1997 Toyota Picnic reviews

Toyota Picnic 2.0 petrol 1997

Yep, got to agree. I bought a used one, having previously owned an expensive VW Sharan (Galaxy). The Sharan was great to drive but incredibly unreliable. It cost me nearly £20,000 in servicing/repair bills during its lifetime. And the fuel consumption was dismal. I got the Picnic in the hope that it would provide similar practicality on a budget and it hasn’t disappointed. The 6 seat layout is great and unique in an MPV of its size. It is so much more convenient to let kids climb in and walk to the rear seats through the gap in the centre row, rather than having to tip the centre seats forward all the time. It has been utterly reliable and very economical. Only problem is the engine is worn out at 140,000 miles (lots of small trips). I can’t find any modern MPV to replace it. Even the Avensis Verso doesn’t live up to it. So I’ve bought a low mileage engine which I’ll install when the existing one expires.