Earlier in the week, I had the chance to drive a 2ZZ-GE Toyota Fielder, and I must admit—it’s not your regular workhorse Fielder. It’s actually a Yamaha in Toyota clothing. And for most people, that wouldn’t mean much since Yamaha isn’t really big on automobiles but motorcycles. Still, an engine is an engine, and if you’ve heard anything about Yamaha bikes, they love to rev high and go fast!
The Toyota Fielder gets a good rep in Kenya for being an overpriced wagon that offers reliability, fuel efficiency, and the ability to take a donkey’s beating without punishing the owner when it’s time to visit the mechanic. For those petty reasons, the Toyota Fielder is a gem in the country, stagnating between KES 500,000 and KES 700,000. But here’s the best part—for a 9th-generation model developed between 2003 and 2008. The newer models retail for more than KES 1 million.
Still, the most popular variant of the Toyota Fielder (part of the Corolla lineage) is the one that features a 1.5-liter 1NZ-FE. This trim offers a meager 110 hp and 100 lb-ft of torque. It’s not a comfortable car by all means, but if it were a human, it’d be that guy who works a regular job, always pays his taxes, is home by 7 pm, loves his kids, goes to church every Sunday, and avoids getting into trouble by all means.
The 2ZZ-GE Toyota Fielder, on the other hand, is the opposite of the 1NZ-FE Fielder. They share everything other than mannerisms. This Fielder was a Toyota Racing Development (TRD) project in collaboration with Yamaha, and the product was a ballistic performance on a regular wagon. The 2ZZ-GE Fielder is the love child of Yamaha and Toyoya – the ultimate sleeper wagon.
The 2ZZ-GE Toyota Fielder features a 1.8-liter VVT-Li engine developed by Yamaha that produces 187 hp. That’s a ton of power over its lazy 1NZ-FE sibling, which offers a meager 110 hp. It came with a 4-speed automatic or a 5-speed or 6-speed manual. Down below, it featured brake discs on the front and rear on top of independent suspension.
The 2ZZ-GE engine was also popular on the Celica and the Toyota Run X Aerotourer Z – the Toyota Fielder’s younger but zestier cousin.
Since the 2ZZ-GE Fielder received both the Toyota and Yamaha treatment, it offered the comfort of high revs and a thin line between performance and fuel efficiency. For heavy footers, this Fielder would offer the thrill of performance, and for the efficiency-conscious, it would run like a regular old fuel-efficient Toyota.
Check out the video below of our review of the 2ZZ-GE Toyota Fielder in action. Like and share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Follow @motindechu on Instagram and Twitter/X.com
