Published: July 27, 2016, 9:50 AM
Updated: November 21, 2021, 3:25 PM
12 used-car gems that are ‘Made in Japan’
Many Japanese models are now built in North America but some are still ‘Made in Japan.’
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Made in Japan
“Made in Japan” used to be the punch line to a running joke back in the 1960s, when the phrase was synonymous with shoddy assembly using second-rate materials. By the early 1970s, however, the perception of cheap Japanese consumer goods began to change. Cameras made by Minolta, Canon, Nikon and others were revered for their precision optics. Stereos and colour TV sets that worked flawlessly year after year soon dominated the electronics industry. Then came the cars.
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Quality cred came quickly
Most significantly, the funny-looking little cars and trucks made by Toyota, Datsun (Nissan) and Mazda earned some cred when owners discovered they just kept going and going, until rust did them in. Subsequently, those Japanese brands – there were eight vying for our business at one time – became the quality leaders in the industry, setting the standards for others to match.
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North-American transplants
The Japanese automakers eventually succumbed to pressure to build plants in North America. And while we applaud those highly successful efforts, there are still diehards who want their Japanese autos imported from the island nation, and not compromised by local content rules and lowest-bid suppliers. For them, we highlight 12 late-model used gems that come directly from the land of the rising sun.
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2009-14 Acura TSX
The Acura TSX sports sedan is what has long been sold in Europe as the Honda Accord. Smaller and more lithe than the American-scaled Accord, the TSX featured an upscale interior, lots of standard gear and, with its Euro-spec suspension, an eager-to-please character. It’s been dubbed the four-door Prelude and for good reason: its agile handling recalls one of the best front-wheel-drive cars ever made. Being a Honda product, its 201-hp four-cylinder engine loves to rev, yet it’s averse to gas stations. The slick six-speed manual gearbox is one of the best on the market amnd there’s a five-speed automatic available, too. In response to complaints that the TSX’s four cylinder was short of torque, Acura made its 3.5-L V-6 engine available starting in 2010, but only coupled with the automatic transmission.
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2010-15 Toyota 4Runner
The Toyota 4Runner returned as one of the few genuine body-on-frame sport utilities when the fifth-generation truck was introduced for 2010. With its old school four-wheel-drive apparatus and best-in-class ground clearance, the 4Runner felt unapologetically brash and invincible. Every 2010 and newer 4Runner is powered by a 4.0-L DOHC V-6 enginemaking 270 hp (10 more than the outgoing and lamented 4.7-L V-8) and 278 lb-ft of torque, coupled to a standard five-speed automatic transmission. The truck is lauded for its crossover-like composure, displayed whether running quietly on a freeway or crawling over the Canadian Shield at 5 km/h. Assembled in Japan at Toyota’s Tahara plant – some were also built by Toyota’s Hino heavy-truck division – the 4Runner enjoys a sterling reputation for reliability.
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2009-14 Nissan Cube
Of course the Nissan Cube hails from Japan. Where else could it have come from, except maybe Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob SquarePants’ natural domain? A hit in its island nation, the Cube bravely crossed the ocean in 2009 to be greeted by guffaws. Shoppers disliked the Cube’s exterior, and then changed their minds after stepping inside. The five-seat interior was inspired by the “enveloping curves of a Jacuzzi;” water cues included a ripple motif in the headliner and a wave-shaped instrument panel. The low, flat floor and wide doors made entry and exit drama-free, especially for older buyers, which made up a lot of the Cubists. Underpinned by the front-drive Versa platform and propelled by the same 122-hp, 1.8-L DOHC four-cylinder engine, the Cube was utterly ordinary underneath.
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2008-15 Mitsubishi Lancer
Mitsubishi’s bread-and-sashimi car is the Lancer, a compact that arguably has been around since the 1970s, originally sold as a Dodge-branded import in Canada. Now in its (prolonged) ninth generation, the Lancer represents a sport-flavoured alternative to the usual econobox fare, although it lacks some of the refinement and creature comforts offered by the best-sellers. Its claim to fame is that it forms the basis for the outrageous turbocharged Evolution AWD sedan, proving it must have some sporting bones in its slight body. Base models made do with a 2.0-L DOHC four-cylinder, good for 152 hp; a 168-hp 2.4-L four was a popular upgrade. Lovingly crafted by Japanese robots, Mitsu never rung up enough sales here to contemplate moving production to this side of the Pacific.
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2012-16 Subaru Impreza
The new-for-2012 Subaru Impreza is an example of an automaker’s entry-level product moving considerably upmarket to within pinching distance of its mid-size sedan, in this case, the Legacy. The Impreza’s carefully honed, international shape enveloped a somewhat austere cabin made with good-quality materials. The latest version of Subaru’s flat-four engine shrank to 2.0 litres, but friction was also reduced by 28%, so there’s efficient power – 148 horses – on tap. Subaru’s celebrated symmetrical all-wheel-drive system came standard, and is responsible for making the Impreza feel remarkably planted on the road. An early adopter of continuously variable transmissions, the Impreza uses an optional chain-driven CVT to good effect. This is the last generation of the made-in-Japan Impreza; the 2017 sedans and hatchbacks will be assembled in the U.S.
