2000 Toyota Celica GT-S - Suddenly the Journey is More Important than the Destination
The new Celica GT-S is seriously enticing. Its alluring skin can either leave you cold or boil you over. Its athletic poise and sinewy muscles hunched down over the pavement let you know that it was bred to perform. The meaty tires give it the air of substance - and substance is what Toyota's new sport coupe is all about.
The GT-S makes you feel in absolute control. You don't have to possess the abilities of Alex Zanardi to snake it through the corners like a world-class champion. It helps you get it right your first time in the driver's seat. At least this was my experience.
The Celica's tiny 1.8L four-cylinder powerplant is only small in displacement. It's big in the thrills department, putting out a whopping 180-hp at 7,600rpm. Choosing to abstain from chirping the front wheels on take off is a difficult task with the GT-S engine revving so willingly. It should then be easy to appreciate how the whole process became so completely addictive. But it's not just the 7,600 rpm redline that my body, mind and soul began to crave. It's also the sweet sensation the entire package offers.
Being that the GT-S is high on horsepower, and only adequate in torque, Toyota has equipped it with a slick 6-speed transmission. The shorter intervals between gears allow you to effectively keep the Celica within its optimum powerband - between 6,000 and 7,600rpm. That sounds stratospheric when comparing it to your average daily commuter, but the GT-S is nothing close to average. Truly, it's right at home spinning these numbers all day long.
Toyota's patented VVTL-i technology continually monitors engine status in order to adjust the intake valve timing to provide an optimal air/fuel mixture for combustion. Unlike some other valve timing systems, Toyota's seems to work effectively at all engine speeds. It offers you more down low, which isn't expected from such a small engine, and then really lays the hammer down at higher rpm levels.