Toyota Mark X (X12) Test Drive Report

Toyota Mark X reborn with a new name

Over 4.8 million units registered in Japan! I imagined that the dealers would have been unanimous in their opposition to changing the name of such a big brand as the "Mark II," but I was wrong. As a matter of fact, many of the requests to change the name came from the sales offices that were in charge of such sales. They were concerned that while the Crown still gave an enviable impression of "someday...", the name Mark II was rather associated with a stale image of a "car of the past". The new name, "Mark X," reflects Toyota's desire to break out of this dated atmosphere. If that's the case, why didn't they remove the "Mark" from the name? To add to this, one of the main challenges for this car was to achieve a price lower than the 2.5-liter model of the conventional Mark II.

Emphasizing a low center of gravity and appealing the driving qualities of FR

The overall length and width of the Mark X are almost the same as those of the conventional Mark II. And yet, they went against the trend of the times. The reason why the height of the Mark X is reduced by 25mm is because "we wanted to emphasize the low center of gravity and appeal the good driving performance of the FR layout. In fact, the basic framework of the car is a foot taller. In fact, the basic framework of the car was inherited from the current Crown, which had already debuted earlier. Despite this, the rear overhang was shortened significantly and the tires were placed at the four corners to emphasize the relatively long wheelbase. By placing the driver's face in the center of the wheelbase, the exterior of this car is characterized by a more dynamic atmosphere. The triple front lights and the bumper-mounted tailpipe end are bold and ambitious attempts. On the other hand, the interior, which was designed to create a Japanese "ma" (roomy) atmosphere through the use of a high console and lighting, is unfortunately a bit cheap in parts. For example, the feeling of opening and closing the various "lids" and operating the trunk opener is very different from the Crown. The latter, which uses a cable system at this point in time, seems rather poor. It's a shame that these points make us aware of the company's internal policy that the car must be made at least one million yen cheaper than the Crown.

Shares components with the Crown, but is lighter and has better acceleration

The Mark X shares many of its mechanical components, such as the engine and chassis, with the Crown, but thanks to its lighter weight, the car's acceleration ability is outstanding. In fact, the acceleration of the 3-liter model and even the 2.5-liter model is very agile. The use of the newly developed 6-speed AT transmission is also a contributing factor to the car's driving characteristics. On the other hand, it should be reported that the traction capability is sometimes lacking, especially on low-mu roads. In some scenes, the shortened rear overhang compared to the Crown seems to have resulted in a reduction of the rear wheel ground load. No matter how hard the car accelerates or decelerates, the steering feel is not affected at all, which is a big advantage of the RWD layout. The "S package" model ensures a reasonable ride comfort while wearing 18-inch shoes, while the 16-inch model does not add much suppleness to it. The 16-inch model does not add much suppleness to the 18-inch shoes, which leaves a little bit to be desired.

The Mark X, which has just begun to run, is certainly quite an ambitious work.

After 36 years of the Mark II's great achievements, the Mark X that has just started running is certainly a very ambitious work. In particular, the exterior design, which has been completed based on the FR layout framework, is a dynamic and graceful design that may come as a bit of a shock to people who are used to seeing minivans that focus only on interior space or compact cars that focus only on the pursuit of economy. On the other hand, it shares the same basic features as the Crown. On the other hand, the car is based on the same basic framework as the Crown, but the rear section has been somewhat forcibly "modified" by shortening the overhang and creating a trunk through-hole. The fact that there is not as much difference in driving potential between the models with 16-inch and 18-inch tires as one might think is due to the fact that, from a different point of view, the 16-inch and 18-inch tires have different characteristics. The fact that the difference in driving potential between the models with 16-inch and 18-inch tires is not as great as expected can be seen as a sign that the latter has not yet fully exploited the potential of the shoes. Refining these points one step at a time will be the key to making the advantages of the FR layout even more appealing to riders.