We bought a 10 year old Previa last Easter when our oldest son came back from Oz and our middle son came home to join the youngest two! Since we wanted to go out with grandma we needed the space (5 adults and two children!). We looked at several MPV's and felt than none of the others came anywhere near the Previa for comfort or style. Looking at it, you would never know the design is as old as it is - in fact I really think it looks better than the newest one (but I also prefer classic Range Rovers to the new ones!) I have put a picture on this page:- http://www.ackworthschool.biblio.net/~administrator/16956/page_1.html. In everyday use the two youngest have a row of seats each and are so happy that they can stretch out and relax. All of the seats are big and comfy and they all recline so it is possible to have a huge, almost flat area. The back row of seats splits in two and folds very neatly into the sides. There is a wide gap between the two front seats and I would like to have a box made to fit there so that whatever we put there doesn't keep sliding back or forward!
We have had no problems at all with handling even when fully loaded. Sitting up high and straight gives an excellent view of the road and I generally drive it carefully although even in a hurry it seems very well behaved and stops very neatly. The power steering is excellent and the mirrors (also powered!) are big enough to make parking as easy as it can be with something this size.
My only worry is the fuel thirst - we get around 22 miles per gallon but for its size that is not bad. I did look at a diesel import and have had conflicting advice on the wisdom of buying imports. I would welcome any comments or direct experience that anyone has of buying imported models?
And I would have to say that the radio has one of the silliest systems I have ever seen for adjusting balance and front/rear levels! You have to use a tiny 'Mode' button to cycle through the settings and then adjust them with two more tiny buttons - not a good thing to try and do while you are driving!
Our car has a metallic dark-blue finish and also has the little spoiler above the huge back door. This door is very well balanced and everyone finds it easy to use - and the sliding side door makes it easy to get in and out even when parallel parked.
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Advantages: Good Looking! Spacious and excellent choice for a family of 2-5 children Disadvantages: Feels really big and sometimes hard to park, especially in London. The Fuel consumption is 14-15 Litres per 100km, quite greedy rider.
Dorjoogongor2 31.12.2003 (31.12.2003)
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