Toyota · 1978–2003

Toyota Tercel

The Toyota Tercel (Japanese: トヨタ・ターセル, Hepburn: Toyota Tāseru) is a subcompact car manufactured by Toyota from 1978 until 1999 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 Toyota Corolla II (トヨタ・カローラII, Toyota Karōra II)—sold at Toyota Japanese dealerships called Toyota Corolla Stores—and was replaced by the Platz in 1999. It was also known as the Toyota Corsa (トヨタ・コルサ, Toyota Korusa) and sold at Toyopet Store locations. Starting with the second generation, the Tercel dealership network was changed to Vista Store, as its badge engineered sibling, the Corolla II, was exclusive to Corolla Store locations. 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. For example, the E80 series Corolla's frame (except AE85 and AE86) is similar to the L20 series Tercel's frame. Also, Toyota designed the A series engine for the Tercel, attempting simultaneously to achieve good fuel economy and performance and low emissions. Choice of body styles increased as well, with the addition of a four-door sedan. The name "Tercel" was derived from the Latin word for "one third", with "tiercel" referring to a male falcon which is one-third smaller than its female counterpart. Similarly, the Tercel was slightly smaller than the Corolla. The early Tercels have a logo on the trunk with a stylized falcon as the T in Tercel. All Tercels were assembled at the Takaoka factory in Toyota City, Aichi or by Hino Motors in Hamura, Tokyo. Hino assembled the third generation Tercel from 1986 to 1990 for the two-door and some three-door models. When Japanese production of the Tercel/Corsa/Corolla II (and the related Cynos/Paseo coupés) came to an end in 1999, 4,968,935 examples had been built.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Successor: Toyota Yaris|Toyota Vios|Toyota Platz

All Toyota Tercel data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years → + Compare

First generation (L10; 1978)

The Tercel was introduced in Japan in August 1978, Europe in March 1979 (Geneva Motor Show) and the United States in 1980. It was originally sold as either a two- or four-door sedan, or as a three-door hatchback. The hatchback's rear design was the result of using taillights similar in design to those used on the bigger Mark II: the Tercel was originally intended to be sold through Toyopet Stores, alongside the Mark II. The Tercel ended up being marketed through the Corolla Store and the Diesel Store locations in Japan, while a version badged "Toyota Corsa" was marketed in parallel through the separate Toyopet distribution network. In the United States it was named the "Corolla Tercel". Models sold in the US were powered by a 1,452 cc SOHC four-cylinder 1A-C engine producing 60 hp (45 kW) at 4,800 rpm. Transmission choices were either a four- or five-speed manual, or a three-speed automatic available with the 1.5-litre engine from August 1979 on. In the Japanese market, the 1,500 cc engine developed 80 PS (59 kW) at 5,600 rpm, while the 1.3-litre 2A engine, added in June 1979, offered a claimed 74 PS (54 kW). In Europe, mainly, the 1.3-litre version was available, with 65 PS (48 kW). In this new front-wheel-drive design, the first for Toyota, the engine is mounted longitudinally. The transmission is mounted under the floorpan, as is the case in a rear-wheel-drive car. Unlike a rear-wheel-drive car, the transmission has a ring and pinion gear on the front part of the transmission, underneath the engine. The engine, transmission and differential are located a little off of the centre line of the car. Halfshafts then extend from the transmission to the front wheels. This made for a taller package than usual, making the beltline higher as well, but Toyota felt that traditio

Second generation (L20; 1982)

Toyota redesigned the Tercel in May 1982, now called the Tercel in all markets. Its internal model code is the L20 series. It was available in three- or five-door hatchback models or a four-door station wagon, and also as a four-door sedan in Japan. The station wagon, known in Japan as the Sprinter Carib (Japanese: Toyota Sprinter Carib, short for "caribou"), was introduced in August 1982. The wagon was also available with four-wheel drive (front-wheel-drive wagons were only available in select markets). In Japan, a four-wheel-drive sedan was also available; it, too remained in production alongside the wagon version even after the introduction of the third generation Tercel. Standard front-wheel drive vehicles (and four-wheel drive wagons not equipped with the six-speed manual transmission) came with either a three-speed automatic or a four- or five-speed manual transmission. The four-speed manual was reserved for the very simplest version in North American markets. In Japan, body styles on offer were different for the different models as they had to suit the lineups of the various dealer networks. the Corolla II was originally only available as a three- or five-door hatchback, while the Tercel and the Corsa were both offered exclusively with the five-door or the four-door sedan body styles. The second generation Tercel was moved from the Corolla to the Vista sales network, while the Corsa remained available through Toyopet stores, and the Corolla II in the Corolla dealer network. The Toyota Diesel sales network, which had handled some Tercel sales earlier, was shut down in the 1980s. As only the first two generations were sold officially in Europe, this was the last generation of the Tercel series available there, with either the hatchback or station wagon bodywork. In

Third generation (L30; 1986)

