This time, we looked at Toyota vehicles on sale as of May 2024, ranked by the largest minimum turning radius. Japan, in particular, has many narrow roads, and many people live in areas where large vehicles are not an option due to their limited maneuverability. We hope this information will be helpful when making your purchase.
What is the minimum turning radius?
The minimum turning radius is the radius of the circle drawn by the outermost front wheel when turning a car with the steering wheel turned to its limit. The smaller the minimum turning radius, the more maneuverable the car is. The minimum turning radius is measured at the center point of the tire width. The value also varies depending on the length of the wheelbase and tire size. Just because a car has a small body size does not necessarily mean it is maneuverable. The minimum turning radius is set at 12m or less according to safety standards for road transport vehicles.
Toyota’s ranking of cars with poor maneuverability
We ranked the vehicles based on manufacturer values. As expected, the large Hilux has the least maneuverability, with a minimum turning radius of 6.4m. Following it are the Land Cruiser series and the Century.
| Ranking | Car model name | Minimum turning radius |
full length | Overall width | Overall height | Wheelbase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | Hilux | 6.4m | 5,320mm | 1,835mm | 1,800mm | 3,085mm |
| 2nd place | Land Cruiser 70 | 6.3m | 4,890mm | 1,870mm | 1,920mm | 2,730mm |
| 3rd place | Land Cruiser 250 | 6.0m | 4,925mm | 1,980mm | 1,925mm | 2,850mm |
| 4th place | Land Cruiser 300 | 5.9m | 4,965mm 4,985mm |
1,985mm 1,990mm |
1,885mm 1,925mm |
2,850mm |
| 5th place | Century (sedan) | 5.9m | 5,335mm | 1930mm | 1,505mm | 3,090mm |
| 5th place | Alphard | 5.9m | 4,995mm | 1,850mm | 1,935mm | 3,000mm |
| 5th place | Vellfire | 5.9m | 4,995mm | 1,850mm | 1,935mm | 3,000mm |
| 8th place | MIRAI | 5.8m | 4,975mm | 1,885mm | 1,470mm | 2,920mm |
| 9th place | Crown Sedan | 5.7m | 5,030mm | 1,890mm | 1,475mm | 3,000mm |
| 9th place | Harrier | 5.5m 5.7m |
4,740mm | 1,855mm | 1,660mm | 2,690mm |
| 9th place | RAV4 | 5.5m 5.7m |
4,610mm | 1,865mm | 1,690mm | 2,690mm |
| 12th place | bZ4x | 5.6m | 4,690mm | 1,860mm | 1,650mm | 2,850mm |
| 12th place | Grand Ace | 5.6m | 5,300mm | 1970mm | 1,990mm | 3,210mm |
| 14th place | Century (SUV) | 5.5m | 5,205mm | 1,990mm | 1,805mm | 2,950mm |
| 14th place | Voxy | 5.5m | 4,695mm | 1,730mm | 1,850mm | 2,850mm |
| 14th place | Noah | 5.5m | 4,695mm | 1,730mm | 1,850mm | 2,850mm |
| 17th place | Crown Crossover | 5.4m | 4,930mm | 1,840mm | 1,540mm | 2,850mm |
| 17th place | Crown Sport | 5.4m | 4,720mm | 1,880mm | 1,570mm | 2,770mm |
| 17th place | Prius | 5.4m | 4,600mm | 1,780mm | 1430mm | 2,750mm |
| 20th place | Yaris Cross | 5.3m | 4,185mm | 1,765mm | 1,580mm | 2,560mm |
| 20th place | GR Yaris | 5.3m | 3,995mm | 1,805mm | 1,455mm | 2,560mm |
| 20th place | Corolla Touring | 5.3m 5.0m |
4,495mm | 1,745mm | 1,460mm | 2,640mm |
| 20th place | Corolla Sport | 5.3m 5.1m |
4,375mm | 1,790mm | 1,460mm | 2,640mm |
| 24th place | Corolla Cross | 5.2m | 4,490mm | 1,825mm | 1,620mm | 2,640mm |
| 24th place | Aqua | 5.2m | 4,095mm | 1,695mm | 1,485mm | 2,600mm |
| 26th place | Yaris | 5.1m | 3,940mm | 1,695mm | 1,500mm | 2,550mm |
| 27th place | Rise | 4.9m 5.0m |
3,995mm | 1,695mm | 1,620mm | 2,525mm |
| 28th place | Roomy | 4.6m | 3,705mm | 1,670mm | 1,735mm | 2,490mm |
summary
What do you think? I’m sure there were some surprising car models. The minimum turning radius is greatly affected not only by body size but also by tire size. Furthermore, in my opinion, once it exceeds 5.5m, it becomes increasingly difficult to turn even when turning the steering wheel. If you are not confident in your driving skills, even if there is a car model you want, I would recommend that you take a test drive and turn the steering wheel to make sure you can drive it yourself before purchasing. I hope this will be helpful when you make your purchase.
Toyota
