alphasubzero949
04-11-2004, 04:16 PM
http://www.motorists.org/ericpeters/celica.html
new car review: 2004 Toyota Celica
By Eric Peters
04/09/04
"Celica" is a name that's been around an amazingly long time -- since the Days of Disco when Nissan was still plain-old Datsun -- and the domestic brands had only hulking, detuned and overweight muscle cars like the "screaming chicken" Trans-Am to offer the enthusiast driver. Back then, the Celica offered a nimble, fun to drive (and well-built) alternative to the crude clunkers coming out of Detroit. It sold well -- understandably.
Today, the Celica offers an authentic sports car experience at an almost-Corolla price -- just $17,390 for the GT.
This tight little runner also costs substantially less than what you'd pay for similar competitor models like the Honda Civic Si ($19,070 to start), Mitsubishi Eclipse ($18,399 to start) or an SVT Ford Focus ($18,830 to start). And the top-dog Celica GT-S outguns them, too -- with a standard 180-hp 1.8 liter engine vs. the Civic Si's 160-hp, 2-liter engine, the Mitsu's measly 147-hp and the Ford Focus SVT's 170-hp engine.
Best of all, even at $22,055 the top-of-the-line GT-S is still within stretching distance of true el-cheapos with zero personality and all the curb appeal of your grandma's '86 Taurus. Why suffer the curse of living with one of the various bottom-feeders out there when for just a couple bucks more per month you could get into something that might actually attract rather than repel members of the opposite sex -- and spare you the endless derision of your amigos?
Life is too short to drive a boring car.
Another point: Unlike several similarly-priced competitors-- even some of the hot-shoe sport compact sedans like the Dodge Neon SRT and Mitsubishi Evo -- the Celica looks like the real deal -- not just a diddled-up economy car fitted with a wing and an oversized "fart can" muffler hanging off the bumper. It is one of the most aggressively styled coupes on the market in its price range -- and then some -- packing more sensory and visual caffeine than higher-zoot coupes like Acura's RSX, even.
And there's the new for '04 Action Package -- which dresses the car out in full "Fast an Furious" regalia, including an IMSA/GTP-looking front end and a trunk-mounted airfoil worthy of the high banks of Daytona Motor Speedway. If you want the SCCA street racer look -- and want it factory, not Bondo-buddy-hope-those-holes I drilled-hold -- then here you go.
The Action Package can be ordered on both the standard-issue GT and top-of-the-line GT-S models -- but it's probably best to nix it unless you choose the GT-S, which has the cajones to back up the bolt-on bluster.
The base GT comes with a 140-hp version of Toyota's thoroughly decent 1.8 liter four-cylinder tied to a five-speed stick or 4-speed automatic transaxle; the GT-S gets a more serious six speed manual -- and (optionally) a performance-calibrated version of the 4-speed automatic with steering wheel controls for up and downshifts. The base GT model includes AC and a CD-playing audio system among its standard features -- but power windows and locks are optional. They are standard in the GT-S -- which also comes with a premium JBL audio system, higher-capacity 4-wheel dic brakes and a more hard-core suspension.
Like its competitors, the back seats in the Celica are completely useless for people but do provide some valuable real estate for cargo and "stuff" -- making the car a little more practical than two-seaters like the Honda S2000 or Mazda Miata. And since the car's a hatchback, it's possible to improvise long/weirdly shaped objects home in a pinch -- provided you have some bungee cords handy and an adventurous spirit.
If there's any downside to the 2004 Celica it's that it may be too serious a car for its segment. The Civic Si and Focus SVT have taller rooflines, are easier to get into and more suited to commuter-car duty. The Celica, you strap into more than get in. If you like sport bikes, you will appreciate this car. And the suspension -- especially in the GT-S -- is calibrated to do serious work on twisty roads, not eat up the bumps. You'll feel them, every one.
