The Toyota Picnic was equipped with a 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated gasoline engine and a 2.2-liter diesel mill, which were designed more for fuel efficiency than for high performance. With a modest output of up to 128 horsepower (90 for the diesel), the Picnic took around 11 seconds to reach 0-60 mph with its four-speed automatic gearbox (it also had a five-speed manual option).

Despite its conservative powertrain, the Picnic delivered good fuel economy, achieving about 25 mpg for the gasoline version (up to 9.5 liters/100km) and 31 mpg for the diesel (7.7 liters/100km). However, its main strengths were in safety and reliability. The Picnic obtained a four out of five-star safety rating from the European New Car Assessment Programme and received high scores for build quality and dependability.

According to Auto ABC surveys, the Toyota Picnic had an average failure rate of 8.3%, with only 3.3% showing defects during roadworthiness testing, impressive figures for vehicles that were approximately six years old at the time of inspection.

Toyota UK’s PR and Social department even created a special edition, the Toyota Picnic Sport Turbo, featuring a 210-horsepower 3S-GTE engine from a second-gen Toyota MR2, demonstrating that the Picnic’s platform could handle more power and modifications without compromising its dependable reputation.

Despite its qualities, Toyota discontinued the Picnic in 2010, but the brand’s legacy for robustness and reliability continues to endure.