Every Car Powered By The Legendary 2JZ Engine, Ranked By Price

There aren’t many engines from the ’90s and ’00s that are more legendary than the 2JZ. This inline-6 from the JZ family of engines powered various Toyota and Lexus models over the years. Some of those models have become celebrated as proper classics. It’s also been the power unit of choice for many creative engine swaps. Everything from BMWs to Ladas has been given the 2JZ swap treatment, and the results have been spectacular at times.

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The 2JZ came in multiple formats and states of tune over its production run. The two most known variants are the original 2JZ-GE naturally-aspirated version and the 2JZ-GTE twin-turbocharged version. Toyota’s VVT-i Variable Valve Timing was added from 1995, and a direct injection version called the 2JZ-FSE was introduced in 2000. Some of them are noticeably cheaper to obtain than others on the used market. With this in mind, we decided to rank all the 2JZ-powered Toyota and Lexus models by price.

9

Toyota Brevis

Used Price: $8,500

Specs

Engine	Read Also 3 week ago The One-Year Chevy Work Truck That Hid A Chevelle SS Big-Block 40 autotech 3.0-liter inline 6
Transmission	5-speed automatic (RWD), 4-speed automatic (AWD)
Power	217 hp
Torque	217 lb-ft
Drivetrain	RWD, AWD

The Toyota Brevis is probably a car that you’ve never heard of before. It’s a mid-sized sedan that shares a platform with the Toyota Altezza (known internationally as the Lexus IS). It had two engine options, one of them being the 2JZ-FSE. It was available in either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive and was a noticeably more upmarket-looking car than the Altezza it’s based on.

Perhaps due to how little known it is, the Toyota Brevis is one of the cheapest entry points into owning a car with a 2JZ engine. A Brevis with the 2JZ option such as this one will typically set you back just over $6,300 if you buy one through the auctions in Japan. The Toyota Brevis may not be the most exciting entry point into 2JZ ownership. But, it definitely won’t break the bank!

8

Toyota Progres

Used Price: $8,731

Specs

Like the Toyota Brevis mentioned earlier, the Toyota Progres is a car you’ve probably never heard of before. The Progres is mechanically very similar to the Altezza-based Brevis, to the point of having the same engine options. This included the 2JZ-FSE engine. As the Brevis’s twin, the Progres was aimed at a slightly different market and sold in different Toyota outlets.

The Toyota Progres, much like its Brevis sibling, is one of the cheapest entry points into owning a car with the legendary 2JZ engine. A used Progres with the 2JZ engine can be yours for just over $8,700 if you get one through the Japanese auctions. What you get for that money is a big, plush sedan with a great engine. What more could you ask for?

7

Toyota Crown

Used Price: $9,136 (8th generation), $8,050 (9th generation), $8,835 (10th generation), $5,456 (11th generation)

Specs

The Toyota Crown is a staple of JDM car culture. It’s one of Toyota’s longest-running nameplates. The first generation of the Crown was introduced in 1955 and it recently made a comeback. The Crown has had several different variations during its production run. The most well-known among enthusiasts include the Crown Royal, the Crown Majesta and the Crown Athlete. The Crown Athlete Station Wagon especially has a reputation for being an incredible sleeper car.

As you’d expect from a premium Toyota product, the generations of the Crown produced from the early ’90s to the early ’00s were offered with the 2JZ engine as an option. The 8th to 11th generations used the 2JZ-FE engine, with a mild hybrid version using the 2JZ-FSE being a part of the 11th generation’s lineup.

While the Toyota Crown is a legendary car in JDM circles, it’s typically not as desirable as other cars that have the 2JZ engine as an option. Several of the most desirable Crown variants also use the 1JZ engine or one of Toyota’s in-house V8s. As a result, you can pick them up for a lower price than you might think! A 10th-generation crown with a 2JZ engine can be had for an average of just over $8,800. 8th generation examples tend to go for slightly more money, while 9th-generation examples go for a bit less. 11th-generation examples with a 2JZ can be had for as little as just under $5,500. It seems like there’s a 2JZ-engined Crown for almost any budget level!

6

Toyota Mark II

Used Price: $10,228

Specs

Like the Toyota Crown mentioned earlier, the Toyota Mark II is another staple of JDM car culture. Unlike the crown, however, it was sold outside the Japanese market for a time! It was available in the US as the Toyota Cressida and many Americans still remember it fondly. That could partly be because of how easy it was to turn into an absolute monster! Most importantly, though, the 7th and 8th generations of the Mark II were available with the 2JZ-GE engine.

Even though the Mark II is a big name in the JDM scene, getting one that’s powered by a 2JZ engine is still relatively attainable. The most desirable versions of the Mark II often had the 1JZ instead, so the values of 2JZ-powered versions haven’t climbed as steeply as you might expect. Mark II’s go for an average of nearly $10,300 in the used market, with 2JZ-equipped examples being on the higher end of those average prices.

