Toyota TownAce

The Toyota TownAce (body type CR21) was introduced by Toyota in Japan in April 1983 as a short wheelbase mid-engined luxury 7/8 seat MPV resembling their Space Cruiser. A 4WD version (body type CR30) was introduced in December 1985. These were produced until a facelift in September 1993 to body type CR31 which ran until October 1996. It was available with either automatic transmission or manual transmission and petrol or diesel engine. Variants were badged as MasterAce (sometimes with "Surf" added) or LiteAce (sometimes with "FieldTourer" added). Top-end 7-seat TownAces were badged additionally "Royal Lounge". 8-seaters are often badged "Super Extra".

The left-hand drive Toyota Van for the USA market has a lot in common with the TownAce, but did not have all the luxury options, 4WD or the diesel engine.

When the TownAce models became available as grey market exports they became popular in UK, where new Spacecruisers had been sold for many years. A 10-year old TownAce was an attractive option for a reliable, cheap MPV with many luxury features - such as aircon/climate control and automatic transmission. The 2CT diesel engine is low powered but offers 30+ mpg (less than 10 L per 100 km).