Toyota Celica 2002 test drive - 2006 compartment
Toyota Celica- small "Shark"
Actually, I do not like Japanese sports cars a little. In my opinion, they are very lacking of individuality, style, charm. Their appearance can be called calm and balanced, because designers are trying to please the absolute majority of buyers, running qualities are not the most outstanding, because a family model is used as a donor, and as for dynamics, it, as practice shows, is far from always worthy. But, as in any rule, in this case there is an exception, and his name is Toyota Celica. The famous sports car, which is already produced in the seventh generation, has become a good alternative not only in an inexpensive German compartment, but also to American monsters. So, get acquainted: Toyota Celica, take seven ...It is difficult to name this generation of this famous sports model, since for the first time this sharp model was shown back in 1999, and then it went on sale. Buyers accepted it well, even despite the fact that, unlike previous generations, the latter was produced with only one type of body - a three -door closed, with a 2x2 landing formula. Neither the convertible, nor even Targa with the removing central elements of the roof was provided at that time, as they are not there now. There is no longer in the range of the Celica model and the so -called homologer - a sports monster with an incredibly powerful motor and all -wheel drive, released in a limited number of copies, for the admission of the same cars for the world rally championship. Toyota's main competitors both in the market and in the same rally championship, Mitsu-Bishi and Subaru make money on the Impreza WRC and Lancer Evolution, including the release of accessories for tuning these models, and Toyota, a massive manufacturer For some reason stubbornly ignores this trend. And this is strange, because The model has already been produced for about three years, is in stable demand, and no cool versions, except for the 192-horsepower T-Sport, was released or developed. And this very T-Sport, you see, can not be considered a full replacement for the famous Celica Turbo 4WD, which, due to a fierce disposition, even athletes were afraid. You can, of course, try to find a tuning kit for a 192-horsepower engine and, having invested a certain amount of money, pull it on 220-230 horses, but without a full drive, mandatory for homologists, such power cannot be fully realized even with the help of a self-locking differential established on order.
However, no matter how briskly or, conversely, the new Celica went slowly, she does not seem to live in an unknown in the unknown. At least with us. Cars such as this Toyota Celica, what you see in the photo, can be released with any type of transmission and with any, even the smallest engines, up to diesel - still few in the stream dare to check what this bullet is capable of. I suspect that in the rear -view mirror Celica looks like a predatory shark. This car, despite the black color, is difficult not to notice in the stream. Shark silhouette attracts attention, involuntarily forces to turn around. Acute muzzle, acute headlights of an unusual triangular shape, air intake on the hood, bulging rear lights - the car simply affects the abundance of sharp corners and faces. It is strange that the wheels are still round. On such a rapid and repentant planes of the body, an anti -wing of a serious size would look quite normal, but it is not - this option is supplied only for more charged versions. A lighter kner, for example silver, would not have yet interfered, - I saw such a car in Minsk, and it looks even more spectacular. If a black car looks very swift, then the bright color makes all the planes of this amazingly beautiful car, making it at the same time very attractive and aggressive.
Although the aggression of this car, it seems, is not to occupy-he interprets every movement of the hands or legs of the driver in his own way, in a ceremonial one. It is worthlessly pressing on the gas, and the car with the screech of the rubber will break from the place, leaving no chance to competitors in the stream. The programs are very short, and there are six of them here, so if you are not lazy and more often move the lever, then there will be a lot about it: Celica will simply take off. And under the hood, by the way, only a 1.8-liter motor! True, not quite ordinary, but with variable phases of gas distribution. This helps him to feel great at low and high speeds, delighting the driver with excellent traction in the entire range. By the way, with this volume the Toyotovites managed to remove as many as 145 horses! And this is without any boosts, compressors, etc. For a car with a equipped mass of just more than 1000 kilograms, this is more than enough, especially if you do not stand on ceremony with a gas pedal. If desired, you can compete with many -liter and multi -cylinder sedans. Like it or not, and 8.7 seconds from a place to hundreds are still a result, especially for the car, the average fuel consumption of which is 8 liters for the same hundred. The aforementioned charged version of T-SPORT, although it has a higher fuel consumption, is more capable in terms of the dynamics: only 7.2 seconds!
It is only a pity that despite the successful ratio of the mass of the car and engine power, as well as the presence of excellent controllability to Toyota Celica, does not please the driver with his predatory disposition. Yes, the car is speedy, fast, dynamic, only evaluating it purely visually, you initially tune in to uncompromising sport: in theory, in the movement the machine should be as aggressive and assertive as it might seem when examining all its cracks. But in this regard, she disappoints: she does not press in the seat on the acceleration, the sound of the exhaust of the ears does not, the drive wheels do not skid in third gear. She simply accelerates quickly, easily lays the speedometer arrow for 150 and can easily go into the turn directly at this speed without forcing the driver and passengers to doubt her abilities. But still it is not that: having seen enough of its forms, I want aggression, rabies, frenzy ...
In the salon of provocation regarding the inconsistency of the surroundings of the model and its real drive continue. The first thing that catches your eye is the vertical arrows of the speedometer and tachometer, just like in a racing machine. After that, I immediately want to fasten with four -point belts, cut the first and under the whistle of the bypass valves of two turbochargers with slipping of all four wheels to break off and after a few seconds to turn into a point on the horizon. But ... in the salon you are greeted by ordinary, even without pronounced lateral support, chair, typically Toyota plastic panel and ordinary seat belts, which are inconvenient to reach back. It’s good that the creators of this car left at least one typically Selikovskaya line - door glass without a framework.
The salon is small. And not so much for the rear passengers, as is usually the case in the case of sports, but in width and height - the landing is low, and there is no particular spaciousness for the shoulders either. But the rear passengers will not have to complain - there is enough space for their legs, you do not need to hug the back of the front chair with their knees, although high passengers will probably rest the crown against the ceiling. This sports car is not distinguished and good visibility: the middle racks and small triangular windows are not able to give information about the road environment, so at complex intersections you have to bend forward and look through the side window. But landing is a class. The machine has a very low center of gravity, and its rapid appearance implies low growth, so the driver and front passenger sit on the floor almost - the front seats are delivered very low. But this is for the good, and you can see this immediately, after the car moves out. Ceelica is controlled in a sociable acute, and that is why low landing is perceived as the most convenient. In response to the movement of the steering wheel, the car scurges along the highway with almost without rolls and delay, forcing the sitting in it to nod their heads after its maneuvers sitting in it. The noise in the cabin is slightly annoyed, especially on a bad road surface. Okay, if the engine was noisy, on such a car it would look for granted, but it seems that it is a matter of poor soundproofing: the sound goes from from bottom to bottom, probably from tires. However, the noise cannot be called annoying or dominant - it is simply.
And what in the end? Toyota Celica is not just a passenger car, but also a fairly beautiful and interesting toy. Perhaps, for trips to the country, he is not suitable at least because of the presence of asphalt rubber and low clearance, but for a young egoist, it is better not to find a car. More stylish, in my opinion, can only be called Toyota Supra or Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution fifth generation. The only difference is that both of the aforementioned competitors are extremely expensive both when buying and in maintenance, and even almost unsuitable for operation in our latitudes: there is neither normal gasoline, nor roads, or even a worthy service that could have looked after a qualified service combat car. In this regard, Toyota Celica looks much more attractive, being relatively simple and inexpensive, at the same time it is very beautiful and quite dynamic.
SUBJECTIVE OPINION:
(+) Acute steering, incredibly beautiful design, good handling.
(-) a harsh suspension, weak sound insulation.
