Tomica small cars: 2007 Honda Fit, 1990 Honda BEAT, 2011 Nissan Leaf, and 2011 Toyota Aqua

Being based in Japan you can expect Tomica to produce a lot of small cars, subcompact or Kei cars and boy do they have a lot!  For example here’s a diverse lineup that consists of three hatchbacks with three different types of powertrains and one small sports car from Honda the predecessor to the S660.

1990 Honda BEAT

The S660 most likely got its Kei-car influence from the BEAT, the 1990’s version of a two-seat kei-car roadster that looks really sharp.  The front has that sharp-looking headlights with barely a grille in sight, while the rear can look like many kei-car roadsters at the time.  The interior consists of seating for two with a driver-oriented control layout on the basic (radio is optional).  The convertible top stows below and offers a more open-top environment than the targa S660.  The engine is a 656 CC I-3 with individual throttle bodies for each cylinder to produce 65 horsepower through a 5-speed manual transmission, all located behind the front seats.  Again the small size and light weight of the car means that this is a great canyon-carving tool, and also one that was the last car Soichiro Honda, founder of the company, would approve before his death.

Obviously the yellow paint does stand out and that yellow paint also adorns the lower base as well.  The front has chrome headlights, silver H logo on the hood, and a lower grille with BEAT license plate.  The sides show a very NSX-like profile with scoops just ahead of the rear wheels to vent the rear engine, and Tomica wheels that are a proper fit to this car.  The rear has a rear spoiler, round taillights with integrated signal and reverse lamps, and a lower bumper grille with exhaust tip and BEAT license plate.  The base underneath does not show much but does show the independent wishbone suspension layout.  The interior has seating for two with a large tonneau cover hiding the convertible top just behind the seats.  The dashboard is barely there but at least it has a steering wheel, shifter, and how nicely the top of the dash is part of the yellow metal body.  This is a great companion piece to the S660, yet this BEAT has a charm of its own.

2007 Honda Fit

Part two of the Tomica Fit’s now includes this second-generation 2007 model.  What this new generation did was update the awkward styling attributes of the first-generation and made it a smoother-looking vehicle.  The headlights now look like part of the body, the size increased a bit which in turn increased interior space.  The dashboard has more controls in a fluid layout that aligns the HVAC vents vertically with the driver.  This generation also saw more models outside of the U.S. that include the wagon Fit Shuttle and even a Fit hybrid.  The engine is a 1.5L SOHC I-4 that produces 117 horsepower through a 5-speed manual or CVT transmission.

This blue version looks a lot better than the first-generation, yet shares the same chrome headlights that are now larger.  The lower grille and V-shaped center grille still reflect the first Fit, while the sides have a nice flowing look with a slight rise to the beltline.  The rear has higher-sitting taillights that this version has the Japan-spec unit with outside signal and reverse lamps (the U.S. ones have them inside), and a rather tacky black base tab on the rear bumper.  As in all Tomica Fits the rear hatch opens and yes the hinges do get in the way inside.  The interior has seating for five with right-hand drive layout, 3-spoke steering wheel, tri-pod gauges, and center stack controls detailed on the dashboard.  This second-generation Fit does very well alongside the newer third-generation Fit.

2011 Nissan Leaf

With electric vehicles starting to reappear in 2010 from a few automakers, including Tesla, Nissan surprised many when they unveiled their production Leaf with no concept car to preview it or any insider information.  Unlike the Chevy Volt coverage the Leaf was hush-hush to the media.  The Leaf has unique styling in a 5-door hatchback profile much different than the Prius with a grill-less front that has large headlights/signal lights that help direct air around the vehicle, the center Nissan badge is also the cover for the charging ports.  Out back the D-pillars sweep up and are greeted by vertical LED taillight strips.  The second-generation looks much less distinct as it could be confused with the Versa Note.  The interior has a soft feel with round curves, large central stack on the dashboard, digital gauges, and a round, flat knob as the drive selector.  The engine up front is a 80KW single electric motor good for 110 horsepower and up to 138 mile cruising range.

Tomica did a great job on this one even if there are no opening parts and the back window is part of the metal body.  The front has large clear headlights that are part of the window trim, center charging port cover, and lower grille with foglights.  The sides show off the swooping D-pillar and 5-spoke Tomica wheels that fit perfectly with this car, while the rear has the detailed LED taillights and a rather large handle for the rear hatch.  The interior has that same cream white color as the real vehicle with detailed 3-spoke steering wheel, center stack controls, center console with stubby shift knob, and seating for five.  For 2017 Tomica has released the second-generation version, but I don’t think it’ll have the charm as this first-generation Leaf.

Toyota Aqua (Prius C)

This last one will get your attention with its Habanero orange color, it’s the smallest Prius offering called Aqua or Prius C in the U.S.  The Aqua was part of a plan back in the mid-2000’s when the Prius sales were off the charts and Toyota was looking for ways to expand the Prius model line.  Next to the regular Prius was the Prius Alpha, or Prius V, wagon and the smaller city car Aqua.  All three share the same powertrains, with the C down on power and content is less than the larger sibilings.  The front has more of the Prius look with a more typical subcompact look, offset by brighter colors and an abbreviated rear with vertical taillights.  The interior has a much less inviting layout with hard surfaces and crude layouts compared to the simple and flowing layouts of the other Prius models.  The engine is a 1.5L DOHC I-4 that is pared to a parallel electric motor to produce 99 horsepower total through a CVT transmission for 48 MPG city and 43 MPG highway.

This orange really does catch your attention as the rest of the car might not.  The front has flowing headlights that cut short in the middle to allow the mail slot grille with blue hybrid Toyota badge and lower grille to take prescence.  Signal lights take up residence on the bumper next to the lower grille, while the sides show a traditional hatchback profile with rising D-pillar similar to the Leaf and skinny Tomica wheels.  The rear has vertical taillights in silver, a rear spoiler, and a hybrid badge on the rear gate.  Underneath you can see some of the engine and electric hybrid setup with the exhaust leading to the twist beam rear axle, while inside the 5-seat interior has the detailed dashboard with central-mounted gauges and a typical shifter knob and gate instead of the fancy joystick in other Prius models.   This is just a few of what Tomica has to offer when it comes to fuel-efficient city vehicles.