1997 Toyota Previa Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The 1997 model year was the Toyota Previa’s swan song. Toyota was preparing to roll out the more conventional Sienna, which mimicked...

The 1997 model year was the Toyota Previa’s swan song. Toyota was preparing to roll out the more conventional Sienna, which mimicked American-made minivans with a larger engine and run-of-the-mill styling. For its last year, the Previa saw revisions to its engine to make it less noisy and reduce vibrations.

The 1997 Previa came in four trims: the DLX, the DLX AllTrac, the LE, and the LE AllTrac. All shared a supercharged 2.4-liter, 161-horsepower four-cylinder engine. Fuel economy was about 17/21 mpg. The 1997 Previa sat seven people, and had the option of captains’ chairs in the second row instead of a bench. The last row of seats could be pinned to the sides of the car to create more cargo space.

While it was never a big seller, the Toyota Previa had a legion of loyal fans who were disappointed that the manufacturer ended production of the minivan. The Previa was loved for its unusual egg-shaped body and space age interior, not to mention for its ample leg and cargo space, car-like handling, and bulletproof reliability. Still, its lack of power and unseal appearance made most people pass by the Previa when minivan shopping, and those who did buy one found that it was lacking many amenities that other vans had.