CELICA 190 VVTi REVIEW
When I bought my Celica it was 3 years old and the previous owner had owned it from new. I’ve owned the car for 4 years since and have found it to be thoroughly reliable and a lot of fun.
Like most owners I’ve had the problems with alloys corroding, which is put down to the layer of paint on the wheels being too thin. Such mistakes are amateurish and certainly not in keeping with the Japanese reputation for automotive reliability. Luckily alloy refurbishment services are pretty cheap, if you haven’t had yours painted yet I’d strongly advise you do so.
Styling wise the car still looks great despite the fact it is getting a little old now, certainly ages better than some other sports coupes I can think of. The interior is beautiful, leather racing seats are stylish, very well made and hold you in place perfectly. The rest of the interior also looks very nice with a sexy dash of chrome to spice things up a little.
Driving wise the acceleration is swift, though certainly not a white knuckle ride. Plenty of power, though definitely lacking in torque at lower speeds and needs some encouragement to get going. The suspension is a little hard, but does offer plenty of grip should you decide to chuck it about a little. It is a front wheel drive, but the lack of torque means that this seldom harms the driving experience. Some supercharger upgrades are available, I would advise against this though as the power is likely to be too much; if you want something with a bit more go you may be better to look at a BMW or Audi rather than tuning up one of these.
There is room in the back for the kids, which makes it preferable to a roadster and definitely some other coupes. The driving position is fantastic and allows a clear view of everything around you.
Tags: Celica