Toyota CELICA RED SPECIAL EDITION
Fancy A
Toyota Celica But Want One Thats A Little Bit Different? This Red Special Edition Could Be Just The Ticket. Steve Walker Reports
Their owners may do their damnedest to persuade you otherwise, citing the thrilling handling or exciting performance, but coupes like Toyotas Celica tend to be bought primarily for aesthetic reasons. If you want the best performance for your money, there are track day specials and hot hatchbacks that, for the same sort of cash, will administer a sound pummelling to the Toyota but few can better its high street cachet. Yes, style and exclusivity are whats most important to many coupe buyers and the Red special edition goes beyond standard Celica models on both counts.
A Toyota Celica Red will make a £18,650-shaped dent in your bank balance. Thats some £500 more than the Style model and still £2,500 less than the 189bhp T-Sport that sits atop the range. The Red is based on the Style, it shares the same 140bhp 1.8-litre engine and includes the same equipment, but that extra outlay will secure you a number of tasty extras that set the Red edition apart.
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Toyota are keen to let it be known that the extras found on the Red have a combined value of £1,000. The inference being that the Celica Red package gives you the buyer £500 worth of additional features for free. So, is this an offer that prospective Celica owners should embrace or sniff at? The answer lies in whether or not youre tempted by the assortment of niceties that Toyotas marketing department have had fitted to the Red model. The first thing to clear up about the Celica Red is that it isnt red.
Two paint shades are available - Astral Black or Crystal Silver - with the later being a metallic finish and costing an additional £350. The Red keeps its redness largely confined to the interior where its not difficult to spot the red leather door trim inserts and upholstery. Externally, low key Red badges behind the front wheel arches and a set of particularly nice alloy wheels betray the Celica Reds true identity. These wheels are probably worthy of special mention because, apart from being of an attractive 17-inch 12-spoke design, each one includes a red Celica silhouette on the central wheel cap.
The other exterior feature of note is a rear spoiler of the type found on the more powerful T-Sport model. The Reds equipment levels are as you would find on the Style and that means theres an upgraded CD stereo system with six speakers and a sub-woofer, aluminium-effect pedals, remote central locking, front fog lamps and air-conditioning. All Toyota Celica models come with ABS brakes, twin front and side airbags, electric windows and electric door mirrors, so there arent too many options list boxes that youll feel compelled to tick.
"This is an engine that wills you to put your foot down and it makes the Celica Red a genuinely fun car to drive."
The Celica Red seems to have the aesthetics bases well covered, and the added exclusivity garnered by its special edition status should also bring in the buyers. With the 140bhp 1.8-litre VVT-i engine taking care of business under the bonnet, its no slouch in the performance stakes but the 8.7-second 0-62mph time is some way shy of the quickest hot hatchbacks.
Where the engine does excel is in its high-revving eagerness and flexibility. That maximum power output arrives at a lofty 6,400rpm and maximum torque of 172Nm comes on stream at 4,200rpm. This is an engine that wills you to put your foot down and it makes the Celica Red a genuinely fun car to drive. For a front wheel drive coupe, the Celica corners sweetly too with the chassis proving well capable of handling the engines best attempts at getting silly.
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 twisty bits. Sensible average fuel consumption of 36.
7mpg also goes to confirm the Celicas status a proficient all rounder. 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 GTV. 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 the Celica Red, 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. The Celica does a lot of things very efficiently. Its fun to drive, comparatively affordable, quite spacious for a coupe and cheap to run.
The Red special edition looks better value than the models in the everyday range and it has that extra dimension of exclusivity by virtue of its special edition status. If youre looking for brutal acceleration and on the limit handling, the Celica Red isnt for you but as a composed, stylish all-rounder, it takes some beating.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Toyota Celica Red special edition
PRICE: £18,650 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 13E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 185g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 8.7s / Max Speed 127mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 27.4mpg / (extra urban) 45.6mpg / (combined) 36.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Front and side airbags, ABS with EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height (mm) 4335/1735/1432
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