Minivans are usually the last place anyone looks for innovation. They’re the cargo shorts of the car world, built for dependable, practical use, always ready to haul something. But every now and then, one shows up wearing sunglasses and asking for a slice of lime. Back in 1984, Toyota decided to give a family van with something extra. It looked like a refrigerator and, to top it off, actually came with an optional ice maker.
Yes, an Actual Icemaker in a Van
Image via Unsplash/Dylan Parton
To be clear, this wasn’t some fancy built-in cooler that kept sodas chilled on road trips. This was a working, shoebox-sized unit in the Toyota Van’s LE trim that made real ice using the same refrigerant lines as the air conditioning system. The design routed air conditioning refrigerant lines to a compact refrigerator unit in the center console. Slide open the little compartment, and you’d find spill‑proof trays ready to freeze cubes while you cruised down the highway.
Toyota simply called it the Van, which is as basic a name as can be. European buyers got a more futuristic-sounding title: the Space Cruiser. That one feels a bit more appropriate, considering how weird and ahead-of-its-time the thing actually was.
It had a cab-over design, meaning the engine sat underneath the driver’s seat. To get to it, you popped the seat forward like you were lifting a trap door. It had rear-wheel drive and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produced 90 horsepower, which was plenty if you weren’t in a rush or climbing a hill. Its short length (about 170 inches) made it tight and nimble, but it still had room to pack in oddball features like, well, a miniature freezer.
Not the Most Practical Idea
Now, before anyone grabs a wrench and starts hunting junkyards for vintage Toyota Van ice machines, it’s worth knowing that it wasn’t exactly the future of in-car amenities. According to longtime enthusiasts on the ToyotaVanTech forums, the system was more fun than functional. It made ice slowly, took up valuable console space, and wasn’t as efficient as modern 12V portable coolers you can plug into a car’s DC outlet.
What it really had going for it was novelty, something to smile about while explaining to your passengers that yes, your van makes its own ice. Whether anyone actually used it much is debatable.
Toyota eventually replaced the Van with the Previa in 1990, a more streamlined and aerodynamic take on the family hauler. The icemaker didn’t make the cut. The only nod to its chilly past was a simpler, less ambitious insulated “Hot/Cool Box” offered in some European Previa models. Meanwhile, the American versions had to make do with cupholders and hopes for the weather.
Why It Even Existed
Automakers in the 1980s followed the era’s theme of excess, experimentation, and strange ideas that somehow got greenlit. Toyota was coming into its own in the U.S. market and wanted a way to stand out from the domestic minivan crowd. The Chrysler minivan had launched just the year before and was getting all the attention. Toyota needed a gimmick.
Today, the 1984 Toyota Van has a cult following, but finding one with a working factory icemaker is like spotting a unicorn in a drive-thru. Most of the units were removed over the years, and the few that remain are often non-functional or long disconnected.
