The Toyota Cressida was a midsize, high-end luxury sedan introduced by Toyota in 1973, first exported in its second generation in 1977. The same chassis, with slightly different bodies were available in other countries as the Toyota Mark II, Toyota Chaser and Toyota Cresta. The Cressida name was retired in 1992, but the chassis and MarkII, Chaser, and Cresta names continued production in Japan until the early 2000s.
In the United States, the Cressida was also known as a "four-door Supra", because the Supra and Cressida shared the same M seriesI6 engine, had rear wheel drive, and were both flagship cars for Toyota at the time.
The Cressida was available worldwide in a variety of forms and engines. The available engines included the G series I6, M series I6, and R seriesI4 gasoline motors, as well as the L series I4 diesel.
The Cressida went through major design changes every four years source: Toyota Electronic Parts Catalogue year listings. The 1981 revisions to the range saw a light bodyshell. North America received essentially a rebadged Mark II (never Mark III, or IV, despite the model changes), with an upright front grille and four headlights. Most other markets received the Cressida with a slanted grille and two large headlights. The Toyota Cresta was launched with this generation, as a further spinoff of the Mark II platform.
Japanese market tastes were generally "formal" in the mid-1980s for this segment and the Cressida followed. In 1985, the Cressida, Mark II and Chaser went slightly more upright and square, when overseas trends were beginning to move toward rounded, fluid shapes.
The last major change for most export markets was in 1989 when the body was updated and the top engine got a boost from 2.8 L to 3.0 L resulting in power growing from 155 to 190 hp. This model is what is known as the MX83, the last Cressida sold in North America. The Cressida was discontinued in North America in 1992: the introduction and success of the Lexus division meant that Toyota no longer needed a large luxury sedan in its lineup anymore. The Cressida was also victim to falling sales, mostly because of its advanced features, limited availability, and high price tag in most markets. This was the last of the series exported outside Japan.
The Cressida also played a large part in the design of the first Lexus models, the LS 400 and the ES 250. Many parts and ideas from the Cressida were carried over into the original Lexus models, which is why these cars look so similar.
Even though it was discontinued in early 1992, the Cressida still remained Toyota's largest luxury sedan until 1995 with the introduction of the front wheel drive, American-made Avalon. The Avalon is now considered the modern day Cressida in North America.
In Japan, the Mark II, Chaser and Cresta continued beyond 1992, but the Cressida name was retired. The Chaser and Cresta went on for two more generations until 2000. The Mark II was succeeded by the Mark X in 2004, although the Mark II Blit, a wagon variant, is still being sold.
Today, the Cressida platform is starting to become a popular tuning platform around the world, due to being rear wheel drive and having a fairly powerful factory engine. Most often, the Cressida is now being used in drifting competitions or street racing with an aftermarket suspension and turbocharged Toyota engines. Overall, the cars are very versatile, solid, and reliable, exhibiting capabilities and characteristics found on most modern sport sedans sold today.
"Toyota Cressida"