There’s currently an arms race going on among grille designers of full-size pickups. From the Chevy Silverado to Toyota Tundra the theme seems to be, the more frontal area you can occupy with a grille, the better. But, what if that same concept was applied to a smaller car, like a compact minivan? Worry not, friends, for Toyota has answered that question.
Behold, the 2022 Toyota Noah and Voxy, a pair of twinned minivans for the Japanese market. If they look super boxy, that’s because they are. Japan has several road tax brackets according to engine displacement and overall width, so, like kei cars, these vans are built to the very limit of what is allowed dimensionally. If there were multiple minivan classes in the US, these the Noah and Voxy would slot below a Sienna. Think Mazda 5, though it’s not a direct comparison.
Power comes from either a 1.8-liter inline-four mated to a hybrid system, or a 2.0-liter four mated to a CVT. Both are three-row vehicles, with the second row available in either two captain’s chairs — with retractable ottomans and side tables — or a bench with a foldable pass-through. Clever touches like hands-free sliding doors, a rear hatch that can be stopped at any angle, and very low floors make this an ideal car for households with large broods or elderly parents.
The Noah comes in two trim levels, the lower Z trim is denoted with a large grille broken up by body-colored cross-bars. The higher S-Z trim features a massive black grille that has a massive chrome grille protruding from it. The Voxy, which comes only in S-Z trim, has a large black maw framed by chrome. Inside, there’s two design elements, a series of horizontal bars that turn into a honeycomb on either side. We will give the Voxy props for having an interesting foglamp design, which appears to be five distinct elements in the lattice pattern.
Obviously, these aren’t coming to the U.S.. But if they did, those gargantuan grilles would help them feel right at home.
Related Video
Source: www.autoblog.com