GO
GoAutoLogo
MENU

> search

Make / Model Search

Search results for: "toyota" Page 344 of 345

Mk1 LibertyOct 1989

Mk1 Liberty

Subaru’s first big car was the Legacy, a Toyota Camry-sized sedan and wagon available in either front-wheel or all-wheel drive guises, powered by the company’s distinctive 100kW 2.2-litre ‘boxer’ 16-valve four-cylinder engine.Renamed Liberty in Australia to appease the RSL, the new Subaru won big acclaim and sales here but struggled elsewhere.It initially arrived in LX sedan and GX guises, with only the latter wagon available with the full-time 4WD option at first.High demand prompted the release of the GX 4WD sedan in August ’90.By then all models featured air-conditioning and power steering.In October ’90 the luxury Heritage arrived with a sunroof, CD player and alloy wheels, while the wagon version was 4WD.All gearbox choices were either a five-speed manual or four-speed auto.

U12 Pintara (Mk8 Bluebird)Aug 1989

U12 Pintara (Mk8 Bluebird)

“Project Matilda”, Nissan Australia’s great gamble to take on the popular Toyota Camry, was such an unqualified failure – it even floundered as a rebadged Ford Corsair under a short-lived model-sharing agreement – that, as the front-wheel drive U12 Pintara, it contributed to the company’s withdrawal from local manufacture.Dated styling (it was launched overseas in 1987), inconsistent quality control and refinement issues were to blame.Two four-cylinder engines powered the four-door sedan and – from October ’90 – five-door hatchback variants.A revised CA20E 2.0-litre yielding 83kW of power and 160Nm of torque motivated the base GLi and fleet-chasing Executive models, while a new 96kW/189Nm 2.4-litre KA24E unit was found in the private-buyer focussed Pintara T and luxury Ti.In April ’90 the TR.X sedan was introduced with the latter motor to lure a younger demographic. It featured firmer suspension, a bodykit and viscous-coupling limited slip differential shared with the Ti.A minor update in December ’91 saw the range receive exterior and interior trim alterations.But buyers kept away as the recession bit hard, forcing ongoing price cuts.Nissan needed the excellent N14 Pulsar, also released in late ’91, to fire immediately if it was to continue making cars here.But despite glowing reviews, Pulsar sales were slow as punters baulked at its new higher price, since years of discounting degraded the brand.Nissan pulled the plug here in October ’92.

AE90/2 CorollaAug 1989

AE90/2 Corolla

A new generation (number six), three new body shapes (again in four-door sedan and five-door hatch and Seca liftback), new drivetrains and a new manufacturing site (Port Melbourne) marked more big changes to Toyota’s popular small car.Safety, refinement, comfort and quality all rose significantly, but so did weight.Three new twin-cam multi-valve engines were introduced – a 60kW 6A-FC 1.4 (SE, CS hatch manual only), 67kW carburettor 4A-FC 1.6 (SE auto, CS, CS-X) and 100kW 4A-GE fuel-injected 1.6 (SX manual) – coupled to a five-speed manual, three-speed auto or four-speed auto gearboxes.The SX also enjoyed bolstered seats, suspension and brakes.In March ’90 Toyota introduced a value-added model called the Spirit.This Corolla was also the first of the short-lived model-sharing cars with Holden, which unsuccessfully marketed it as the Nova.

N13 Series IIJul 1989

N13 Series II

Small changes to the grille, tail-lights, body ornamentation, cabin trim and colour palette marked out the rationalised N13 Series II Pulsar and Vector ranges.The GL hatch and new GL Vector sedan used the Holden 1.6, while all other variants were powered by the Holden 1.8.This was an ironic considering that by now Holden had dropped the Pulsar-based Astra for the less-successful Toyota Corolla-derived Nova.Meanwhile, the GXE disappeared as the sporty Q and SSS Vector gained the Viscous LSD feature.And in a definitive ‘80s move, Nissan introduced 200 Pulsar Reebok hatches in September ’90.Along with multiple badges promoting the briefly popular English footware fashion label, the Reebok also included sports seats and the 1.8-litre engine.The GX Sports was another limited edition model, released in early 1991.In fact, such activity, along with the image-destroying discounting that pervaded throughout this series’ lifespan, ended up undermining the excellent N14 model introduced in late 1991.