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2008-12 Lexus ES 350
Toyota’s premium Lexus division is perennially ranked at the top of J.D. Power’s dependability studies (except for the odd year when an interloper displaces it) thanks, in part, to the fact that most Lexi were made in Japan –the sole exception being the popular RX 350 sport-ute, which has been built in Cambridge, Ontario, since 2003, earning quality laurels of its own. The brand’s mainstream sedan, the ES, is tailored for North American tastes, emphasizing posh furnishings, serene isolation and an absorbent ride. One owner characterized it as rolling Valium. Built on the front-drive Camry platform, the ES is a worthy ambassador for the brand, though it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the 2016 and newer models are now being assembled in Kentucky – where the Camry is put together. The previous generation noted here is wholly Japanese-sourced.
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2011-15 Honda CR-Z
Some mistakenly heralded the arrival of the two-seater CR-Z as the resurrection of the CRX, Honda’s lightweight, tossable door wedge from the ‘80s. But the CR-Z was cast 40 cm longer than the CRX and tipped the scales at 1200 kg – a whopping 365 kg more than the 1986 CRX Si. In fact, the CR-Z has more in common with the Honda Insight hybrid five-door hatchback because, alas, the it too is a hybrid. Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system made use of a 113-hp, SOHC 1.5-litre four cylinder engine combined with a 13-hp electric motor powered by nickel-metal hydride batteries. Working together, the output amounted to 122 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque. It was hardly quick, though the CR-Z’s saving grace is its six-speed manual gearbox – the only late-model hybrid to offer one. The 2013 model saw its output raised to a combined 130 hp (huzzah!).
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2014-15 Mazda6
Mazda manufactures more of its models in Japan than just about any other automaker, although its bestseller, the Mazda3, recently shifted its assembly site to Mexico to take advantage of lower labour costs. Conversely, the mid-size Mazda6 migrated back to Japan after its corporate tie-up with Ford unraveled and the car was escorted out of Ford’s Flat Rock, Michigan, assembly plant. The latest generation 6, which was AJAC’s Canadian Car of the Year in 2014, boasts the automaker’s Skyactiv drivetrain technology, which ekes out new efficiencies from the time-honoured gasoline engine. Coupled with weight-saving chassis engineering, the 6 is a glorious driver’s car – even without the optional six-cylinder powerplant its competitors offer. The 2.5-L Skyactiv four-cylinder puts out 184 horsepower while carefully managing every droplet of fuel. It’s no Autobahn-burner, but the efficiency gains are exemplary.
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2009-15 Infiniti FX
Leave it to Nissan’s Infiniti division to put the boots to the old rant about Japanese automotive design being derivative and uninspired. By their own curious admission, Infiniti’s designers were going for the “bionic cheetah” look. The second-generation FX closely copied the previous one until you looked closely: the gaping-maw grille was bigger and the headlights were sculpted to look meaner. Buyers of this unique performance ute could choose between the carryover 3.5-L DOHC V-6 engine in the FX35, good for 303 hp, while the FX50 earned a new 5.0-L DOHC V-8 making 390 hp. Both engines were tied to a new seven-speed automatic transmission. The base V-6 grew to 3.7 litres for 2013, making 325 hp, meriting a model name change to FX37. Drivers cite the responsive engines, talented chassis and technological aids as reasons to own one.
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2007-13 Suzuki SX4
Suzuki Automobiles has moved on from North America to greener pastures in Asia and elsewhere, but it left behind a durable hatchback and sedan that surprised plenty of consumers. Originally designed for the European market by Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Italdesign studio, the SX4 benefited from an unusually tall greenhouse that allowed the seats to be mounted at chair height, greatly aiding entry and egress. Canadians got an affordable front-drive model, while most of the world received the SX4’s unique switchable all-wheel-drive system standard. Its all-aluminum DOHC 2.0-L four cylinder engine churned out 143 hp and 136 lb-ft of torque. A four-door sedan model joined the hatchback for 2008. We like the fact that the Fiat-badged version of the SX4 is called the Sedici, which is Italian for “16,” answering the question: what does 4x4 equal?
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2010-15 Toyota Prius
Toyota engineers revisited just about everything in the third-gen Prius to enhance its fuel-saving ways, including devising a new front-drive platform, although the wheelbase and overall size of the wedge-shaped car remained virtually unchanged. Weight-saving aluminum was employed in the hood, rear hatch, front axle and brake calipers. Inside was a more hospitable cabin, with better materials and a Lexus-like design ethic. A larger 1.8-L DOHC Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine put out 98 hp and 105 lb-ft of torque – up substantially from the previous 1.5-L gasoline engine. The engine’s water pump is electric, making it a beltless powerplant. An AC electric motor contributed to the hybrid system’s combined output of 134 hp, fed by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The Prius delivers the eco goods thanks to some stellar technology that works dependably.
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2007-13 Nissan Rogue
Built on Nissan’s Sentra econobox platform, the Rogue is a five-door crossover assigned to replace the X-Trail, a compact ute that was sold in Canada but not in the U.S. With seating for five, the Rogue cast a shadow barely bigger than the sedan (it’s taller, though). Power is supplied by the familiar 2.5-L DOHC four cylinder engine nicked from the Altima sedan, good for 170 hp – topping the fours found in the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. What makes the Rogue noteworthy is its adoption of a continuously variable automatic transmission from the beginning. Supplied by Nissan subsidiary Jatco, its steel-belt-driven CVT has proven to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Being made in Japan notwithstanding, some early CVTs did give up the ghost early, owners reported. The second-gen Rogue is now built in Tennessee.
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