It was a sister car to the Carina ED

The Corona EXiV was introduced in 1989 as the successor to the Toyota Corona Coupe. It was available with three different engines and featured dual-mode 4WS, and was fully remodeled in 1993, with a racing machine based on the Corona EXiV being entered in the All-Japan Touring Car Championship, which was gaining popularity at the time, 1994. What made it different from its sister car, the Carina ED?

The second generation was also active in motorsport

The Corona EXiV was introduced in 1989 as a sister car to the Carina ED, which pioneered the new genre of four-door hardtop coupes and quickly became a popular model.

This Corona EXiV was the sibling of the second-generation Carina ED. While the Carina ED was handled by Toyota dealers, the Corona EXiV was handled by Toyopet dealers, but shared the same basic mechanism.

The Carina ED, which was introduced in 1985, was the Carina Coupe’s real successor, but as the Corona had a sibling model, the Corona Coupe (which shared the same platform as the first-generation Carina ED), the Corona EXiV was introduced in 1989, when the Corona Coupe was sold out, as its successor. The Corona EXiV was introduced as the successor to the Corona Coupe in 1989, when it was discontinued.

The platform was shared with the Celica as in the Corona Coupe era, and although the turbo model that existed in the Celica was not included in the line-up, the 4S-Fi engine that produced 105 hp from 1.8 liters, the 2 liter 125 hp 3S-FE engine and the sporty 3S-GE engine that boasted 165 hp were available. engine grades are available.

In addition, the Carina ED was the first car in the world to offer dual-mode 4WS (electronically controlled four-wheel steering), which allowed the driver to select between ‘Sport’ and ‘Normal’ steering characteristics, and it also had an advanced image, with electronically controlled suspension TEMS and other features.

The second generation model, which was launched in October 1993, was also introduced in the then popular JTCC (All Japan Touring Car Championship) in 1994 as a racing machine based on the Carina ED, and was very successful, winning the annual title in 1995.

As a result of this success, in November 1995 a special edition car, the ‘JTCC version’, was made available based on the Hottest model 200GT equipped with the 3S-GE engine. This model retained the powertrain and other power systems of the base car, but was fitted with a “JTCC” sticker on the rear door, Recaro seats, and orange meters, which unfortunately did not give it that JTCC feel.

In the end, the Corona EXiV lost popularity as the popularity of four-door coupe hardtops shrank, and sales ended in April 1998, along with its sibling Carina ED.

There is no doubt that it was the model that led the popularity of the four-door coupe hardtop, along with the Carina ED, and the company itself created similar models in a lower class, such as the Corolla Ceres/Sprinter Marino, as well as the Mazda Persona and Nissan Presea, The achievements of the many followers such as the Mazda Persona, the Nissan Presea and the Mitsubishi Emeraude are a brilliant achievement that has not been lost.

translated by DeepL