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I've had an 87 4WD van for 12 years now and am considering moving up to a Previa, but have some lingering questions about the Previa:

1. Alltrac or 2WD? I use the vehicle on ID 15 mph unimproved roads so I value 4WD and additional clearance.

Does the AllTrac have additional clearance over the 2WD?

I've heard that the 2WDs still have great traction (better than the older van) because its a true mid-engine unlike the older van which yes you are sitting on the engine, but you're also sitting over the front axle.

So does the Previa 2WD have great traction because of better weight distribution?

2. Engine access: I know you have fluid fillers under that little hood in front but how hard is it to access the actual engine? Unbolt seats and unbolt access covers like the older van?

3. SC. Some say its underpowered w/out the SC, others say its just fine. Its only 400 lbs heavier than the older van (about 12% heavier) but has 36 more hp (non-SC, about 36% increase) so its got to be better than the older van.

Do you really need to run premium with the SC? What if you don't?

Does the SC really dent your gas mileage?

Any insights would be appreciated

thanks, Al

1. Alltrac or 2WD? I use the vehicle on ID 15 mph unimproved roads so I value 4WD and additional clearance.

Does the AllTrac have additional clearance over the 2WD?

>> No significant clearance differences. They're both pretty low to the ground. Larger tires and susp lifts are not really an option.

I've heard that the 2WDs still have great traction (better than the older van) because its a true mid-engine unlike the older van which yes you are sitting on the engine, but you're also sitting over the front axle.

So does the Previa 2WD have great traction because of better weight distribution?

>> Never driven a 2WD, so can't say. I've read reports describing a 2WD with blizzaks as unstoppable in snow. The 4WD adds its own issues (e.g. viscous coupling problems).

2. Engine access: I know you have fluid fillers under that little hood in front but how hard is it to access the actual engine? Unbolt seats and unbolt access covers like the older van?

>> Not that hard to access. I've had to remove the right-hand engine cover once in four years of ownership to change plugs, and replace the valve cover gasket. 15 mins of work, tops. The driver seat flips back to expose an access panel under the seat for checking engine and tranny fluid.

3. SC. Some say its underpowered w/out the SC, others say its just fine. Its only 400 lbs heavier than the older van (about 12% heavier) but has 36 more hp (non-SC, about 36% increase) so its got to be better than the older van.

>> Never driven a non-SC but I like the SC that I've got. Plenty of power to cruise and pass while loaded down with gear. 80mph over hill and dale.

Do you really need to run premium with the SC? What if you don't?

>> No need to run premium, runs just fine on regular. Premium might give a bit more mpg and more oomph but not that much more.

Does the SC really dent your gas mileage?

>> I think the AllTrac dents it more. My SC AT gets around 18-19 but as low as 15 in winter making short trips. If max MPG is important, go for a non-SC 2wd.

95 Previa, thanks for your replies. I guess my biggest concern is the clearance/traction issue for those trips to the mountains. My "87 4WD looks like it has great clearance but they have a frame member under the engine that goes all the way between the front wheels and is the low point of I think about 7" clearance, everything else except the transfer case is alot higher. I wonder how the Previas compare?

Al

an automatic all-trac is faster than an original van for sure,since i own both and including all three different kinds of all-wheel drive previa's,a93 n/a all-trac auto,91 5speed all-trac and of course a 95 s/c'd all-trac,yes the supercharged model does have better response,but unless u can deal with the engine pinging like crazy whenever going up over hills an i've noticed performance differences,stick with premium,toyota didn't say it was highly recommended,just to piss you off,personally,i think the 5-speed all-trac is the fastest all-trac previa,cus 5th gear even is kind of low,and yet it still gets better mpg than a plain old n/a engine,yet it doesn't need premium like a s/c'd model,but of course 5 speed all-trac's are a pain in the u know what to find,and u will end up paying pretty much top dollar for one ground clearance wise,i'd definetly have to say a van has more,everything on the previa is lower trying to correct handling issues and everything.

as far as access,if you have ramps,everything on the previa was designed to perfectly accessible,except for the occassional valve cover gasket,distributor o-ring,tune up,it's not that hard to get to atleast not as hard as a van,the van u have to unbolt the shifter assembly to get the cover off,a previa is only 4 bolts for the seat,1 for jack strap,2,for seat support,and the 13 or 14 "normal ones"on the engine cover,ooo yeah and seat belt bolt has to be removed from the floor,but overall it's not that difficult,it takes alot less time to get the cover off in a previa in my opinion,it took me like 45 minutes my first time on a previa,the van took about 2 hours,my first time,rusty bolts and everything,fun fun fun but checking,filling oil,checking filling tranny fluid is reasonably easy,and if the power steering pump starts leaking ever,u don't have to worry about the alternator/electrical system crapping out!!!!

thanks for all the replies, here's some more questions.

The older vans have a pretty set chronology of problems that need attention by 150 k miles:

Fan Clutch
Radiator replacement
Head gasket if the first two aren't done soon enough
exhaust manifold gasket and studs
alternator and wiring harness

What does the Previa generally need by 150K? How long do the automatic trannys last?

thanks, Al

tim your nit picking!!!!

transmissions if there taken reasonable care of,they'll last over 300 easily,on the all-trac's,for some reason the 2wd's generally have a hard time lasting more than like 230-250,the supercharged previa's are even better cus they use the a340's which toyota has used regularly on trucks,even on the v8 tundra when it first came out.my auto 93 has just barely under 280,000 on it,and it still shifts like butter aka,u can't feel it shifting,and i know it's the original transmission cus i'm the third owner,the first owner kept such extensive records of repairs,it twisted my arm to buy it,lol,and the second owner only had it for about a month as payment for a debt

fan clutches,i've never heard of one going on a previa,well except for one that got hit by a deer and damaged the fan clutch,but i don't think it was the clutches fault ,radiator's typically head out somewhere between 200-300,000,head gaskets on previa's don't commonly fail unless their beaten till about 250,000 roughly,manifold gasket and studs,generally go around 230,000 and up,alternator's will go anywhere from about 180,000 to 250,000,they don't really show much of a sign of going all the one's i've heard of charge right up until then,i guess the only sign is if the alternator/power steering belt starts squealing,the only thing that happens to them is the bearings seize,if the van starts and stalls right off,don't rev it up,it'll stay running,but your belt will be in a few pieces ,wiring harness's don't seem to be an issue not to the point of grounding themselves out anyways like i've heard and seen of alot of van's,anymore questions?

arp wrote:thanks for all the replies, here's some more questions.

The older vans have a pretty set chronology of problems that need attention by 150 k miles:

Fan Clutch
Radiator replacement
Head gasket if the first two aren't done soon enough
exhaust manifold gasket and studs
alternator and wiring harness

What does the Previa generally need by 150K? How long do the automatic trannys last?

thanks, Al

Tim and 95LE thanks for all the info, that helps alot!

Al