pillar.
Let’s bring back older Toyota ads.
“It’s a car!”
Congratulations you made a Jeep Renegade.
Ok fine, this is cooler. And being a Toyota would last 3 to 300 times as long as the Jeep. The same idea, but Toyota (and you… and literally anybody) can do it better.
I was realllllllly hoping someone here that has the juice would share if they’ve heard anything about the supposed Compact Cruiser, or even the Stout. My GX is getting way up there in miles but it would transition nicely to an offroad beast if I had something much smaller for a daily…that could still handle “stuff.” Ask me about my commute today in NW PA, after some mild off-roading this weekend. There’s just not that much out there that fits the bill.
TELL ME GOOD NEWS BISHOP, TELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Could there be an eventual soft top version too – the Paseo?
(always had a soft spot for those little guys)
Absolutely! OH HELLS YES!
Base it on the Prius Prime but with a smaller ICE, maybe 1-1.2L with a second electric motor in the rear for AWD, V2L capability for camping and emergency power otherwise keep it utilitarian, roomy and comfortable.
Toyota are you listening?
OK Bishop, do a US market Lada Niva next.
I like your idea, but I think we need to take it further… Let’s just say that the Mexican drug cartel partnered up with their suppliers in Columbia, who then got Cuba to broker a deal to manufacture, sell, and design the Niva from Russia. The newly formed Lada Escocar company (headquartered in Belize of course due to their extradition laws) sets up a manufacturing plant in both Brazil and Mexico with the aim of first taking market share from their “associates” in South America with a generally OK car, but with a few weird quirks, limitations, and cool hidden features. After a successful launch generating a lot of good publicity a-la the original Tesla Roadster or Rivian R1T, Lada EscoCar decides to pivot fully to being a global auto supplier instead of a drug supplier. Obviously these start out as niche vehicles for a niche audience, but over time they get more and more mainstream like Subaru has done.
That kinda works. Now lets see them get it across the Darien gap.
Well OBVIOUSLY that’s why they had to set up 2 factories, one south of the Amazon, and one north of it 🙂
(Don’t worry, they’re also toying with both an amphibious and flying versions of their car for this exact reason, they just seem to be stuck in a rut having either a generally bad trip that takes forever or get too high for safety)
Personally the only modern “4WD” Toyota I’d buy that would get sold in the US market would be an AWD-e hybrid.
Toyota’s Automatic Differential Disconnect that you’re stuck with if you want a new proper 4WD Toyota in the US market is awful.
TFL grenaded the new Tacoma’s ADD in fairly good conditions (Stock truck, spinning wheels on hard pack snow, 2 people (in crewcab), light amount of gear, and no driver abuse.
Toyota’s official fix was to software limit the engine’s output to keep the ADD from grenading itself, not build a stronger ADD, or go back to a mechanically engaged 4WD system…
I’ve rewatched it so many times and am so disappointed in Toyota that such a small amount of effort was needed to break that lol equally disappointed that their fix was to limited power
The ATM is there to take my money
I loved these back in the 1980s when they were new. along with the honda wagovan, Nissan stanza wagon and Mitsubishi colt Vista, they were all before their time crossover and actually not very popular at the time.
I would love a new one.
The best feature is the strait up rear glass that allows more cargo and dogs than the modern sloped back crossovers.
Don’t forget the Civic Wagon.
Indeed, and that had a 4WD (or AWD) edition as well
real time AWD what ever that ment. I think full time awd
Had one in high school – and it was a manual! Fun as hell when it snowed
I thought is did, is the wagovan different from the civic wagon?
Same car indeed! Different market name?
I looked it up and that was its name…I had forgotten!
No worries it was a VERY long time ago.
This is a great idea/design. Wanted one of those funky Tercels ages ago, but bought a minivan instead. Yeah, I lost that battle with the ex.
Seriously I’d buy one of these.
Can’t tell you how much I really like this … wait, I just did.
Yes, you did, and glad you like it!
Ran straight to the bottom to say that I really like this design. I like that large greenhouse backend, it isn’t so off balance as some of the big greenhouse designs I have seen. Plus I loved those old wagon Tercels so that is just another big plus.