Toyota Chaser
General History of the Toyota Chaser
The Toyota Chaser has been known as one of the 'triplets' or 'quartets' of Toyota, due to the fact that it shares the same chassis with its siblings Cressida, Mark II, and Cresta. Most of the models use double wishbone coil springs, especially beginning with the X81 series. The models are considered as a rung below the Toyota Crowns, but offer more sporty character due to their slightly lower body and powerful engines (in fact, most of the 2.5L Toyotas are powered by the 1JZ engine).
The beginning
Chasers were first produced in the mid-70's with the chassis code X51. They were powered by 2.0L engines. Not much is known about the car, but it is a typical larger Toyota sedan . In 1980, production of the X61 Chaser started, but it was quickly replaced by the X71 Chaser in 1984. Until that moment, all Chasers had been powered by a 2.0L engine, tuned for economy rather than performance.
In 1989, the X81 series of Chasers were introduced to the Japanese market. The following models were offered: XL, XG, Raffine, SXL, Avante, Avante Twin Cam 24, GT Twin Turbo and Avante G, with the GT Twin Turbo model the most powerful variant, powered by the 1G-GTE putting out 210 ps at 6200 rpm, and the Avante G the highest spec-ed model, equipment-wise . In August, 2 more models are added to the line-up, that is, the Avante G-L specification, an even more luxurious model of the Avante G trim (which is already highly equipped, for a car of that time), and the 3.0L engine-powered Avante G, with the 3.0 L normally-aspirated 7M-GE engine replacing the 2.0L supercharged 1G-GZE from the previous model.
In August of the year 1990, major revisions were brought to the entire Chaser line-up, in which some of the trims received entirely new engines. The top-of-the-range models, Avante G and GT Twin Turbo, received the new 1JZ engine, the same engine that powers the flagship JZA70 Supra, although the 3.0L Avante G remains in the line-up. The Avante G 2.5 received the normally-aspirated 1JZ-GE engine topping out 180 ps at 6000 rpm, while the GT Twin Turbo received the powerful turbocharged 1JZ-GTE twin turbo engine that is capable of 280 ps at 6200 rpm, the maximum horsepower allowed under Japanese regulations. Unfortunately, these 2 models are only available in 4-speed automatic transmission.
Into the 90's
In October 1992, the X90 Chaser replaces the previous X81 Chaser. It came with a larger body, and better handling, plus more power. The body is now more curvier than before, and one can see that the car is quite long. The line-up combinations is largely carried over from the X81 Chaser, but the GT Twin Turbo was abolished and replaced by the new Tourer V. The top-of-the-line Avante G model received the 220 ps normally-aspirated 2JZ-GE, the next evolution of the JZ series of engines (the most powerful being the 2JZ-GTE twin turbo which powers the flagship JZA80 Supra which is released in the same year). The Tourer V was still powered by the 1JZ-GTE engines, carried over from the GT Twin Turbo model. By now, a manual version of the Tourer V made it to the line-up, which is suitable for the car to complement its sporty driving characteristics. There is also a Tourer S model, which is basically the same as the Tourer V, minus the turbocharger. In September of 1992, the Tourer models received upgrades in trim levels, in which makes it more better equipped, although not to the level of the Avante G. Thus it is not surprising when the prices of these models were slightly higher than before.
With the retirement of the Cressida after the X81 generation, only the Mark II, Chaser, and Cresta were sold in the Japanese car market. Each of the members of the Cressida family (as most people call it) supposedly have different characters: The Chaser is geared towards sporty driving, the Cresta towards luxury, and the Mark II is in-between of these 2, although the difference is no more than different front and rear ends (plus doors for the Cresta).
In September of year 1996, the X100 Chaser takes over the reins of the X90 Chaser. By now, the Chaser has grown into a more sporty sedan. For many, it was the definitive Chaser, the best-looking Toyota Chaser ever. The line-up consisted mostly of Avantes and Tourers, with the Avante the luxurious model (having more interior accessories), and the Tourer the sporty model (with a large 16-inch wheels). New to the 1JZ engines is Toyota's VVTi, their version of variable-valve timing. The 1JZ engines of the cars have been upgraded to give out more torque with the upgrade, since they have already reached the legal limit set by the Japanese authorities regarding horsepower, with the 1JZ-GTE that is now powered by a single turbo configuration, instead of the twin turbo from it's predecessors. New to the line-up is the Avante Four and the higher-specced Avante Four G Package, which is basically the Avante 2.5L with a full-time 4WD system. These cars are only available in only 4-speed electronic control type (ECT) automatic transmission. The Tourer V and automatic-only Avante G 3.0L models have the option of having electronic control flex lockup attaching 4 speed automatic (intelligent) (ECT-iE) transmission, besides the ECT-E automatic in the lower-end models.
In 1997, the line-up remained largely unchanged, although a basic Tourer 2.0L is added to the line up. It is powered by the 1G-FE engine capable of 140 ps at 5600 rpm. It is sold with only the 4-speed electronic control type (ECT) automatic transmission.
In 1998, the basic Tourer received the manual gearbox as an option, along with the 4WD option to the basic Avante models, with the Avante Four S Package the one with higher spec-ed interior. In addition to that, the Chaser received a facelift, in which the most significant changes is to the rear lights which makes it even more sportier than before. Other changes include new fog lights with a slightly redesigned front bar to accommodate them, different interior fabric, a 3 spoke steering wheel instead of 4 spokes, orange gauge lighting instead of white and a grille with 2 horizontal bars instead of 3.
The Toyota Chaser continued production until the year 2000. It was replaced with a new car called the "Verossa" as it shares the same model code. The Cresta suffered the same fate, but the Mark II continued for another generation (X110) before it was also stopped. In 2004, the all-new X120 Mark X was introduced in Japan, with characteristics of the previous generations being part of it.
lifted from
www.cars-directory.net , hope it helps