jlinjpn

One of the first accessories I will buy for my new SC 430 next week is the "Cruising Shelf" item for sale at Toyota dealerships in Japan for 94,000 yen (US$870) list price. The item completely covers the area from the floor behind the driver's and passenger's seat, up and over the rear "seats," the two rear seat head rests, and surrounding area, reminiscent of the black tonneau covers we used to see on old English sports cars. On each side of the rear seats there is a zippered opening that allows for the carrying and protection of (smallishly) bulky items behind the cover that might not fit in the trunk if the roof is down.

Check it and other cool accessories for the Soarer (the Japanese domestic moniker of the SC 430) at: http://www.toyota.co.jp/Showroom/All...eup/Soarer/op/

John

1ton

Looks okay but is there a better picture somewhere? I would like to see a full view.

jlinjpn

The only other photos I have seen posted on the Internet link back to the same individual photo you see online. It turns out that the online photo is actually a cropped photo of a photo appearing in the Soarer "Original Accessories" flyer that accompanies the Soarer's 44 page hardbound brochure. In the flyer, there are two photos of the Cruising Shelf: a more revealing photo of what you already see online, and a second, smaller photo with the opening zipped closed. It looks like a useful accessory to have, not only for creating useful, covered storage space, but also because it will contribute to keeping an ecru-coloured rear section of the interior covered and clean.

One thing I noticed in the photos of the Cruising Shelf is that the smallish clear plastic piece that attaches between the two rear head rests appears to be missing, though it may simply be covered by the cover or otherwise easily removed. I won't know about what happens to that piece until I talk to a Toyota dealer over there.

Too bad that Lexus has chosen not to make this and other cool Soarer accessories available in the States.

LexPro

Nice option i would buy it.

flatfoot

I moght have to have one myself. Please post a better photo if you run across one. Thanks

Flatfoot

jlinjpn

I've a "Cruising Shelf" on order, and will have it shipped to me sometime next month. If I can work out the details of posting photos here, I'll be glad to show off the part online.

Soon I'll have another unique must-have accessory on my SC 430...a Japanese-domestic OEM convex mirror on the driver's (left) side door, to replace the flat-glass standard OEM mirror for the North American market. The new mirror will go a long way to reduce blind spots on the driver's side of the car.

lairdb

DId you ever get this? Would like to see better than the brochure pictures of it in place.

I've been thinking about this: how many of you would be interested in an easy conversion that would remove the rear seats entirely and replace them with a secured storage area? Think of it as something like the factory's cruising shelf, but semi-hard or hard, and lockable. Assume interior is reasonably finished (e.g. carpeted) and exterior is either color-apprpriate vinyl or color-matched leather.

Would you be interested in this?

What would it be worth to you?

What would make it worth more, or less? (e.g. leather exterior, connected to central locking, organizer features....)

I had occasion the other day to discover that the rear seat bottom just snaps out, and the rear seat back is secured by only 4 easily accessed bolts. This got me thinking that a conversion would be pretty straightforward and easily reversed (i.e. not destroying the resale value.)

Personally, I'd like to have a storage area that I could fit a little more luggage into and still take the top down -- this is a great road-trip car, except you can't carry reasonable luggage and put the top down.

--Laird

(Also, I've been thinking about a windblock to reduce cabin turbulence with the top down; this might remove the need for it, and/or make a good mount-point.)

Dozer42

Looks interesting to me too.

ron36330

Could you please give me the information needed to order a "Cruising Shelf", ie address to place order, how do you pay , how long to receive shippment and what colors are available for the shelf.
Thanks
Ron

mmarshall

Might as well cover up those two rear "seats" .....they're just about useless anyway.

dingo

If someone knows of a good auto upholstery shop they could prolly make something nice and could sell quite a few to boot. Just take out the seat, seat back and make some sort of covered bin thingy.

Dozer42

I'd buy that for a dollar. (Or more).

Now add in a mount for various subwoofers, etc and I'm there in a heartbeat.

PBEchicago

I raised the Japanese Toyota Soarer "cruising shelf" on my earlier thread entitled "Aftermarket REAR SEAT cover/shelf for DOG". I remain very interested in reports from someone who actually has seen the "cruising shelf" or better yet, someone who now has it installed in their SC 430.

Since I have the high maintenance "ecru" leather upholstery, a dog that enjoys topless motoring in the rear section and that most agree that the rear bench is virtually useless for transporting human passengers, I'd be most interested in converting the "bench seat" into a waterproof parcel storage/pet carrying area. The existing photos of the "cruiser shelf" leaves much to be desired in fully describing this Toyota aftermarket product..

I'd also be very interested If someone could create and market a device made of perhaps matte black fiberglass, plastic or even wood, etc. that would custom fit the rear seat area, concealing ALL leather while providing storage and secure anchor(s) for a pet harness . I feel that the zippered storage bags displayed in the Japanese photo of the "cruising shelf" would be totally unnecessary.

At last report, Forum member Steve Ganz (aka screen name "SupraTRD") from Carson (CA) Toyota parts dept. seemed to be most knowledgeable on the expensive (over $900) accessory marketed for Japanese domestic use by Toyota.

While pristine "ecru" or off-white leather looks absolutely beautiful when unblemished, I will never get a car with off-white leather again. Note that while I fell in love with my "Pebble Beach Edition" SC 430, it's only available with "ecru" leather. It's too much of a headache, particularly with a dog. Even topless driving tends to easily soil the leather. I am currently awaiting delivery of my CoverKing "leatherette" custom seat covers for my front buckets. I also have the CoverCraft "pet pad" ($60) with a universal fit no better than a standard, albeit waterproof, blanket..

This issue must be resolved. Lexus should discontinue this hare-brained leather "rear seat" configuration in favor of a storage area with an easy-to clean surface.

Help!

PBEchicago

Anything new with the "cruising shelf", guys?

Did anyone actually get one yet? If so, please describe and/or post comprehensive photos.. The only photo I've seen does not answer many questions about this expensive Japanese Toyota Soarer (Lexus SC 430) accessory.

Thank you.

JCtx

Not to be rude, but I really doubt you'll find what you're looking for buddy. Reason? Economics. You can probably count with one hand the number of SC owners who use their cars to haul a dog around. Furthermore, this board (I'm not aware of any other) has only a minute number of SC owners active, and that makes much harder to find owners who share your use of the car (there should be around 30K SCs in the US by now). Also remember the headrests are an integral part of the car, providing safety in case of a rollover, so you SHOULD NOT remove them. Any modification to the rear area, like a sub enclosure, cargo area, etc. would look like crap with the headrests in place, discouraging the production of any such product even more.
Just like people putting subs in the back area, you'll need to improvise. If you can find the seat covers you mentioned, maybe you can coat them with some kind of waterproofing material, like the one sprayed on camping tents. As for a harness for the dog, our car has the newer anchors required by law, so I'm sure you can buy a regular dog harness and install it successfully. You'll have to make some holes in your cover, but that's about the best you'll be able to do.
Heck, I can't even find clear bumper lenses when almost everybody would buy a set, so don't feel bad.

Be sure to post your solution in case somebody else has the same problem in the future. Good luck.