The Toyota Picnic’s 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated gasoline engine, and 2.2-liter diesel mill, were not the most eager performers. Toyota clearly tuned both powerplants for economy, rather than sporty driving: Producing no more than 128 horsepower (90 horsepower for the diesel), the Picnic takes about 11 seconds to reach 0-60 mph with its four-speed automatic gearbox (a five-speed manual was available).
The upside with the drivetrain is good fuel economy, as a gasoline-powered Picnic achieves about 25 mpg (up to 9.5 liters/100km). The diesel is more economical with its 31 mpg rating (7.7 liters/100km). However, the Picnic’s standout features are safety and reliability. It got a four out of five-star safety rating from the European New Car Assessment Programme, and received exceptional build quality and dependability scores.
According to Auto ABC surveys, the Toyota Picnic had an 8.3% average failure rate, and only 3.3% had defects during roadworthiness testing. The numbers are impressive, considering the cars were about six years old at the inspection time.
Toyota UK’s PR and Social department even came up with a one-off Toyota Picnic Sport Turbo variant. This souped up Picnic came with a 210-horsepower 3S-GTE engine from a second-gen Toyota MR2 just for fun — proof that the Picnic’s platform could handle more power and go-fast mods, without penalizing its reliable reputation.
Toyota discontinued the Picnic in 2010, but the brand’s untarnished reputation for durability and reliability continues today.
