Report: Toyota unveils facelift for JDM 2013 Mark X, now THIS is a Toyota
It’s been a long-standing tradition for American auto enthusiasts to drool over the European Domestic Market and Japanese Domestic Market vehicles, many of which are better and more cleverly equipped than the cars we get stateside. It makes us feel like we’ve been sold short of what could be amazing cars. And here’s one of those examples. Recently, Toyota has unveiled a new facelift for its 2013 Mark X rear-wheel drive sedan in Japan.
The Mark X is a successor to the Toyota Chaser of the 1990s and is popular in the Japanese Domestic Market as “VIP” vehicles and even strong drifters, with its robust V6 powerplant and a rear-wheel drive configuration. If any of you remember the Toyota Cressida from the 1980s that the US briefly received, this Mark X carries on that car’s mission as a rear-wheel drive sedan.
The 2013 Toyota Mark X has some very unique styling that I think is much more interesting than anything with four-doors that Toyota offers here, excluding Lexus. There are a variety of trim levels and the one that seems to be the most appealing is the sporty 350S G trim.
The 2013 Toyota Mark X is powered by either a 2.5L V6 good for 200hp and 179 lb-ft of torque while a 3.5L V6 is optional, good for 314hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are connected to a six-speed automatic.
Now why drool over what seems to be a JDM Toyota-version of the Lexus GS? Because the Mark X is a Lexus GS for the masses. It shares some of its backbone components with the Lexus GS’s platform, but remains mostly bespoke to Toyota’s home market, internally coded the X130 and the only other things that the Lexus GS and Toyota Mark X share in common is the V6, plus some various electrical bits.
Either way, it’s a lot better than that boring-riffic Avalon and Camry that we get. With Toyota proving fun can be affordable a la the GT86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BR-Z, it would be nice for Toyota to continue that in the form of four-doors as well. Prices start in Japan at 2,440,000 yen or $30,980, with today’s currency conversion rates.
– By: Chris Chin
Source: WorldCarFans
