Toyota CELICA RANGE
The Fashion-Conscious Will Continue To Find Much To Enjoy In
Toyota's Latest Celica, Thinks Jonathan Crouch
Buy a sports coupe and you have to want to make a fashion statement. After all, if you wanted something more practical, you'd buy a saloon, while those in search of pure driving excitement would choose a roadster.
Sports coupe customers care about both these things of course but only to a point. For them, prestige and presence are everything. The car in question must be at the cutting edge of technology nor must it hide the fact in the driveway. All of which explains the thinking behind Toyota's latest Celica, a car designed to meet all of these expectations in full. The car has been upgraded in recent times with a whole package of tweaks to make it stand out on the road and in the showroom. Modifications have been made to both front and rear shock absorbers in order to create a flatter, more comfortable ride, while at the same time improving traction. Changes have also been made to the steering to create a more responsive feel, while small aerodynamic modifications have resulted in superior high-speed stability by reducing rear lift.
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There are bigger front brake discs too. Styling changes run to a revised front grille, a bigger badge and restyled front and rear lamps. Inside, the interior colours are darker, creating what
Toyota hope is a higher quality feel to the cabin. Theres revised
seat trim too, updated heating controls and nicer coloured lighting for the ancillary switchgear and the audio unit.
A wide range of trim levels are now on offer standard, Style, Premium, Premium and Style, T-Sport and GT, plus various special edition variants. Prices start from £16,650.
"A breath of fresh air for dedicated followers of fashion..."
The two main reasons why people buy Celicas are unchanged however. First, that wonderful high-reving 1.8-litre engine. And second, that unmistakable sharp-edged styling - still clean, aggressive and particularly stunning from a front three-quarter view.
The engine continues to be offered in both 140 (VVT-i) and 189bhp (VVTL-i) guises, the latter unit boasting one of the best specific power figures in the world (over 100bhp per litre from a normally aspirated engine). Unfortunately, VVTL-i power is now restricted to buyers of the pricey flagship T-Sport and GT versions. If you cant stretch to at least £21,150, don't let the comparative lack of power put you off buying the 140bhp model. Absolute power has corrupted many a cleverly conceived coupe. In any case, the Yamaha-designed VVT-i 1794cc unit is, on paper at least, anything but slow. Indeed, this 1.
8-litre 140bhp Celica's 0-60mph time of 8.7s comfortably beats most other rivals. You can get the most from it too, thanks to a standard six-speed manual gearbox. This box has shorter ratios in the 189bhp version, which help that car to sixty in just 7.
2s on the way to 140mph. Other aids to an involving driving experience include strong brakes and an impressive engine-speed-sensing power steering system that keeps you constantly in touch with what the front wheels are doing. Toyota has also learned much about suspension systems in the last 10 years, producing a fine set-up perfectly suited to the kind of people who will buy this car. It aims to comfortably absorb poor surfaces at low speeds yet is sufficiently damped for sharp, fluid handling around your favourite back doubles.
Older Celicas tended to suffer from premium pricing but this car seems likely to prove a much more sensible proposition. For one thing, the £16,650 base asking price undercuts obvious competitors from
Alfa Romeo and
BMW. For another, the combined fuel consumption figure of nearly 37mpg (which isnt much lower in the 190bhp model) should make the Toyota the cheapest car in its class to run. Standard equipment includes twin front and side airbags, ABS, a leather-covered steering wheel, electric windows and mirrors, a decent stereo, 16'' alloy wheels and remote central locking. If you want more, the Premium model adds leather, a power sunroof and climate control. The T-Sport gets a set of cracking 17-inch alloy wheels plus a deeper front spoiler and interior upgrades that include leather seats and a CD autochanger. The GT gets a set of dedicated 17-inch alloy wheels with GT wheelcaps, while in the cabin, sports and luxury themes combine in Alcantara suede-effect upholstery and a special knob for the gearshift, both unique to the GT model.
The car also benefits from a sound system with a six-disc CD autochanger. Inside, the three-spoke wheel feels good to hold and the 'drilled' metal pedals lend a sporty, purposeful touch. Despite the extra cabin space boasted by the current generation model, don't expect this car to be any more than a 2+2. Though there's enough legroom for a couple of adults to sit in the back, headroom is at more of a premium. Having said that, the given space is a lot less cramped than that offered by rivals like Audis TT or Alfas GT. We could go on to talk about split-folding rear seats and useful luggage space but we'd be in danger of coming over all practical which would defeat the point of the premise we began with. If you don't like the look of this latest Celica, then you won't buy it and no amount of talk on fuel consumption, cabin space and low running costs will change your mind. Fortunately for Toyota, aesthetic objections are unlikely. The more you admire the clean, distinctive lines, the more details you find to appreciate: the emphatic front grille, the
Ferrari-like bonnet scoop and the beautifully sculpted front and rear lights. All speak of a design team that cared about their creation. In the Japanese, the word 'Celica' translates roughly into our word for 'swan', not an appropriate analogy for some of the unpleasantly styled Celicas of the Seventies and Eighties. This car however, wears its bigger badge proudly, another breath of fresh air for dedicated followers of fashion.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Toyota Celica range
PRICE: £16,650-£22,595 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 13-15
CO2 EMISSIONS: 185-200g/km
PERFORMANCE: [140bhp] 0-60mph 8.7s / Max Speed 127mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [140bhp] (urban) 27.4mpg / (extra urban) 45.6mpg / (combined) 36.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Front and side airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height (mm) 4335/1735/1432
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