1. 1994 Toyota Celica Gt Hatchback
2. 1994 Toyota Celica Gt Specs
3. 1990 Toyota Celica Gt Parts

When the Celica Supra underwent its mitosis in 1982, the Celica and Supra became separate entities, and have since moved farther apart with each passing model generation. The rear-drive Supra has situated itself at the highest level of GT 2+2 proficiency, while the front-drive Celica, no longer 's sporting image machine, has moved progressively more mainstream; it's now a sporty-looking car, not a true sports car.

This market, product planners feel, is where the core buyers are. Demand for a hard-edged sport coupe isn't strong enough to justify full-on pursuit. That's why there are no high-performance Celicas in the current inventory; if you're looking for a budget fire-breather, Toyota can't help you. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a stylish, fun-to-drive coupe or convertible, it certainly can. There are two versions of the Celica. The basic ST is powered by a 1.8-liter inline-four shared with the Corolla sedan; our one-year test car, a Celica GT, comes with a 2.2-liter four, upgraded wheels and tires, and a variety of cosmetic improvements.

It mixes fresh styling (a brand-new body every few years, of late) with typically slick Toyota execution. In this car, performance isn't defined by underhood sorcery, but by simple driving pleasure. Engineered to feel good the way real people normally drive, the Celica GT comes up a little short against the stopwatch, but plays just fine with the vast majority of buyers we surveyed. Only a small handful of grumblers seemed to have been initially enticed by the Celica's styling and Toyota's deservedly good reputation, only to discover later that they simply needed a larger car, or lusted after a stronger engine. Those who went in with their eyes wide open still liked what they saw many miles down the road.

Our bright-yellow Celica GT spent most of its tenure at Motor Trend by slugging it out among the Los Angeles urban sprawl, with its fabulous optional eight-speaker audio system banging out equal parts AM traffic report and CD road music. Occasional dashes up the coast to Carmel gave the Celica a chance to rest its horn and spend a little time in fifth gear. Logbook comments got all warm and fuzzy about the smooth cruise control, secure handling, and quality shift action. Most of our drivers loved the supportive buckets seats, though one detractor pined for more lumbar support.

Clinging to the cliffs of twisting Highway 1, the GT put a smile on our collective face with precise, lively steering and high (0.87 g on the skidpad) handling limits. The owners we surveyed seemed just as satisfied as we were with the Celica's handling. Many commented that the refined suspension action gave this little coupe a 'big car' feel, which we translate as a sense of composed stability.

On the straights, some of our survey respondents' smiles faded a little. With just 130 horsepower on call, the Celica GT takes 8.4 seconds to reach 60 mph-adequate, but hardly exhilarating. Press the issue for the length of the quarter mile, and the Celica shrinks from the challenge with a best of 16.4 seconds at a terminal speed of 83.8 mph.

Lack of power was the number-one complaint voiced by our survey respondents, but these underwhelmed individuals were still clearly in the minority. Almost 94 percent of the surveyed owners rated the car's performance as good or excellent, so it's obvious that Toyota has read this market well. Tuned to make strong midrange power, the 2.2-liter 16-valve inline-four is an easy-driving companion, and requires minimal shifting. A numerically high 4.18:1 axle ratio makes for plenty of revs at cruise-about 3500 rpm at a paralegal 70 mph. That's within immediate striking distance of the 2.2-liter's 4400-rpm torque peak-helpful when a sudden burst of power is needed, but all those revs make for a busy-sounding cockpit and conspired to keep our overall fuel mileage below the 25-mpg mark. Though always audible, the powerplant has a smooth texture, and never sounds thrashy, even at its 6250-rpm redline. Meanwhile, road and tire noise create a steady backup sound track.

Despite the noticeable interior sound level, the Celica still manages to impart a high-quality feel; ride motions are well controlled, and the new-for-'94 stiffened body structure is devoid of squeaks and rattles. Overall, it comes across as a well-made car. Drivers over 6 feet tall, or those with unusually big hair, were a snug fit in the front seat of our sunroof-equipped Celica GT. Leprechauns-even large ones-fit with room to spare in the back seat, but full-size humans will not go to the back of the bus happily. On the other hand, the hatchback's cargo area is generously scaled (especially once the rear seats were folded down); it came as a roomy surprise to many of our drivers. The heavy decklid had few fans, however, and its lack of suitable grab points made it a chore to manipulate with arms loaded with bagpipes, freshly slain roadkill, or other common items. Typical of Toyota owners, our survey respondents experienced few mechanical problems with their cars: Nine out of 10 had no glitches at all.

That's a remarkably low figure, particularly when viewed relative to previous owner surveys we've conducted, where nearly half the fleet had experienced some sort of mechanical problem. The Celica's leading trouble spot (but still a comparatively rare one) involves wheel alignment-a problem that affected about three percent of our total survey fleet. Other complaints were so isolated that they were statistically insignificant. Despite our usual aggressive use, the test Celica held its alignment beautifully. We had only one mechanical problem with our car: a sticky fuel filler door. Our drivers noted this difficulty in the logbook soon after the Celica arrived, along with detailed descriptions of how to coax it open using personal effects and bits of beef jerky. During a regular service stop, the dealer announced that Toyota fuel doors are 'just that way,' and suggested regularly rebending the release spring to ensure its proper operation.

1994 Toyota Celica Gt Hatchback

Interestingly, our survey respondents reported no similar problem. Maybe the fuel doors aren't all 'just that way' after all. Incidentally, the respondents rated their dealer experiences as 'average,' with a typically small percentage of purchase horror stories and service difficulties. A happy benefit of the Toyota's remarkable reliability: Good or bad service, you won't be seeing your dealer very often. In fact, the comments sections of our surveys resound with positive remarks about the Celica GT.

Though some buyers cringed at the comparatively steep purchase price (just over $22,000, on average), the Celica's combination of high style and high quality has stood its owners in good stead. Most seem comfortable with the up-front investment as they roll up miles, convinced that they'll recover those extra dollars when it comes time to sell the car.

Many plan to one day replace their Celicas with brand-new ones. After our experience with the Celica GT, that seems like an altogether wise course of action.

1994 Toyota Celica Gt Specs

Toyota Celica The Toyota Celica is a sports compact car from Toyota which was produced from 1970 to 2006. With seven generations till 2006, it has gone many revisions and redesigns, with the most significant change in 1985, when it was changed from rear wheel drive to front wheel drive. Throughout its life span the Celica has been powered by various four-cylinder engines.

1990 Toyota Celica Gt Parts

The most significant change occurred in August 1985, when the car's drive layout was changed from rear wheel drive to front wheel drive. During the first three generations, American market Celicas were powered by various versions of Toyota's R series engines. It won several motorsport competitions including all six WRC events from 1983 to 1986.