10th Mar 2005, 09:40

I will be receiving my T-Sport in the next few days, it is also chili red and looks gorgeous. I must confess to being a little concerned at the 2 out of 5 mark awarded to the car by What Car magazine, especially when it appeared to give ratings of 3 and 4 out of 5 for most of the categories and then 2 out of 5 for the overall mark. Can anyone shed any light on this apparent anomaly.

19th Feb 2006, 04:36

I have just bought a storm blue t sport. What a gorgeous car inside and out, you can't fail to be seen when out and about.

I could have bought a silver one cheaper, but fell in love with the colour.

Still looking for a good insurance though, any ideas?

13th Jun 2006, 06:46

Hi Celica fans! I'm in the process of shopping around for one, and the reviews I've read about the T-Sport haven't been that good. People are saying to go for the Premium Pack one instead... I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I'm quite concerned about the insurance costs, so I did a quote. For a 2005 T sport, it came back as £363!!! I'm only 28 too (albeit married and female), but they're well worth checking out. They compare loads of prices for you, and display all the quotes in a table instantly.

Lou :o)

29th Apr 2007, 09:14

I have spent forever deciding which car to get next - spending obsessive amounts of time researching dozens and dozens of cars. Well, I've narrowed it down to just a handful - one being the Celica 190. I found the original review and subsequent comments really helpful. I love the ambiguous nature of the rev-happy engine: unassuming purring pussy-cat one moment, screaming bloody murder banshee the next! It's apparently fashionable for people to moan about 'lack of low/mid-range torque' all the time. So what. They can go and buy a smelly old diesel lump attached to a shiny (dull) new executive German mile-muncher and over-take all day and feel smug when they get a return of 45mpg. I want a car which makes me smile every time I look at it, let-alone drive it and that's where the Celica comes in. The ctr appeals to me as well (another 'launch at 6000+ revs' car!) but there is something about the love/hate-it looks of the last Celica which might swing it. Personally, I love its looks.

18th Mar 2009, 16:42

I owned a Celica 190 2002 model, and now have a T-Sport after a flirtation with other cars. Other people have mentioned the Impreza, I found the turbo lag a real pain in urban traffic and other situations. Then the thing red lines at just 6600 rpm. There's no doubt the Impreza is quicker, but it uses more fuel, looks ugly, and is far more costly to run. I'm happy with my Celica!

9th Aug 2009, 06:30

I have the Corolla. I love the looks of the Celica (especially this blue), but still, I'd rather pass by less noticed.

My review (2003, Belgium) is on this site. It is slightly less quick than the Celica (adds 90 kilo of weight), but it is more comfortable. I glided the badge off.

A lot of people complain about their car, just because they don't drive properly (not all of them of course). This particular engine is using a specifically sorted out driving style. Don't forget you got already 160 nm torque as from 2000 rpm all the way to about 5800, and then slightly lifting to 181 nm at 6800, and the valvelifting starts at 6200 rpm. Mr Hyde drives you comfortably and well along (and mostly beyond) ongoing traffic, Dr Jekyll, well, be sure you've got some free space ahead of you,...

19th Sep 2009, 21:00

I own a Celica T-Sport, Civic Type R GT and Lexus LS430, and my experience is that from a standstill to 100mph the Celica is the quickest of the three, which is worth pointing out as the official figures for the three cars place the Celica a distant third.

I have also noted that on the motorway, when cruising at around 80mph and then tailgated by BMW 330i or Seat Leon Cupra's or Audi TT's for very recent examples, if dropped into third gear and then 'floored', cars such as those mentioned seem to struggle to keep up, even though they clearly are trying!!

The point is, in the lift zone, that is over 6k revs, the Celica is phenomenally quick, and if you learn to shift well and therefore keep it over 6k revs, very few cars will match it for speed. Ignore the stats in magazines, believe me, driven well, it is much much quicker.

It actually makes the Civic Type R seem tame to drive, which is saying something as the CTR is a brilliant car as well.

However, if you are not bothered about awesome speed, the great thing about the Celica is you can drive it like an Avensis, it Will be pretty quiet, very smooth and capable of doing 35mph in 6th gear if you are in a lazy mood.

Try that in the CTR and you will be hopping like a kangaroo. For me that the biggest beauty of the Celica. Capable of outrageous speed, but a perfectly practical easy to live with day to day commuting car.

20th Sep 2009, 15:03

I actually own a Celica 190 and my brother used to have an EP3 type R. The Celica is quick in lift, but it won't out do a CTR as they weigh similar, but the Civic has another 10bhp or so on top. You would probably struggle to pull them apart on the road, but I very much doubt the Celica is quicker.

Also, both my car and the Civic would do 30mph in 6th, neither have amazing pull, but the engines weren't struggling either. I think that lift is too narrow of a powerband after driving v-tec and would rather another couple of hundred rpm lower to kick in or higher for the limiter as in the low gears particularly it is hard work.

I do prefer the ride in the Celica though, it is softer and handles well, plus the seats are very comfy and it feels more like a sports car being low.

Major factor for me deciding between the two is that the early 190's are low insurance, much less than a Civic or most other things of similar performance.

22nd Sep 2009, 18:26

The Civics are more reliable though, as you get lift bolt problems on the VVTL-I engines in the Celica!

23rd Sep 2009, 13:28

That is true, although lift bolts are not an issue to change so long as they don't snap. Plus the bolts themselves only cost 50p each and so you can just change them every 20,000miles or so and not have to worry for a couple of quid as long as you aren't completely useless mechanically. If you use the revised Toyota part, they shouldn't be an issue anyway.

7th Sep 2010, 10:40

I have just bought a 2003 Celica T-Sport with 16,000 miles on the clock.

It's amazing, best car I have ever driven, it puts a smile on my face constantly. The lift bolt problem was only with pre 2003 models, after that there are no reported problems apart from normal wear as with other cars.

It's an amazing car and I see myself driving it for years to come.

10th Sep 2010, 12:58

Get a dc2 Integra Type R instead. Go for the JDM version, it offers the same type of 1.8 litre high revving engine in a low slung coupe, which out handles virtually everything! 197bhp, 0-60 6.2 seconds, loads of room inside and big boot, with an average of 32-34 mpg.

19th Dec 2015, 09:16

Very nice and true review, from a T Sport owner, I love burning off GTIs.