Toyota Noah: the sliding-door minivan with a sporty Voxy twin

The Toyota Noah is a minivan with sliding doors on both sides, sold since November 2001 mainly in Asia and positioned below the Alphard and above the Sienta. It replaced the rear-wheel-drive TownAce and LiteAce Noah while keeping their R model-code series.

Toyota Noah at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Toyota Noah.

History of the Toyota Noah

First generation (R60; 2001)

The first Noah and Voxy were released on 16 November 2001, newly developed on the Ipsum platform and the first Noah to use front-wheel drive. The car had H-infinity TEMS suspension, and the early Noah came in X, S, L and G Edition grades, while the Voxy offered X, Z, V and a G edition on the X and Z. In July 2002 the Voxy Z Kirameki added chrome plating to the grille and the Noah gained an X Navi Special Edition. A Welcab version followed in December 2003. The facelift arrived in August 2004, when five-seat versions with flexible rear seating called the Noah YY and Voxy Trans-X were added; the generation ended in June 2007.

Second generation (R70; 2007)

The second-generation Noah and Voxy were released in June 2007. The Voxy range started with the X, followed by the sporty Z and ZS with a more aggressive bumper, a larger spoiler, an extra air intake and alloy wheels, plus an XL Edition and the top V, and a two-row five-seat Trans-X. A facelift came in April 2010 with new lamps and bumpers, and in June 2010 Toyota’s G Sport division released lowered G’s versions of both, with different bumpers and a large chrome grille; both had been shown at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon. Japanese cars could be ordered with G-BOOK. In Indonesia the facelifted second-generation Noah was launched on 11 December 2012 as the Toyota NAV1, filling the gap between the Kijang Innova and the Alphard; it was assembled from CKD kits at Sugity Creatives in Bekasi with a 2.0-litre 3ZR-FAE engine and a CVT, in G and V grades, gaining a V Limited in 2014 and selling 4,483 units before being replaced by the imported Voxy in 2017.

Third and fourth generations

The third-generation Noah and Voxy arrived on 20 January 2014 with an engine start-stop system, a first for Toyota minivans, and one-touch sliding doors. The Noah came in X V Package, X and Si grades and the Voxy in X C Package, V and ZS, all with front- or four-wheel drive. A third twin, the more luxurious Esquire with its own grille and interior, joined the range and was discontinued in December 2021. The first three generations were designed within Japan’s class-five size limits, under 4,700 mm long and 1,700 mm wide, which kept them in a lower road-tax band; the fourth generation moved to the TNGA platform and grew beyond 1,700 mm, becoming a class-three vehicle. On 1 May 2020 all three models became available through every Toyota dealer channel in Japan, and from the fourth generation the Noah is also sold by Suzuki as the Landy.

Design and features

• Twin sliding doors: both rear doors slide, unlike the TownAce-based predecessor.
• Voxy twin: the sportier version, with split headlights and clear tail lamps.
• Esquire: a luxury twin sold from 2014 to 2021.
• Tax-friendly size: class-five dimensions kept road tax low until the fourth generation.

Toyota Noah versions

• R60 (2001): first generation, Noah X, S, L and Voxy X, Z, V.
• R70 (2007): second generation with Voxy Z and ZS.
• NAV1 (2012): Indonesian version of the facelifted second generation.
• R80 (2014): third generation with one-touch sliding doors.
• Esquire (2014): luxury twin, discontinued in 2021.
• Fourth generation: TNGA platform, also sold as the Suzuki Landy.

The Noah sits between the Sienta and Alphard in Toyota’s minivan range, and its first three generations were based on the Ipsum platform. More cars are in the Toyota collection.

Sources

• Toyota Noah, English Wikipedia: generations, trims, markets