Majorette Lexus RX400h, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon

As mentioned in the previous article Majorette has made quite a lot of strides in the car-based SUV's in the last decade and here's a few more examples from the first hybrid SUV, the first SUV to spawn three different castings, and a classic throwback to an anti-SUV design by Toyota.

Lexus RX400h

Toyota was probably not one of the first hybrid cars on sale in the U.S., that went to Honda with the Insight, but give credit to Toyota for refining the hybrid into something useful.  In the beginning the Prius used a gas motor that was assisted by the electric motor, meaning the car always had the gas engine on and could never run on electric power.  That changed in the second-generation Prius that used a parallel twin electric motor setup: one that was connected to the engine for charging and assist, while the second motor was the drive motor that could run on battery power alone for short period of time.  This new hybrid was so successful that other companies started to adopt the design, and eventually the motor would grow to larger offerings including the Camry Hybrid and the Lexus RX400h and twin the Toyota Highlander Hybrid.  The second-generation RX400 has carried on the futuristic styling of the previous-generation with a more smoother approach that looks good and still looks modern today.  The interior has a spacious feel with well laid-out controls and shifter still on the dashboard.  The hybrid engine is now a 3.0L DOHC V6 hooked up to the parallel electric motor, and that's not all as a rear electric motor gives the RX an all-wheel drive setup.  The setup produces 268 horsepower.

In dark blue this Majorette casting looks very nicely done despite the lack of any opening parts.  The front has detailed projector beam headlights with circles that look rather big, front grille details with the Lexus badge, and a lower bumper with foglights and a higher lower chin.  The sides show a smooth SUV profile with D-pillar rake and 5-spoke wheels that perfectly match this SUV.  The rear has a rear spoiler, high-mounted taillights, and a license plate in the liftgate that also serves as the rear base support.  The base underneath is well-detailed and shows off the fuel tank, exhaust system, and the wires that send power from the battery to the electric motor.  Check out that proper spare tire cover at the back!  The interior has seating for five with a detailed dashboard that has the shifter just below the center controls and the 3-spoke steering wheel that sits ahead of a rather flat gauge cluster.  A technological SUV that is styled in a simple SUV layout.

Mitsubishi Outlander

Another SUV making leaps and bounds is the Mitsubishi Outlander.  When it first came out in 2002 it was based on the Lancer sedan so it was small and underpowered.  For the second-generation the SUV grows in size, power, and now looks to take a foothold in the popular SUV craze.  Styling is more wedge-shape, angular with flared fenders to give it a larger and distinct look that is less related to the Lancer sedan.  While the 2.4L I-4 continued on with improvements, the 3.0L SOHC V6 was brought in for the needed power to produce an estimated 230 horsepower through a six-speed automatic and through an all-wheel drive system.  One novelty is the rear liftgate that features the lower section in the bumper that folds down like a bench.  Even more interesting is the platforms that the Outlander has shared with, including Peugeot 4007 and Citroen C-Crossover, both of which also made by Majorette!

Yup, Majorette has made a first by doing all three SUV's based on the same platform, and the relation between the three can be identified by the thick D-pillars at back.  This dark blue Outlander really shows the sporty look of the SUV with a rounded front-end that has detailed headlights which interestingly are stickers not tampo print, black grille with Mitsubishi log, and a lower grille with foglights in the bumper.  On the sides you get flared fenders to better accomidate the large 5-spoke wheels and lower silver trim along the doors.  The rear has taillights high on the liftgate like the Lexus and like the Murano has that gigantic trailer hitch to ruin the looks of the SUV.  Also like the Lexus it has no opening parts and a plastic base with detailed driveshaft, exhaust, and rear spare tire cover.  Inside the interior has a surprise seating for seven, though the third row is best suited for children.  The dashboard features a 3-spoke steering wheel, center stack controls, and a center console with floor shifter.  It's a very nicely done SUV that also has two other versions that are just about the same with distinct styling.

Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon

I remember when I was young my neighbor's son was a Toyota technician and so he was able to offer his parents and neighbor next to him Toyota's at discounts.  One of those vehicles that I remember the most was the rather odd Tercel 4WD wagon.  Odd considering that the Tercel, the subcompact of Toyota, had a wagon and offered with with four-wheel drive!  That was the interesting case of Toyota back in the 1980's as the Tercel offered something that Subaru had yet to offer at the time: wagons that could run with the larger SUV's in the rough stuff.  Since the Tercel was still front-wheel drive the application of four-wheel drive was simple as the transfer case was connected to the engine and sent power to the rear wheels to a rear axle based on the Celica.  However, there was no full-time on-demand power as a knob was used to activate the rear wheels and the six-speed manual transmission was actually a five-speed with a very low 1st gear used as the subsitute for low-range four-wheel drive.  Elsewhere this was your basic Tercel wagon with a slightly raised roofline to make the rear seats a bit more spacious, large drop down quarter windows, and a rear liftgate that has a black bezel for the license plate, hatch release, and reverse lamp.  The engine is a 1.5L SOHC I-4 that produced 90 horsepower and was not as fast, nor as confident in the rough stuff as the small wagon with a slight rise in ground clearance could get stuck in deep off-road situations.

Making this casting popular now can be thanked by the AMC series "Breaking Bad" as Jesse's new ride after his lowerider Monte Carlo was shot up in the second season.  While I used to have the fluorescent orange version, I decided to go for a more cool blue approach with 4WD across the doors like on the real car to let you know what you have.  The front has headlights that are part of the metal base, side marker lights, and a lower bumper with signal lights and a grille that is part of the interior piece.  The sides show off the ribbed roof and lower quarter windows with 6-spoke wheels that are a proper fit on this casting.  The rear has the best detailing of the bunch with the license plate retainer featuring European letters and numbers, vertical taillights, TOYOTA stamped on the upper portion of the liftgate, 4WD badge on the gate, and a trailer hitch for towing (light stuff).  The Tercel is also known as the Sprinter Carib in other countries, but only Majorette has gone for the Tercel name.  The interior has seating for five with plenty of room in the accessible cargo area thanks to the opening rear hatch.  The dashboard has a simple layout with 3-spoke steering wheel, center stack gauges, and shifter on the floor with rear wheel switch just ahead of the shifter.  This is a very unique wagon in the Majorette lineup that no one else has made much nor has the real car market made as of late: a subcompact hatchback that offers four-wheel drive.  Today subcompact cars are now turned into small SUV's for urban driving rather than for off-road adventures.