the name "Previa" is and was used in most parts of the world.... I'm expecting a 4th gen in the near future, despite slow Australian sales, zero European sales (3rd gen discontinued)... sales are very strong across Asia, beating out the 3rd gen Mazda MPV (the Odyssey as we know it isn't sold in many countries, and the Nissan Quest is a different class of van sold as the posh Nissan Elgrande)

"Estima" is a Japan only name, and the "Lucida" and "Emina" names are variants of the Estima, both are 1st gens only... officially they are called with the full names "Estima Lucida" and "Estima Emina"... both have different front and rear fascias with slightly different interior trim and options... both are narrow bodied to skate around Japanese vehicle classification/tax laws... these were sold only in Japan... these are the only "Previas" (that we are familiar here) that were available in the infamous 3C-T 2.2l turbo diesel engine... I heard of one guy swapping in that engine into his (wide bodied) Previa in Hawaii... 2nd and 3rd gen Previas being FWD (Camry chassis based), came with the diesel option mostly for Europe only.... S/C was never an option in the Lucida or Emina

the "Tarago" was pretty much an Australian only nameplate for the "Previa"... interestingly, the Hong Kong version of the Previa is an Aussie version, except it was sold with Previa badges... the Chinese version was neither a Europe or US variant, it had bits and pieces of both, along with different spec suspension components aimed at the "rest of world" markets

because the name "Previa" was used in most parts of the world, for all intents and purposes, calling any of these vans a "Previa" is good enough

also, the "AllTrac" name was US only, so in other parts of the world, including Canada, they are called "4WD"


speaking of S/C... that was only an option for Japan, USA, and Canada... as you may already know, it features a beefier tranny that is borrowed off the 4Runner, and is auto only along with a taller final drive... what you probably didn't know is, it features a 1mm larger sway bar that is borrowed off the Euro-spec Previa... it also has a larger panhard arm, shorter upper trailing links in the rear suspension for a different rear caster setup

the middle east spec 98-99 Previas also feature an improved cooling system along with an auxiliary electric condenser fan (parts borrowed off the E100 Corolla)

manual transmission versions continued to be sold outside of USA and Canada... they were all non-S/C... Japan never got manual versions... only the Emina/Lucida got manual versions but not many were sold in the later years... needless to say, the 2nd and 3rd gen Estimas do not have manual versions, while the export 2nd/3rd gen Previas (we don't see and wish we did) do have manual versions

non-US/Canada Previas have tachometers, regardless of transmission... is it adaptable to a US spec? not without a lot of rewiring because the tach gauge clusters uses 4 connectors instead of 3 the non-tach cluster uses
dashboard designs were all the same, except for the Emina/Lucida... Japan got auto climate control for most years... push button controls!... dual airbags came at the same time as the US versions
8 seater versions were always available in all countries but USA and Canada... the non-US/Canada 7 seaters feature rear independent suspension, while the 8 seater version uses the solid axle that we are familiar with... obviously, the solid axle suspension is more heavy duty, and simplified design at the expense of handling