TOYOTA

Celica T23 1999: the Japanese sports coupe with 1.8L engine that had consumption of up to 12.5 km/l

The emblematic Toyota Celica, one of the most famous and appreciated sports coupes of the Japanese brand, was originally born in the year 1971, five decades ago, but the truth is that the last delivery of the model also disappeared from the market some time ago.

Launched in 1999, the seventh generation Toyota Celica T23 was the last of the Celica saga, and was on sale until 2005. Today we briefly review the history of the most recent Celica and probably the least appreciated of them all.

The model was initially launched with a 1.8 VVT-i engine with 143 hp and 172 Nm of torque, but a year later a more powerful T-Sport version was incorporated, reaching 192 hp and 180 Nm. It improved the base model's acceleration time by 1.5 seconds and was also faster, reaching 225 km/h instead of 205 km/h.

The Celica T23, front-wheel drive in both cases, offered consumption between 11 and 12.5 km / l in quiet driving, and was also not heavy, since it had an empty weight between 1,175 and 1,290 kilos, according to the version.

The Celica, which measured 4,350 mm in length, 1,730 mm in width and 1,310 in height, was slightly renewed in 2002, debuting, for example, electronic traction and stability controls, something that was not available on the original 1999 model.

The standard equipment was not particularly extensive, but included elements such as automatic air conditioning, xenon lights, electric front windows, ABS, anti-fog lights and a radio/CD with six speakers, for example.

At the time, the Celica T23 with the base engine cost in Europe the equivalent of around 128,000 reais, while the 192 hp T-Sport version cost around 156,000 reais(local currency). Currently, their reputation in the market is that they are not very reliable, especially the version with the lowest power engine.

In 2005, the history of the Toyota Celica came to an end with the T23, although since 2012 the GT 86 has taken over the range as an interesting sports coupe, which has now given way to the ingenious new GR 86.

Autonews