The Sunday News
Lovert Mafukure
It is an iconic JDM sports sedan first introduced in 1998. Some ten years later, it finds a new home in the scotching heat of Africa slowly re-creating a culture mainly dominated by loud Hondas in the decades past. It has captured the hearts of many, for some it is pure love and for some it is the dream of recreating the racing image. It is one of those cars that brought Japanese finesse right into the heart of Africa. Its the Toyota Altezza. A car that has come to define beauty, its not the fastest but sure as hell rocks with the looks.
JDM Culture or not, for the 90s it is a beautiful car like it was ahead of its time. Like the iconic Nissan Skyline GTR round lights, the Altezza started the “Altezza” lights movement with Aftermarket parts manufacturers calling them just that . . . Altezza lights. To many, it was just a name until the bad boy landed on our shores. The Altezza is a JDM spec car, meaning it was meant for the Japanese market only. Outside Japan it was known as the Lexus IS200, made to compete with the likes of the BMW 3 series. Altezza is a toned down clone of the IS200 and may not boast of some of the luxuries the IS rocks but its more or less the same car.
For a 1998 car, this car called the Altezza was built with passion and a cultured mind to create a looker and a sports car. In 1998 it won the Car of the Year award in Japan. Whatever yardstick they used then to judge I’m sure still applies as these cars still look beautiful even some 18 years later. The front is standard with crystal lights that extend to accommodate the park and indicators. It also got smooth curves that extend to the back where you will find quite a sizable bum that houses those “Altezza lights.” This is the car you would think was modified by one youthful petrol head but it came standard with these tail lights that started a clear Perspex tail light culture throughout the previous decade and to date. It also comes with those beautiful 17 inch fives poke Altezza Rims. If you are lucky, you can even get one with a body kit to go with.
The interior is quite catchy with the chronograph style instrument panel. It is quite unlike any other and gives some sense of spaceship dream that won’t end. It does not really have much space inside but that is compensated for but the silver ball gear lever.
The Altezza is a front mounted engine car with a rear drive train. Power is supplied to the rear wheels and this car spins effortlessly. The Altezza originally comes with two engine variants the 1G and the 3s. A third variant is the 2jz Ge found on the Gita. The Gita is a mummy van looking station wagon version of the Altezza. The AS200 Altezza comes on the GXE platform fitted with the 1GFE 160hp inline six cylinder naturally aspirated vvt-i engine mated with a 4 speed automatic or a six speed manual transmission. If you opt for this IS200 twin, you will get this engine. All IS200s came with the 6 cylinder engine only.
The IS300 on the other hand came with a naturally aspirated 2jz Ge.
The RS200 version Altezza comes on the SXE platform, meaning it boasts of the more powerful 3sGE Black Top 4 cylinder vvt-i Beams motor which produces up to 207hp on the Manual transmission and upto 197hp for the automatic. The power differences are mainly because the engines were tuned differently and the manual naturally is faster because of its light weight. Automatic transmissions are very heavy and add more weight to the car. That is why you find race cars stripped of all unnecessary parts — its called weight reduction bro!
The Altezza has its weakness that may be unique to Zimbabwe perhaps because of the state of our roads. A lot of them have lower ball joint problems where they seem to pop out or break at the most inconvenient of times. Perhaps it is an issue of service and maintenance but a car should not be so weak and dangerous should it? There is not much to dislike about this car except that it looks quicker than it actually is! Happy Motoring!
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