Glad to see that there are a lot of people who share my notion that the OTJ design is outdated and needs to be redone.
I agree with dprox's statement that form follows function. Back when I was in college (1992) I took up ME and as a feasibility study, pitched the idea of a redesign of the OTJ, both in its bodywork as well as in its mechanicals. One thing that shouts at me when I look at an open hood of the OTJ is that there is so much wasted space. Where one could have placed a battery compartment, there is nothing but space.
Back in 2005, my father gave me an OTJ to use as I had just sold my '98 corolla to fund my wedding (). It was a very dependable ride that I had absolutely no problems in operating. All the college-era ideas I had suddenly flooded back but I had no time, nor the resources to address it. I figured I'd take it a step at a time. The idea has since taken a back seat since I sold the OTJ two years ago after having acquired an AUV (my family is starting to grow, need all the space I can get. hehehe)
I am certainly not a good artist so my sketches are about at par with that of a grade 1's if not worse.So I'll try to find another way to convey my ideas. Most of my ideas are with the mechanical aspect of the OTJ, the way the engine bay is laid out, the suspension, what can be done to use/adapt the current chassis, etc... If you look at it, a big portion of the OTJ is consumed by the front part - the engine bay, which pushes the cabin back and thereby into the 'tagtag' zone. A more efficient layout would result to a better cabin-forward design and move the passenger area into the comfort zone, while improving driver's visibility.
Hope to contribute to this noble and patriotic effort to bring the ever-dependable OTJ into present times. Long live the OTJ!



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). It was a very dependable ride that I had absolutely no problems in operating. All the college-era ideas I had suddenly flooded back but I had no time, nor the resources to address it. I figured I'd take it a step at a time. The idea has since taken a back seat since I sold the OTJ two years ago after having acquired an AUV (my family is starting to grow, need all the space I can get. hehehe) 












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