The Toyota Premio is a four-door sedan that Toyota sold in Japan from December 2001 until March 2021. Unlike most Toyota nameplates it was never exported; it and its twin, the Allion, stayed on the home market for their entire production run. A 2020 Premio therefore did exist, but only in Japan and only in the long-running second-generation (T260) form. There was no dedicated 2020 redesign, and the model was discontinued within months of that model year. This article covers the car, its verified specifications and why it ended.
A Japan-Only Nameplate
The Premio and Allion were companion sedans aimed at different Toyota retail channels. The Premio was exclusive to Toyopet Store dealerships as a smaller stablemate to the Mark X, while the Allion went to Toyota Store as a companion to the Crown. Both were related to the export-market Avensis. The Premio succeeded the Corona, a nameplate that first appeared in 1957, and the Allion replaced the Carina. The names suit their roles: Premio is Spanish for “premium” or “prize”, while Allion is derived from the phrase “all-in-one”. Size- and price-wise, the E210 Corolla introduced in Japan in 2018 ultimately succeeded both cars.
The pair carried forward two long-running Toyota families. The Corona name had been a mainstay of Toyota’s Japanese range since 1957, and the Carina had been sold since 1970. Consolidating them into the Premio and Allion reduced overlap in a crowded domestic lineup. Both cars were built at Toyota’s Tsutsumi plant in Aichi and were sold alongside imported European models such as the Avensis wagon, a five-door estate that shared their mechanical package.
Generations and Production
The first-generation Premio, coded T240, was produced from December 2001 to June 2007 and offered 1.5-, 1.8- and 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines, paired with either a four-speed automatic or a CVT. It shared its platform with the Caldina and the early Avensis, and its wheelbase was 2,700 mm (106.3 in). The second generation, the T260, arrived in June 2007 and stayed in production for almost fourteen years. Unusually for a modern car, its exterior dimensions did not change across periodic updates, because it was engineered to fit Japan’s compact-car regulations.
The T260 measured 4,565 mm (179.7 in) long, 1,695 mm (66.7 in) wide and 1,475 mm (58.1 in) tall, on a 2,750 mm (108.3 in) wheelbase. Curb weight ranged from about 1,200 to 1,330 kg (2,650–2,930 lb) depending on engine and drivetrain. Drive could be sent to the front wheels or to all four through Toyota’s four-wheel-drive system. Its role as a conventional, understated sedan contrasts with Toyota’s Japanese MPVs such as the 2020 Toyota Estima Review covered elsewhere on this site.
Exterior, Interior and Equipment
The T260 Premio shared its interior appearance and optional equipment with its Allion twin; the two cars differed mainly in exterior and front-end styling. The body was a conventional three-box sedan with a restrained, slightly formal look aimed at older domestic buyers. The first-generation Premio was the more luxurious of the pair, using wood trim and chrome accents, while the Allion was marketed as the sportier, more executive choice. Over the second generation the two converged, with the Premio taking on a more premium equipment list in higher grades.
Because the model was sold only in Japan, equipment followed domestic-market conventions: navigation and infotainment systems engineered for Japanese mapping services, automatic climate control, and an array of safety and comfort options that changed by model year. A useful comparison for buyers interested in Toyota’s larger sedans is our 2020 Toyota Aurion Review and Release Date, which covers the Australian-market V6 car, a very different approach to the same idea of an upscale four-door.
Engine Range and Drivetrain
The second-generation Premio came with a choice of three four-cylinder gasoline engines: a 1.5-liter 1NZ-FE, a 1.8-liter 2ZR-FE and a 2.0-liter 3ZR-FAE. Drive was sent through a continuously variable transmission in this generation, and buyers could specify front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Outputs varied by engine and model year, and because Toyota never marketed the car outside Japan, specifications are documented mainly through domestic sources. For a used buyer the safest approach is to confirm the exact engine code stamped on the vehicle rather than assume a single specification for the whole range.
The Allion Twin and Its Name Today
Although the Japanese Premio and Allion both ended in 2021, the Allion name was revived for an unrelated car. Introduced at the Guangzhou Auto Show in November 2020, the Chinese-market Allion (E210) is a long-wheelbase version of the E210 Corolla built by the FAW Toyota joint venture. Its wheelbase is stretched to 2,750 mm (108.3 in), about 50 mm longer than the standard Corolla, and its body length reaches 4,720 mm (185.8 in). That car slots between the Corolla and the Avalon in the Chinese range and has no mechanical connection to the Premio covered here.
Why It Was Discontinued
On 1 December 2020, Toyota announced that the Premio and Allion would be discontinued from March 2021. That ended the Corona lineage that had started in 1957. The cars had already been superseded in Toyota’s Japanese lineup by the E210 Corolla sedan, introduced in 2018 and sold in place of the long-serving pair. No direct replacement ever wore the Premio badge; the name simply retired after more than sixty years of Corona heritage.
Buying a Used Premio
Because the Premio was a domestic-market model, used examples are concentrated in Japan and reach other countries mainly as imports of Japanese-market cars. Almost all are right-hand drive. Buyers should confirm the engine code, check the CVT service record and inspect the four-wheel-drive system if fitted, since those components are the most expensive to repair. Documentation is often in Japanese, so a pre-purchase inspection by a specialist in Japanese domestic models is worth the cost. A general overview of Toyota’s lineup is available in our Toyota Review section.
