Generation 7 Celica 190

My first Celica was a Generation 7 revision 1 which was registered in May 2001. It was my first Toyota and since then I've purchased several others as I was so impressed with the reliablity and performance of the car.

I purchased this car new (on a Y Plate) and it provided almost faultless, reliable service since all of the time that I owned it. Of course it was very carefully run in with the manufacturers recommendations followed to the letter and then some.

It was my main car while I was covering a large part of the UK, so many of the miles were 6th gear motorway cruises which will have had minimal effect on the car.

The car drove beautifully with no squeaks or rattles, from the day it was delivered to the time I came to sell it (and continues to do so to this day as far as I know).

If you've never driven a Celica 190 before you'll be impressed by the way it offers such precise handling, and yet still has a very comfortable ride.

And the engine is extremely sweet having been designed to perform according to the way you drive it. Below 5,500 rpm it's a fairly powerful, but extremely smooth unit, just like the one in the MR2 or the regular Celica. But above that limit it suddenly takes on a new life as the high lift cams take over.

In regular mode the car's extremely fuel efficient for such a powerful motor, and the extra power is so rarely used that it doesn't detract from the figures to much.

Thanks to these characteristics, the Celica 190 is almost two cars in one - it's an economical and comfortable three door hatch, and it's a sports coupe with lots of power and great handling. In either mode it's practical and reliable. If you wanted an MR2, but actually need something more practical, then I'd have no hesitation in recommending the Celica 190 (or T-Sport) to you.

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Other Information

Celica - Generation 7

The current (and possibly last) Celica was introduced in 2000, and was a completely new vehicle. At launch the car featured an all new engine in the form of the 1.8 litre 1ZZ-FE and in 2002 this was joined by the even better 1.8 litre 2ZZ-GE which produced around 190bhp.