5

Toyota Altezza Gita/Lexus IS300

Used Price: $14,414 (Lexus IS300), $13,246 (Toyota Altezza Gita)

Specs

The Toyota Altezza or Lexus IS for those outside of Japan, is widely praised by enthusiasts. That’s especially the case for the models powered by the mighty 2JZ. In Japan the 2JZ was only available in the Altezza Gita, the station wagon version. But outside its home market, the Lexus version of the car allowed buyers to have the 2JZ in the sedans as well. The IS300 gained a reputation in North America and Europe for being a proper sleeper car. It had great performance from the factory, and all the aftermarket mods for the 2JZ worked on it.

There was a time when the Toyota Altezza or the Lexus IS300 was the cheapest way into 2JZ ownership. The 2JZ-engined models have become more desirable as time’s gone on, though. The Toyota Altezza Gita will set you back a minimum of over $13,000 on the Japanese market, while a US-market Lexus IS300 will cost you even more on average at over $14,000. If you didn’t get an Altezza Gita or an IS300 back when they were cheap, you may have missed the boat a little bit!

4

Toyota Aristo/Lexus GS300

Used Price: $13,282 (Toyota Aristo), $14,450 (Lexus GS300)

Specs

The Toyota Aristo, known as the Lexus GS outside Japan, has won praise from enthusiasts in the same way its Toyota Altezza/Lexus IS little brother has. Crucially, it was also available with the 2JZ engine. Unlike the Altezza/IS300, a Japanese market version of the Aristo was available with the twin-turbocharged 2JZ-GTE variant of the engine. This V300 Vertex model has become highly-sought after by JDM enthusiasts. They’re proper sleeper cars, with only cosmetic modifications giving away that they’ve got the same engine that powered the twin-turbo versions of the A80 Toyota Supra under the hood.

Like the Toyota Altezza/Lexus IS300, the Toyota Aristo/Lexus GS300 was once one of the cheapest ways into 2JZ ownership. That’s not so much the case, as the car’s desirability has pushed prices up. Aristos tend to go for just over $13,000 on the used market, with the twin-turbo V300 Vertex models demanding higher premiums. US-market GS300s now go for nearly $14,500.

3

Toyota Soarer/Lexus SC300

Used Price: $15,544

Specs

When it comes to ’90s JDM legends, one of the ones that enthusiasts always talk about is the Toyota Soarer. Sold as the Lexus SC outside of Japan, the Soarer was a luxury coupe that was built on the same platform as the A80 Toyota Supra (we’ll talk about that car in a little bit). Most importantly, though, the Soarer was available with the 2JZ-GE engine. This version was known as the Lexus SC300 internationally and had two different tunes of the engine over its lifespan. This is due to it getting the VVT-i version of the engine from 1997.

The Toyota Soarer is a desirable JDM car. As a result, its value has gone up significantly over the years. They go for just over $15,500 on average on the used market. While that might seem a steep price to pay for a ’90s JDM car with a 2JZ engine, it’s a lot less than some that are out there.

2

Toyota Origin

Used Price: $15,647

Specs

The Toyota Origin is perhaps one of the oddest vehicles Toyota ever produced for the Japanese market. It was designed as a tribute to the original Toyota Crown from the 1950s. As a result, it has a lot of weird and quirky features. These include suicide doors at the rear, an unusual rearward-slanted C-pillar and retro-style jewel tail lights. More importantly here, though, its only engine option was the 2JZ.

The Origin was once a forgotten model in Toyota’s history. But, a lot of enthusiasts have started discovering it, and its rarity has become a selling point in recent years. As a result, it’s become a fairly expensive way to get into 2JZ ownership. Going through the Japanese auction system, you’re not going to find one for any cheaper than just north of $15,600. Its rarity compared to other 2JZ-engined cars might benefit you in the long run, though. There’s no way that the Origin will become any less valuable as time goes on. Given enough time, it could become a genuine classic like the 1950s Toyota Crown it’s a tribute to.

1

Toyota Supra MkIV

Used Price: $38,710 (non-turbo), $96,627 (turbo)

Specs

When people think of Japanese sports cars, one of the ones everyone will immediately picture is the Toyota Supra. Specifically, they’ll be thinking of the A80 generation produced during the ’90s and early ’00s. We’ll be focusing on that generation here, as it was the only one to have the 2JZ engine. The A80 Supra had both the turbocharged and non-turbocharged variants of the 2JZ, and after 1997 it got the improved VVT-i version of the turbocharged 2JZ.

The legendary reputation of the A80 Supra means that even non-turbo examples have ballooned in value. Specific examples have sold for eye-watering prices. A non-turbo one will set you back just over $38,700 on average. You’ll have to get your wallet out for a turbocharged one, as those have an average value of over $96,600!

Sources: classic.com, carfromjapan.com, Toyota