Toyota Soarer UZZ32 SHOCKED!
01-08-14, 01:45 PM
#1
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Toyota Soarer UZZ32 SHOCKED!
I am absolutely blown away by the UZZ32. The technology that thing had was so advanced for its time that a lot of cars still dont have it to this day. Some of the features I found very intersting were the automatic folding mirrors, and the digital gauge AND the digital radio and ac!! Im mad bc since we are lexus owners we should have those options over a toyota 
It even has four wheel steering and an active suspension!!! im seriously blown away by this car. There was only 873 ever made.
anyways i found a video showing the car... enjoy youll never look at your car the same
It even has four wheel steering and an active suspension!!! im seriously blown away by this car. There was only 873 ever made.anyways i found a video showing the car... enjoy youll never look at your car the same
01-08-14, 05:21 PM
#6
Cost is the biggest reason the UZZ32 wasn't sold with all the trimmings outside of Japan. That suspension system was state of the art for its time, probably comparable in an auto publication to the hydro-pneumatic suspension designs of both Mercedes-Benz (6.3L V8 600 Pullman limos and the 450 SEL 6.9's) and Citroen with their DS and SM. Honda and Nissan were also doing 4WS at the time too.
I do believe there were some 1st generation LS400's sold in the USA with some form of an air suspension option, however. Very rare. The SC's never got it of course.
The folding mirrors don't make it onto many US cars because of how much room we have to park our cars in all but the largest cities! In Japan, even cheap cars today have automatic folding mirrors because it's practically mandatory.
But really, if you want to talk about beating a dead horse... far more than the very expensive UZZ32 Active V8 cars not being sold here I've always been far more shocked as to why-- during ANY point in the USA export SC's model cycle-- did we never get the 1JZGTE engine in both automatic and R154 manual versions.
Lexus USA figured they could make a big profit by watering down a great design to the basics that most people with money would buy and accept as being worth the expense and they were right. But it just kills me to see old car comparisons where the nearest competition was whatever Buick was puking out at the time. Meanwhile, BMW was still selling their 8-series super coupes. They were struggling given the state of the 1990's sportscar market, but they didn't water them down for the USA the way Lexus watered down the SC series.
Despite all that we got some great cars.
I do believe there were some 1st generation LS400's sold in the USA with some form of an air suspension option, however. Very rare. The SC's never got it of course.
The folding mirrors don't make it onto many US cars because of how much room we have to park our cars in all but the largest cities! In Japan, even cheap cars today have automatic folding mirrors because it's practically mandatory.
But really, if you want to talk about beating a dead horse... far more than the very expensive UZZ32 Active V8 cars not being sold here I've always been far more shocked as to why-- during ANY point in the USA export SC's model cycle-- did we never get the 1JZGTE engine in both automatic and R154 manual versions.
Lexus USA figured they could make a big profit by watering down a great design to the basics that most people with money would buy and accept as being worth the expense and they were right. But it just kills me to see old car comparisons where the nearest competition was whatever Buick was puking out at the time. Meanwhile, BMW was still selling their 8-series super coupes. They were struggling given the state of the 1990's sportscar market, but they didn't water them down for the USA the way Lexus watered down the SC series.
Despite all that we got some great cars.
Last edited by KahnBB6; 01-09-14 at 09:30 PM. Reason: Forgot to mention Citroen
01-09-14, 07:51 AM
#7
i think the 1jz was probably an emissions thing. the active soarer was rare over there too, not just here.
they just put way too much stuff on it for it to be feasible, sure it is still nimble because of the technology, but the curb weight shot up pretty high.
they just put way too much stuff on it for it to be feasible, sure it is still nimble because of the technology, but the curb weight shot up pretty high.
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01-09-14, 09:41 PM
#9
I'd love to be able to try 4WS on my car but I think Ali is right-- the curb weight went up tremendously with the Active Soarer V8's and that would have affected the fuel economy among other things. The early 90's nav was very cool though.
As for the 1JZ, I thought they cleaned up its emissions with the introduction of the VVT-i versions. But that being 1996 we were already seeing the RX-7 and 300ZX die off with Toyota making some changes to the standard equipment and MSRP's on the Supra and MR2 to try desperately to sell more of them. Right at the time when Lexus COULD have introduced a turbocharged SC it was the beginning of the sportscar recession. Still, having gone to all that trouble to design the LS400, SC and Supra MKIV in the first place they could have put EGR on the 1JZ for the USA at the onset. They probably thought it would encroach on the exclusivity of the Supra TT. Further, there is the possibility that Mercedes-Benz and BMW among other manufacturers (and possibly Cadillac) were able to pressure Toyota into not releasing all of the technology the Soarer had for the US market so as to curtail new cutting edge competition. Mercedes in particular was also responsible for the DOT legislation that created the 25-year rule in the mid 1980's for importing cars to the USA.
All said though there are many creature comfort options that we could have had on the SC300 and 400 that we never got besides the Active 4WS model or 1JZ engine.
As for the 1JZ, I thought they cleaned up its emissions with the introduction of the VVT-i versions. But that being 1996 we were already seeing the RX-7 and 300ZX die off with Toyota making some changes to the standard equipment and MSRP's on the Supra and MR2 to try desperately to sell more of them. Right at the time when Lexus COULD have introduced a turbocharged SC it was the beginning of the sportscar recession. Still, having gone to all that trouble to design the LS400, SC and Supra MKIV in the first place they could have put EGR on the 1JZ for the USA at the onset. They probably thought it would encroach on the exclusivity of the Supra TT. Further, there is the possibility that Mercedes-Benz and BMW among other manufacturers (and possibly Cadillac) were able to pressure Toyota into not releasing all of the technology the Soarer had for the US market so as to curtail new cutting edge competition. Mercedes in particular was also responsible for the DOT legislation that created the 25-year rule in the mid 1980's for importing cars to the USA.
All said though there are many creature comfort options that we could have had on the SC300 and 400 that we never got besides the Active 4WS model or 1JZ engine.
Last edited by KahnBB6; 01-09-14 at 09:49 PM. Reason: additional info
01-10-14, 08:30 PM
#12
You folks are lucky to have all kinds of cars in Australia-- not just used grey imports from Japan: Ford Falcon 4.0L turbos, Holden Monaro special editions far better than the "Pontiac GTO" we got here, hotrod Chrysler inline-sixes from the 1970's, the Holden Ute and several other rear-drive cars from the last forty years that never made it to the USA.
The internal changes at Holden and Ford Australia this last year are worrying.
The internal changes at Holden and Ford Australia this last year are worrying.
01-10-14, 11:54 PM
#13
Lead Lap
10-24-14, 06:11 PM
#15
Why does the car in the video have Lexus SC400 badging if it's a JDM model?
Wasn't it the Honda Prelude around the same time that was somewhat crippled by its 4WS and inability to pull away from a curb or wall if parked too close, because it would fishtail?
I like the digital HVAC/Radio controls -- aside from the fear of what in the world would you do when part of it needs replacing -- but the digital cluster does little for me. I much prefer the classic look and intuitiveness of round gauges.
Wasn't it the Honda Prelude around the same time that was somewhat crippled by its 4WS and inability to pull away from a curb or wall if parked too close, because it would fishtail?
I like the digital HVAC/Radio controls -- aside from the fear of what in the world would you do when part of it needs replacing -- but the digital cluster does little for me. I much prefer the classic look and intuitiveness of round gauges.