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Toyota
Hybrid Minivans
Toyota hybrid minivans currently come in three varieties: Estima,
Alphard
and Sienna.
The Estima Hybrid and Alphard Hybrid are currently in production
and being offered only in Japan. The Sienna Hybrid is the only
hybrid minivan that will be offered on U. S. soil and a roll
out date has not been set yet.
The Estima Hybrid Minivan is the world's first hybrid minivan
and first mass-produced hybrid 4-wheel drive vehicle. The
Estima Hybrid was the second hybrid rolled out by Toyota
with the Prius being the first.
The Estima Hybrid is the smallest of Toyota's line of hybrid
minivans but has a unique safety feature built into the
hull. The Estima Hybrid uses a pedestrian-injury-lessening
body designed to minimize pedestrian head and leg injury
in the event of a collision. Wow, what a feeling!
Back to serious business and the Alphard Hybrid, which
is a larger hybrid minivan only sold in Japan. The Alphard
Hybrid was rolled out in 2003 in the Osaka region and sports
a 2.4-litre gasoline engine, front and rear electric motors,
a continuously variable transmission (CVT), high-output
hybrid battery pack and an E-Four electric four-wheel drive
system.
The Alphard Hybrid uses an E-Four electric 4WD system that
provides better driving performance by using power from
the rear-wheel drive motor to optimize electric power distribution
to all four wheels. The Alphard Hybrid is classified as
an Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) and comes in at approximately
42 mpg.
The Sienna Hybrid will be the first hybrid-powered minivan
to peel out in the U. S. marketplace. Rumor has it that
the Sienna Hybrid may contain the same hybrid power-train
system as the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and if so, the Sienna
Hybrid will sport a 3.3-liter DOHC 24-valve VVT-i V6 gasoline
engine combined with a high-torque electric engine delivering
upwards of 270 hp. Fuel economy also could reach the low
40-mpg range.
All three Toyota hybrid minivans use regenerative braking,
a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and offer 1,500
watts of auxiliary 100-volt power available via electrical
sockets. This auxiliary power will be useful for appliances
such as laptops or for emergency purposes.
With hybrid cars, trucks and SUV's currently rolling out
in the U. S. marketplace, it seems that the time is ripe
to roll out a hybrid minivan as well. If Toyota does success
in rolling out the first hybrid minivan in the U. S. it
will be but another first in a long line of firsts for Toyota
in the hybrid arena.
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