Toyota Corolla Tercel

The Tercel was the first front-wheel drive vehicle produced by Toyota, although it was the only front-wheel drive Toyota to have a longitudinally mounted engine. [2] For example, the E80 series Corolla 's frame (except AE85 and AE86) is similar to the L20 series Tercel's frame. The Toyota Tercel is a subcompact car manufactured by Toyota from 1978 to 1999 across five generations, in five different body configurations.

The Tercel was also marketed as the Toyota Corolla II and as the Toyota Corsa in Japan. 1979 Toyota Tercel SR5 Tested: An Econobox with Major Importance From the Archive: For Japan's number-one carmaker, this humble economy car was a front. The Tercel was a dirt-cheap disposable car; it disintegrated quickly in rust-prone regions (and a bit less quickly in areas not generally known for rust), so almost all of the 1980.

The Corolla Tercel Liftback was a small and light car, with a 160-inch length (about 22 inches shorter than a 2025 Corolla) and a curb weight of 2,030 pounds. The Liftback's standard powertrain combined a 60 bhp 1.5 liter/99 ci inline four paired to a five-speed manual (a three-speed automatic was optional). In 1997 the MSRP for a base 4 door Tercel with manual trans was $12,168 while the top of the line 4 door Tercel MSRP was $12,878 by contrast the base 1997 Corolla with manual trans MSRP was $12998 and the top of the line 1997 Corolla DX with auto trans was $14988.

Discover the differences between the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Tercel with CarGurus. Compare price, expert/user reviews, popular features, vehicle specs and more. Because the Corolla had become such a hit in the United States during the early part of the Malaise Era, Toyota decided to confuse car buyers and parts-counter guys for eternity by adding the Corolla name to the first-gen Toyota Tercel.

This would have been like Volkswagen selling a "Rabbit Fox" or Chrysler selling a "Dart Colt," but it seemed to work fine for Toyota. Here's a first. The Tercel was a subcompact produced by the Japanese between 1978 and 1999 and sold globally under various names, including Corsa, Corolla, Corolla Tercel, or Soluna.

How do the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Tercel compare? Use our comparison tool to see over 140 data points, including price, trims, reliability ratings, mpg, rankings, horsepower, depreciation, and standard and optional equipment.