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Toyota Paseo Convertible pitches alfresco action on a budget
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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DEER, Ark. -- The sun is out, the sky is blue, and, as Buddy Holly once crooned, there's not a cloud to spoil the view...on this high-revving streak through the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas.
We're running on a wiggly ridge route, somewhere between mountain hamlets of Nail and Ben-Hur on Arkansas 16, which offers tight-fisted curves and breath-taking views of pine-clad bluffs and valleys in the Ozark National Forest.
With the arrival of springtime in the mountains, woodland hillsides dot with the white blossoms of this state's native wild flowering tree, the dogwood, while the country air smells fresh and clean, and feels cool in the hollows as we rip past.
Did I mention we popped the top?
No spin through scenic countryside would be complete unless you're lucky enough to steer a ragtop cruiser, and the one tested on this lark allowed the outdoors in and still gave this goosy driver something fun to play with as we romped around so many challenging Ozark curves.
The car comes with a convertible top that's all too simple to operate, a pint-size engine which earns high marks for fuel economy yet also musters a surprising surge of power, and it carries a price tag which pitches it into that rare class for a ragtop: Affordable.
How could I have overlooked such a cutie?
Well, while Toyota's Paseo Coupe may be a familiar name by now, the open-top variation only recently came to market, and it arrives by a curious route, squeezing into a new slot on Toyota's lot as the line's second -- and smaller -- convertible, since it follows the larger Celica drop-top.
Checking its parentage requires investigation because even the Paseo Coupe from which this convertible springs actually becomes a derivation from the popular Toyota subcompact sedan, Tercel.
Follow me on this:
Inventive Toyota squeezed a squirt-size commuter car out of its price-conscious Corolla series way back in 1980 and called this gas-miser the Corolla Tercel. Stripped of fancy performance features and comfort perks, Tercel promised high fuel economy numbers and a low price tag.
It was, simply put, a cheap set of wheels.
Successive models attached more mechanical hardware to improve driving response and occupant safety. By 1994, after 1.5 million in sales from 15 annual models, Tercel had acquired a reputation not only for low prices but the quality of its components and the way all of the parts fit together to form a tight little subcompact package.
Then, Toyota introduced a fifth generational successor to Tercel in 1995 styled as either a 2-door hatchback coupe or 4-door sedan wearing smooth new exterior lines and packing a twin-cam powerplant and new safety systems.
Yet there was more: Tercel became more than cheap wheels because it was actually fun to drive.
Last year, Toyota's designers took the essence of Tercel and applied sport-hewn curves and swoops and flairs and labeled it as the Paseo Coupe. It reached our market with far more equipment than its predecessor but a bottom line pared by $1,000, which made Paseo highly attractive.
Now, Toyota takes the essential Paseo Coupe, which it constructs at the Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Japan, and adds braces to areas like rocker panel and rear strut towers so the resultant convertible will remain structurally rigid once its top disappears. After partial assembly, the core car ships to Rancho Dominguez, Calif., where a conversion company, ASC, chops off the metal roof and installs an insulated convertible top and various related accessories.
By starting with the structure of a coupe enhanced by additional supports, Paseo's open top edition remains a firm little platform which, after installing suspension and other controlling devices, sets up its sporty personality.
The suspension, pinning a MacPherson strut at each front wheel, feels stiff, almost sporty, and in a hard corner checks the car's natural body roll.
Make quick cuts on the steering wheel and Paseo takes a tight Ozark curve set with the agile attitude of a racy thing, thanks to on-board rack and pinion steering.
Running up and down the manual gears, my tester convertible complied aggressively on demand. Eager is the word I used to describe the action, which is not what I would have expected from a modest powerplant.
From the outset of the test tour, though, one driver discovered that Paseo's engine directed feisty torque to the front wheels. After flooring the accelerator and rapping through bottom gears, I found it difficult to believe such lively action flowed from a plant which produced only 93 hp.
Toyota engineered the 1.5-liter 4-in-line engine to deliver a kick, particularly at lower speeds for city driving situations, but at the same time achieve superior fuel economy numbers. With four valves in each cylinder and an electronic fuel injection system as gatekeeper, this one can run up to 35 miles on each gallon of gas.
It achieves its highest ratings when the engine teams with the 5-speed manual transmission that comes with the standard equipment. An optional 4-speed automatic cuts the power curve slightly and chips a couple of miles per gallon away from fuel economy ratings.
The fittings installed inside this little pop-top feel cozy, curvy and cool, with 2+2 seating pitting twin buckets in front of a wee contoured bench for two.
Converting from coupe to convertible does not rob the package of space inside the passenger compartment, as the entire roof assembly tucks behind the bench seat, intruding only marginally into the trunk.
The roof assembly, adding 143 pounds to the curb weight, uses a 4-ply insulated fabric-type top with metal superstructure and heated rear glass window. Unique glass rear quarter windows also appear with this design and help dampen the typical convertible's blind spots.
Opening the convertible's manual top is so easy I could do so even while remaining in the driver's seat.
The price chart for Toyota's newest convertible begins around $17,000 for a 5-speed model equipped with standards like cloth upholstery, stereo AM-FM sound, tachometer among other instruments, dual airbags, digital clock, intermittent wipers and remote releases for fuel door and trunk.
Factory-installed options include the automatic transmission ($800) and air conditioning ($925).
1997 TOYOTA PASEO CONVERTIBLE
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1997 TOYOTRA PASEO CONVERTIBLE Specs |
| Description: |
Subcompact 2+2 convertible |
| Model Options: |
Subcompact 2+2 convertible |
| Wheelbase: |
93.7 inches |
| Overall Length: |
163.6 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 1.5-L I4
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Disc/drum, opt. ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
M/5: 30/35 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 17,150 to $ 20,500 |
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