Toyota Celica Coupe 1999-2006

The Celica was launched by Toyota in 1999 and was named after a Latin word that symbolizes ’celestial’ or ’heavenly’. The Toyota Celica is a very stylish car with sharp aggressive lines and a sporty feel that is carried through to the interior. It handles extremely well and, although it comes with four seats, it is essentially a 2+2 and the back seat is only comfortable enough for kids.

Pros and Cons:

• Sharp, aggressive styling
  Well-built and good to drive

• Handling could be sharper
  Lacks usable back seats

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Exterior and Interior

The Toyota Celica is a good-looking car with sharp, aggressive lines that still looks good more than ten years later. The sporty feel is carried through to the interior as well with anatomic seats and flawlessly placed controls. There are back seats installed for appearances sake, but they are so crammed that it would be almost impossible to get a child seated comfortably, let alone an adult. The front seats are better, offering a lot more comfort and space, although there is no lower back support, which could prove to be uncomfortable on longer journeys.

The boot is spacious for a car of this size and the back seats also split and fold flat to increase the space even further. There are only a few storage compartments scattered throughout the cabin - two cubbyholes and a couple of drink holders. The equipment level is surprisingly good on the Toyota Celica. The base model receives ABS, alloy wheels, air-con and electric windows.

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Engines

There are only two engines available with the Toyota Celica. Both have a 1.8-litre displacement and feature the VVTi variable valve timing system. The first engine comes with 140bhp and the second, that was released a year later, produces 190bhp. Both are offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox.

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Performance and Economy

The smaller 140bhp model comes with enough power to provide a good amount of fun going from 0-60mph in 8.7 seconds and managing a decent 36mpg. The more powerful 190bhp is over a second faster than the smaller engine going from 0-60mph in 7.2 seconds and achieving 33mpg. You do have to really rev the engine to get the most out of it, which can become tiring after a while. In the real world you’re never really going to get the opportunity to do this, making the 140bhp the more sensible option. The six speed manual gearbox isn’t particularly smooth either. You need to be very precise to get quick gear changes out of it. The smaller engine falls into insurance category 13, whereas the more powerful one is category 15. It is pretty good compared to its rivals.

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What it's like to Drive

The Toyota Celica is fun to drive. Its low-rider seating position and light controls make driving through town and traffic a breeze. It’s just as good on motorways, especially when you get the gear changes clicking perfectly. The Celica provides loads of grip and cornering is just as good with no body roll. There is, however, lots of wind noise in the GT version due to its body kit. If you get one with a spoiler, the view out of the rear window is rather restricted.

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Faults and Repairs

The Toyota Celica is very reliable, but that’s hardly surprising as it is a Toyota. There have been a few problems concerning the suspension and engines and a few other problems. There have been two recalls, the first concerning brake fluid leakage from the master cylinder and the second one - the cars built in 2002, which were suffering from fuel spillage out of the filler cap. When things do go wrong, they are likely to cost a lot to put right. They may appear average when compared to their rivals, but they are costly too.

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