During the Covid pandemic, cycling was a popular sport to spend the time while people were stuck in the country. On one of my cycling trips, I went all the way to the east side of Singapore (via dedicated cycling paths) to clear my mind from work. While making a pit stop to buy some water, my eyes fell on this unique 1999 Toyota Picnic at a carpark. I had no idea of its existence previously and was quite glad to have seen it!
First introduced in 1996 at the Tokyo Auto Show, the Picnic (or Ipsum as it was sold in Japan) was Toyota's first real success in Japan's then-new Recreational Vehicle segment. It was originally sold in two-tone with a focus on bright non-primary colours, and could fit seven people comfortably. Two engines were available (2 litre and 2.3 litre), and Japan-specific trim specifications could be had; it was also made the official car of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. It underwent a facelift in 1998, with changes made to the front grille, indicator lamps and instrument cluster.
The Picnic was powered by a 1998 cc Toyota 3S-FE inline-4 engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 175 km/h with an acceleration of 11.7 seconds (0-100 km/h). It had dimensions of 4530 x 1695 x 1620 mm and weighed 1440 kg, with a fuel consumption of 9.5 litres / 100 km.
Production of the Picnic XM10 ended in 2001, where it was replaced by the XM20 generation of which you can still see many on the road today. The Picnic was introduced in Singapore on 1997, where it retailed for S$169,888. Local reviews praised its driver-friendly layout and smooth driving, although it was noted to be a bit cramped for passengers. This particular unit is no longer around and only a red one is left. I was not able to find much comments on the first-gen Picnic, but I presume that it was reliable enough to serve its purpose of being a people-mover. Hopefully you will be able to see the last one in Singapore some day!
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