In 1986, Toyota introduced the slightly larger third generation Tercel with a new 12-valve engine which featured a variable venturi carburetor, and later models with EFI. From this generation on, the engine is mounted transversely, with the transmission mounted on the right side of the engine in a layout developed by Dante Giacosa and earlier popularised in such vehicles as the Fiat 128 and Volkswagen Golf. Other changes included revised rack-and-pinion steering and a newly designed, fully independent suspension. The Tercel continued in North America as Toyota's least expensive vehicle, while it was no longer offered in Europe. In other markets, the smaller Starlet was also offered. In Japan, the top trim package Tercel Retra GP-Turbo came installed with Toyota's four wheel independent suspension, labeled "Pegasus", along with their "Lasre" branded multi-port fuel injection, using the 115 PS (85 kW) 3E-TEU engine. "Retra" was short for retractable, a reference to the car's unique hidden headlamps. In 1986, Toyota also introduced a turbodiesel version with Toyota's 1.5-litre 1N-T engine coupled with a manual five-speed transmission. This was exclusively sold in the Japanese market. The wagon version continued to be of the previous generation, as did the four-door sedan (which was not exported to most countries), until it was moved to the Corolla's underpinnings in 1988. The variable venturi carburettor reportedly has some problems, especially in the earlier models, such as a too rich mixture, which is caused by the too thin Teflon coating of the fuel-metering needle, which erodes over time due to friction. It also has had problems with the compensator (choke device), which can also cause overly rich mixture when not working properly. North America The third generation T

Fourth generation (L40; 1990)

Toyota introduced the fourth-generation Tercel in September 1990. Body styles are 3-door hatchback, 2-door sedan, and 4-door sedan. In the North American markets it was powered by either a 1.5 L 3E-E four-cylinder engine producing 82 hp (61 kW) at 5,200 rpm and 89 lb⋅ft (121 N⋅m) of torque at 4,400 rpm, or a 1.5-litre 5E-FE 16-valve DOHC 4-cylinder engine producing 110 hp (82 kW). The hatchback was not offered in North America, while the two-door sedan was not sold in any market outside of the US and Canada. The rear of the hatchback had an unusual, rounded design, with a large wraparound windshield which was curved in three dimensions. For the Japanese market, the Tercel 3-door hatchback was offered in VC, VS, VZ, Joinus and Avenue trim levels. Model grades for the sedan were Joinus, Avenue, VE, VX and VZ. The top-of-the-line VZ is powered by a 5E-FHE engine. The Joinus hatchback and sedan, Avenue and VX sedan were also offered with 1.5-litre 1N diesel engine. The 4WD models were available as Joinus and VS hatchbacks, as well as the Avenue and VX sedans. 4WD models were all powered by the 1.5-liter 5E-FE engine. The higher level Japanese sedans have different tail lights and a better-equipped interior than the export models. This was the first Tercel to offer anti-lock brakes. Export models. North America North American models were the 2-door base, 2 and 4-door DX, and 4-door LE. The hatchback was no longer offered for this region. Colour-keyed bumpers, full wheel covers and folded rear seat were optional on the DX, standard on the LE. The LE has red trunk garnish similar to the Japanese model. Facelift was given for the 1993 model year with a restyled grille and the addition of a standard driver's side airbag The driver-side now has 3-point seatbelt, but the passenger

Fifth generation (L50; 1994)

Designed between 1991 and 1992 by Shinichi Hiranaka and Yasuhisa Hamano, Toyota introduced an all-new Tercel in September 1994, for the 1995 model year. The new Tercel featured a redesigned exterior and new engine, offering a stiffer body with better handling and was one of only a handful of cars in the US to have OBDII in 1995. Reflecting the state of Japan's post-Bubble economy, the car was somewhat decontented in comparison to its overbuilt predecessor. The Tercel now offered standard driver's and passenger's side airbags in the United States, but only a driver's side bag for Canada. Three-point seatbelts for front and outboard rear passengers and adjustable shoulder-belt anchor points for front seat passengers were installed on four-door models. All models met federal standards for 1997 side-impact protection, and offered anti-lock brakes. Standard models came with only a four-speed manual or automatic transmission and grey bumpers, while DX models were offered with the addition of body-coloured bumpers and either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. Its all-new appearance appears to be influenced by the Japanese-market Toyota Camry V40 series, also introduced that year. Both vehicles were available together at Toyota Corolla Store Japanese dealerships. Design patents were filed at the Japan Patent Office on 12 October 1992, under patent number 1009387. In Japan, the Tercel was again also offered with the Corsa and Corolla II nameplates, for sale through parallel marketing channels. There was also a three-door hatchback body version offered in addition to the four-door sedan. The two-door sedan was only ever marketed in North America. There was also a four-wheel-drive option available in Japan. The interior design pushed the dash further away, b

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Toyota Tercel

Manufacturer

Toyota

aka

Toyota Corsa (Japan), Toyota Corolla II (Japan, 1982–1999), Toyota Corolla Tercel (United States, 1978–1982), Toyota Soluna (Thailand and Indonesia, 1996–2003)

Production

August 1978 – July 1999 (extended production as Soluna until 2003)

Assembly

Japan: Toyota, Aichi (Takaoka plant); Hamura, Tokyo (Hino plant)

Class

Subcompact car

Successor

Toyota Platz/Echo/Yaris, Toyota Duet (Japan, for Corolla II), Toyota Vios (Asia, for Soluna)

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q588843CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_TercelCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1370435499 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tercel_1983.jpgPublic domain · Photo: Emmka at de.wikipedia · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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