Photo: screenshot from Youtube/edited by autoevolution
So, you were overly-impressed when Ford came with the pillar-less sliding doors on the B-Max model, eh? Their technology wasn’t really as new as they sustained, because Japan had this already on the Toyota Isis since 2004.
As Japanese are wired a bit different than us, they came with all sort of technologies for vehicles and other appliances, such as the automatic seatbelts if you remember. Or the large MPVs with no B pillars.
Actually, the Toyota Isis is pillar-less only on the passenger side. They both slide to open, but because on the passenger side there is no B-pillar, you can open the front door also to create a huge opening, which allows for better accessibility, slide the captain chairs, fold and even tumble them in a more compact position to make room for other stuff.
Oh, forgot to mention that this type of door, which they call “panoramic”, has been used since 1997 on the Toyota Raum mini MPV.
And as you will see in the walkaround video bellow, the Isis (name which got borrowed from the Goddess of motherhood and fertility) makes a perfect car for soccer moms there. Enough room for six children and their sports equipment, strong plastic trimmings, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, infotainment system, key-less entry and more.
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