"Our thought was, don't lose the space, do gain the performance," explained Cartabiano. He added, "But we needed to package all that interior space. So we started with that iconic wedge shape and a high beltline. And I wanted it to have an aggressive, strong face."

Cartabiano continued, "Today's minivans have a needle-nose quality. Everybody is trying to push the front really low to try to disguise the fact that the vehicle is a van. We didn't want to do that. We wanted this bold, in-your-face front end. We wanted to create presence. We want this thing recognizable. When they see it in their rearview mirrors, we want people to say, 'Oh yeah, that's the Toyota F3R!'"

Additionally, said Hunter, the design team wanted to add a quality known as "the J-factor"to the design of Toyota F3R's nose.

Hunter explained, "We define 'J-factor' as design elements rooted in Japanese culture that are common to Toyota as a Japanese company and will appeal to American tastes. There are a lot of vans with robust noses driving around in Japan and we are trying to impart some of that thinking into the F3R."

What the team wound up with just might be one of the more unique and recognizable front-end treatments to be seen in a while. To get there, Cartabiano started with a front-three-quarter view so he could concentrate on a nose with sculpted, high-mounted headlamps, which help hide the front fascia's corners, and on its wedge profile.

Cartabiano explained, "One of our main things is the wedge, the iconic profile. Most minivans taper toward the back. We tried to go against that grain. The sideline of the roof rises toward the back to provide room for our three rows of seating. The floor rises for stadium seating, and this wedge allows you do to this. The result is that the third row no longer is punishment, no longer is the penalty box that you don't want to ride in. It has just as much room as the first and second rows."

With the basic shape of Toyota F3R set in his mind, and with a front-end concept sketched, Cartabiano began thinking of the rest of Toyota F3R's surfaces, using what he describes as "wet and dry surface taste."

For Toyota F3R's flanks, he chose a highly sculpted, flowing - or wet - shape, with fender flares smoothly integrated into the body. And for the nose and rear he went the opposite direction, choosing very clean lines and surfaces that are very simple - or, in designer-speak, dry.

Then he applied some three-dimensional shaping to the beltline, or shoulder, to get the cabin inset, so that the lower body looks wider than the greenhouse, or upper cabin.

And he came up with a rocker-panel section that incorporates what he calls a comet light-catch.
Cartabiano said, "I wanted a really strong rocker panel that plants the car on the ground, gives it a stable stance. I call it 'comet' because it catches a highlight and it has a comet shape. It goes from thin to thick and then trails off like a comet tail."

"From a conceptual point of view, this an extremely roomy vehicle in an intelligently sized exterior. It has more interior space than you normally would have," said Cartabiano. "That was done with a long wheelbase, which gives you more length inside. Moving those wheel wells out of the way is how we get the third-row row seating with a lot of legroom. And we needed headroom, so thanks to the wedge shape, the roof is higher, floor is angled and elevated to provide a better view from all the rows. Then there's the door arrangement, with three per side, allowing access to all three rows. This is much better than what you normally would have, and it creates more the sense of a personal and sporty vehicle."

The result is that the F3R looks like a stylish performance vehicle. But the feeling inside is very airy and light.

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