Prius Drive Train in 1st Gen Previa Van

Not sure where to post this... it’s just a musing I thought I’d share, not really asking for help. Would love to hear people’s thoughts though.

So this is a hypothetical idea, that would be really cool if implemented properly, but seems like a lot of work, and almost unnecessary, as hybrid vans are finally coming available.

I totaled my 2010 Prius II. It still runs and drives, just exterior damage. I was thinking about buying it back from the insurance company, and attempting to do a drive train swap into a first generation Previa van. I’ve always liked the Previa, thinking it resembled a futuristic space shuttle. It would be cool to modernize this to use an engine with better fuel economy. It would make road trips more enjoyable as I could get the best of both worlds: better MPG and more cabin space.

I know very little about the inner workings of a Previa, but I do know the engine is mounted under the front seats. I wonder if the Prius’s Synergy Drive would fit in this space. I imagine the ECU and wiring would all have to be transplanted, as well as several pieces of the dash, (digital readout system). It would probably take a lot of custom fabrication to make it all fit correctly, let alone look good.

The biggest question is: would the Prius engine be powerful enough to pull the weight of a Previa, at safe speeds and acceleration. And would it have any negative affect on the life of the drive train. It would likely need recalibrated for gear ratio, to run efficiently and display the proper speed on the readout. I wonder if that’s even possible.

The pedals might have to be transplanted too, because the Prius controls the throttle digitally, while the Previa most likely uses a cabled throttle.

If I did this, I’d call it the Toyota Previus.