The upside is that the Celica is far more rewarding to drive -- and be seen in -- than a lot of the others in this price range.
new car review: 2004 Toyota Celica
By Eric Peters
04/09/04
"Celica" is a name that's been around an amazingly long time -- since the Days of Disco when Nissan was still plain-old Datsun -- and the domestic brands had only hulking, detuned and overweight muscle cars like the "screaming chicken" Trans-Am to offer the enthusiast driver. Back then, the Celica offered a nimble, fun to drive (and well-built) alternative to the crude clunkers coming out of Detroit. It sold well -- understandably.
Today, the Celica offers an authentic sports car experience at an almost-Corolla price -- just $17,390 for the GT.
This tight little runner also costs substantially less than what you'd pay for similar competitor models like the Honda Civic Si ($19,070 to start), Mitsubishi Eclipse ($18,399 to start) or an SVT Ford Focus ($18,830 to start). And the top-dog Celica GT-S outguns them, too -- with a standard 180-hp 1.8 liter engine vs. the Civic Si's 160-hp, 2-liter engine, the Mitsu's measly 147-hp and the Ford Focus SVT's 170-hp engine.
Best of all, even at $22,055 the top-of-the-line GT-S is still within stretching distance of true el-cheapos with zero personality and all the curb appeal of your grandma's '86 Taurus. Why suffer the curse of living with one of the various bottom-feeders out there when for just a couple bucks more per month you could get into something that might actually attract rather than repel members of the opposite sex -- and spare you the endless derision of your amigos?
Life is too short to drive a boring car.
Another point: Unlike several similarly-priced competitors-- even some of the hot-shoe sport compact sedans like the Dodge Neon SRT and Mitsubishi Evo -- the Celica looks like the real deal -- not just a diddled-up economy car fitted with a wing and an oversized "fart can" muffler hanging off the bumper. It is one of the most aggressively styled coupes on the market in its price range -- and then some -- packing more sensory and visual caffeine than higher-zoot coupes like Acura's RSX, even.
And there's the new for '04 Action Package -- which dresses the car out in full "Fast an Furious" regalia, including an IMSA/GTP-looking front end and a trunk-mounted airfoil worthy of the high banks of Daytona Motor Speedway. If you want the SCCA street racer look -- and want it factory, not Bondo-buddy-hope-those-holes I drilled-hold -- then here you go.
The Action Package can be ordered on both the standard-issue GT and top-of-the-line GT-S models -- but it's probably best to nix it unless you choose the GT-S, which has the cajones to back up the bolt-on bluster.
The base GT comes with a 140-hp version of Toyota's thoroughly decent 1.8 liter four-cylinder tied to a five-speed stick or 4-speed automatic transaxle; the GT-S gets a more serious six speed manual -- and (optionally) a performance-calibrated version of the 4-speed automatic with steering wheel controls for up and downshifts. The base GT model includes AC and a CD-playing audio system among its standard features -- but power windows and locks are optional. They are standard in the GT-S -- which also comes with a premium JBL audio system, higher-capacity 4-wheel dic brakes and a more hard-core suspension.
Like its competitors, the back seats in the Celica are completely useless for people but do provide some valuable real estate for cargo and "stuff" -- making the car a little more practical than two-seaters like the Honda S2000 or Mazda Miata. And since the car's a hatchback, it's possible to improvise long/weirdly shaped objects home in a pinch -- provided you have some bungee cords handy and an adventurous spirit.
If there's any downside to the 2004 Celica it's that it may be too serious a car for its segment. The Civic Si and Focus SVT have taller rooflines, are easier to get into and more suited to commuter-car duty. The Celica, you strap into more than get in. If you like sport bikes, you will appreciate this car. And the suspension -- especially in the GT-S -- is calibrated to do serious work on twisty roads, not eat up the bumps. You'll feel them, every one.
The upside is that the Celica is far more rewarding to drive -- and be seen in -- than a lot of the others in this price range.