Y2 SonataMar 1989

Y2 Sonata

The medium-sized, front-wheel drive, four-cylinder Sonata arrived here in March 1989.It was only the second South Korean car sold here, competing against the similar-sized Toyota Camry and Mitsubishi Magna.The spacious five-seater sedan came in GL (with power steering and cloth trim), mid-range GLE (with power windows, central locking, folding rear seat and better audio), and luxury GLS variants, the latter often equipped with climate control air-conditioning, cruise control and alloy wheels.From early ’90 there was a choice of two Mitsubishi-designed engines and transmissions: the 86kW 2.4L four-cylinder unit was joined by a 108kW 3.0L V6. Both were available with a five-speed manual or four-speed auto.Hyundai pitched the bigger engine against the Falcon and Commodore competition.A rare GLS ZR sports version was released in ’90, followed by a slightly revised range in ’91.All had power steering as standard. Despite its dull design and driving dynamics, many buyers responded to the Sonata’s value and space attributes, especially as a recession was beginning to bite.

AT TelstarOct 1987

AT Telstar

Smoother, quieter, stronger and more spacious, the Japan-sourced AT series was based on the 3rd-generation 626.The base GL sedan and hatchback used the carryover 68kW 2.0L engine, while the Ghia models gained a gustier 84kW 2.2L 12-valve “4.” The top-line TX5 Turbo continued with the larger engine, pumping out 100/108kW of power, and anti-lock brakes.All models’ handling, ride and refinement qualities benefited from extra body rigidity and improved suspension, while better quality ensured greater reliability and durability.But sales began to slide in the face of fierce rivalry from the Toyota Camry and upmarket marques like Honda, Saab, and BMW.The Telstar sedans were discontinued in October ’89 when the commercially disastrous, locally assembled Nissan U12 Pintara-based Corsair took their place.

JE CamiraApr 1987

JE Camira

Too little too late, Holden finally realised a big 2.0-litre engine is what its fading Camira needed against fast-improving rivals from Toyota, Ford, Mazda and Nissan.The 1987 JE model is considered the best, mostly because of its 1998cc 85kW/176Nm motor included in all models.There were steering, suspension and refinement modifications, as well as trim changes and a small grille between the swoopy headlights, while the rare SLi 2000 was another attempt at a sportier Camira.Most of the bugs had been ironed out by now as well, but buyers queued for the impressive second-generation Toyota Camry.The larger Magna had also rendered the Camira as too compact, and buyers didn’t trust this Holden’s reliability anyway.The company finally gave up manufacturing medium sized cars as part of its ill-fated tie-up with Toyota, but the Camry-cloned JK Apollo that replaced the JE Camira sold abysmally.Ironically it wasn’t until the arrival of the Camira’s European successor, the 1997 JR Vectra, that Holden finally found success in this segment again.29,129 JE Camiras were produced when production ceased.

PathfinderDec 1986

Pathfinder

Nissan unveiled its American-designed Pathfinder at the end of 1986, to capitalise on the burgeoning success of the medium four-wheel drive market dominated by the Toyota 4Runner, Mitsubishi Pajero and Holden Jackaroo.Based on the recently released Navara utility, the steel-bodied two-door Pathfinder wagon used a separate ladder chassis (with 200mm ground clearance), dual range 4WD (offering 2WD-to-Lo-4WD-to-Hi-4WD) and a limited slip differential for greater off-road abilities.Which also explains why it sat on a wheelbase 300mm shorter than its donor.However the Pathfinder’s powered recirculating ball steering, carpet, cloth trim and full instrumentation reflected its mostly urbanised commuting role.Power came courtesy of Nissan’s 74kW/177Nm Z24S 2.4-litre OHC six-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.In early ’88 the single model approach was split in two, with the base DX losing carpet for vinyl flooring, while the ST gained split fold rear seats, an adjustable steering column and improved driver’s seat.The ST went for luxury in early ’90 with the adoption of power windows, central locking and new wheels as part of a model-wide refresh.

Search results pages:

GoAuto Search Words

Search will attempt to find all articles within the system that contain any or all words you are looking for.

You can include words like "and" + "or" for boolean style searching. Some search examples as follows:

  • "Ford v8" - Results will contain the text as it appears in the search "Ford v8".
  • "Ford and v8" - Results will have both "Ford" and "v8" within its contents but may not be sequential as per previous example.
  • "Ford or Holden and v8" - Results found will contain "v8" and also contain either "Ford" or "Holden".

You may also use wildcards represented by an asterisks. For example:

  • "Turbo*" - will find all documents that contain words like "Turbocharged", "Turbo-Diesel".
  • "Ford and v*" - Results will have both "Ford" and any word that has "V", so you may find documents about Volvo that mention Ford.

Please note: Due to the number of articles, searches may take a few moments to respond.

Research cars by brand

Catch up on all of the latest industry news with this week's edition of GoAutoNews
Click here