cars blog: Toyota Mark X

Toyota Mark X Auto Park (swearing muted)

The Mark X (Japanese: トヨタ・マークX) is a mid size automobile created by Toyota for the Japanese market. The Mark X was introduced in 2004 and is manufactured in Kanegasaki, Iwate, Japan. Also sold in China as the Reiz, it is available with either a 253 horsepower (189 kW) 3.0 L or 212 horsepower (158 kW) 2.5 L GR series V6 engine. Both engines offer dual VVT-i (variable valve timing) with gasoline direct injection(Japanese models only). The rear-wheel drive models have a 6-speed automatic transmission as standard, and the all-wheel drive models have a 5-speed automatic.The Mark X is the successor to the Mark II which was first introduced in 1968, was known in the North American market as the Corona Mark II starting in 1972 and the Cressida from 1977 to 1992 and was the predecessor to the introduction of Lexus. The Mark X is not pronounced "Mark Ten" but "Mark Ex", though the Mark II is "Mark Two". The Mark X is an alternative to the Toyota Camry for buyers who like the size of the Camry, but prefer a front engine rear drive powertrain with the option to add all wheel drive, which the Camry doesn't offer. The Mark X is a combination of previous Mark II siblings, the sport oriented Toyota Chaser, and the luxurious Toyota Cresta in one vehicle, letting the Camry appeal to buyers who traditionally purchased the conservatively styled and equipped Mark II in the past, repeating an approach previously attempted by the short lived Toyota Verossa that used straight 6 engines, whereas the Mark X uses V6 engines.Both the first and second generation Mark X were manufactured at the Motomachi Plant in Japan.