As expected, the new Celica offers tight quarters -- intimate for average-sized people, perhaps cramped for larger folks. Yet the rear seat has a surprising amount of space for a 2+2 with more headroom than before. The front seats allow height adjustment, but they lack variable lumbar support. A toe-operated lever on the front passenger seat allows it to slide forward for easier access to the rear.
Celica's dashboard starts with a simple, clean, cross-compartment design. The gauges have orange script on a black background. Switches are easy to find and operate, particularly stereo controls. The center console has a storage rack for eight CDs or 10 cassettes. The rear seat folds to expand cargo space. The optional leather seats had rich, high-grade upholstery.
Occupant safety remains a priority for Celica. In addition to side-impact beams, it offers optional side airbags that deploy from the front seats. The seats have a one-piece back frame designed to limit whiplash injuries, and many interior trim pieces are deformable to soften head impacts. The Celica is the first Toyota that shuts off its fuel delivery system if the airbags deploy.
My first impression of the Celica GTS is that it has a high-strung, high-tech engine that loves to run. There's adequate throttle response through about 6000 rpm, then Toyota's VVTL-i kicks in like an on-off switch and the Celica squirts forward with real urgency. The GTS should manage 0-60 mph runs in the upper seven-second range, but the true satisfaction comes with working the shifter and keeping the engine spinning full bore. The red area on the tach starts at 7800 rpm, but there are another 500-600 revs to the limiter and the engine keeps pulling strong, without flattening out, the whole way.
The only problem is that when this engine is turning in the sweet part of its power band it's loud. There's an abundance of intake and valve noise, made more noticeable because the engine feels so smooth.
The GT-S shifter works very well by front-drive standards -- smooth, accurate, direct. The E-shift automatic is equally impressive. E-Shift's shift buttons work intuitively. Pressing one of the buttons on the front of the steering wheel upshifts, while pressing the buttons on the back downshifts. Better still, the electronics do very little thinking for the driver. E-Shift holds its gear, even with the engine bouncing off the rev limiter and shifts sequentially up or down at the driver's discretion. It works as well as similar systems on some of the most expensive cars in the world.
Celica's seats are comfortable and grippy, and the pedals, in both placement and operation, work well. Enthusiast drivers will appreciate the perfectly placed dead pedal because it allows them to brace themselves with their left leg during energetic drives.
One of the best things about the Celica GT-S is that it corners nicely, and relatively flat, without a harsh, small-coupe ride. The upgrade 16-inch tires are sticky. Steering is quick and accurate, and the feel through the wheel gives a good idea how much grip is left in the front tires. The Celica GT-S tightens its path through a curve when its driver lifts from the gas, and it takes the harshest, most abrupt maneuvers to unsettle its rear end. Overall, it gets high marks for chassis tuning.
Celica also gets high marks for build quality; there were no creaks or rattles in the unitbody or trim panels. In all, the 2001 Celica makes a well-balanced, sporting coupe. With the exception of the peaky GT-S engine, no particular component stands out, yet it all blends together very nicely.
The same thought applies to the base GT, which we've sampled as well. Its tires aren't as grippy as the upgrades, and its 1.8 four is not as smooth. Yet there's just as much torque through three quarters of the engine's rev range, and unless you're constantly pushing the tach needle into the red zone, you might never notice the difference.
The Celica GT-S leads the lineup with distinctive styling, nice handling and an impressive 180-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine developed with assistance from Yamaha. The GT-S retails for $21,455.
Most buyers will opt for the more affordable 140-horsepower GT, which retails for $16,985.
Naturally, the two models vary in standard features: The GT gets a six-speaker stereo with both cassette and CD, power windows, power mirrors and air conditioning. The GT-S adds two more speakers and amplifier power, fog lamps, drilled aluminum sport pedals, power locks, a leather steering wheel and shift knob, cruise control and alloy wheels with wider tires. The GT-S evaluated here had nearly all the options, including a sunroof, leather seats, a rear spoiler and 16-inch alloy wheels with lower profile speed-rated tires. In place of the GT's five-speed gearbox, the GT-S comes standard with a six-speed gearbox. Either model can be ordered with a four-speed electronically controlled automatic that adds $800 to the GT, $700 to the GT-S.