The Tercel is a subcompact manufactured from 1978 to 2000 across five generations, in five body configurations — sized between the Corolla and the Starlet. Manufactured at the Takaoka Plant in Toyota City, Japan, and sharing its platform with the Cynos (aka Paseo) and the Starlet, the Tercel was marketed variously as the Corolla II — and was replaced by the Echo in 2000. It was also known as the (Toyota Corsa) and sold at different Toyota Japan dealerships dedicated to particular core models.
Tercel was the first front-wheel drive vehicle ever produced by the automaker, establishing a layout and frame that was later used in popular Toyota models. For example, Toyota Corolla E80's frame is almost similar to AL20 Tercel's frame.
... see moreThe Tercel is a subcompact manufactured from 1978 to 2000 across five generations, in five body configurations — sized between the Corolla and the Starlet. Manufactured at the Takaoka Plant in Toyota City, Japan, and sharing its platform with the Cynos (aka Paseo) and the Starlet, the Tercel was marketed variously as the Corolla II — and was replaced by the Echo in 2000. It was also known as the (Toyota Corsa) and sold at different Toyota Japan dealerships dedicated to particular core models.
Tercel was the first front-wheel drive vehicle ever produced by the automaker, establishing a layout and frame that was later used in popular Toyota models. For example, Toyota Corolla E80's frame is almost similar to AL20 Tercel's frame. Also, Toyota designed a new A engine for Tercel, attempting to achieve good fuel economy, and performance as well as low emissions at the same time. Choice of body styles increased as well, with the addition of a four-door sedan.
The name "Tercel" derives from the Latin word for "one third" as the Tercel was slightly smaller than the Corolla — much the way "tiercel" refers to a male falcon, which is one-third smaller than its female counterpart.
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First generation (1978–1982)
The Tercel was introduced in Japan in 1978, Europe in Jan 1979 and the United States in 1980. In the United States it was named as the Corolla Tercel , hoping that the Corolla's reputation — long known for quality and durability — would bring buyers to the new model. It was originally sold as either a two-door coupe or a three-door hatchback, with each model powered by a 1.5 L SOHC four-cylinder engine producing 60|hp|kW|0|abbr=on. Transmission choices were either a four- or five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic.
The new front-wheel drive design in the Tercel, unlike their previous front-wheel drive designs, did not have the engine transversely mounted. Rather, the engine was mounted longitudinally, such that the transmission was mounted under the floorpan, as was standard in a rear-wheel drive car. Unlike a rear-wheel drive car, the transmission had a ring and pinion gear on the front part of the transmission, underneath the engine. Halfshafts then extended from the transmission to the front wheels.
Second generation (1982–1986)
Due to disappointing sales of the first generation Tercel, Toyota redesigned the Tercel for May 1982 and renamed it simply "Tercel", hoping to get more people buying the modernized, more angular shaped model. The second generation Tercel was available in three- or five-door hatchback models or a four-door station wagon. The station wagon, known in Japan as the Sprinter Caribbean (Toyota Sprinter Caribbean (Carib)), was also available with either front- or four-wheel drive. The four-wheel drive model could be equipped with six-speed manual transmission, and could be shifted from two- to four-wheel drive without coming to a stop. The sixth gear it carried was an "Extra ...
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