European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday january 31, 1991 the stars and stripes a in a Page 13car corner9 percent More Interior room a have r 9 Toyota a Brand new a entry level Tercel Sedan has a  for it and tops on the list is its sleek body styling. Although this front wheel Dave sub com to Paet to the least expensive Model m Tovo it tags 1991 lineup its appearance belies a that fact. A now in its fourth generation the new Tercel has the same wheelbase and length As its predecessor but the designers have created an Interior that otters 9 percent More  a High notch Back design to Good a Uji effect both visually and practically the to trunk space has also been increased a to a a 10.7 cubic feet a 7 percent gain. In the performance department the horsepower f Lias been improved by replacing the car a Buret or system with electronic Tuel inject 1 Tion. The 1.5-liter, 12-valve, 4-Cyhndet in l inc now puts out 82 he at 5,000 rpm in the United Stales All Tercel models Bare Bones base prices under $10,000, even though they look far More expensive. ,. 7� a a we recently drove the 1991 Tercel be four door Model with five Speed manual transmission and found the engine re Spon Sivc Peppy and Quick to warm up on cold mornings. You get fast results from the Heater a within three minutes of a f starting out. V. A a a a a a a a a a relatively silent for a subcompact the Silver bodied Tercel cruised with ease in. The 75 to 90 Griph Range and was capable of hitting 100 Mph. Below 65 Niph the Tercel is quiet and ditto for the engine but once past that Mark you get some Road and wind noise. But that a to be sex 7 p Pectic d in a subcompact although most of these Little ears regardless of make improve every year. On Back roads and in traffic the Tercel is quite agile and the handling extremely Good. And most important of All the Tercel is fun to drive. Although no Speed Demon its no Slouch either and passing Power is More than adequate if you make proper use of the very smooth five Speed Gearbox the Road holding is first rate and the twist beam rear Axle handles bumps quite Well. Macpherson struts Are used on the front suspension. Its also Worth noting that the body is very tight with never a squeak or rattle. The brakes with Power assist discs at front and Drums at rear were always up to the Job regardless of Road surface a despite the tiny 13-Inch wheels. The modern design Interior with rounded styling that continues the Etc rior concept has appealing lines and curves All of them in the right places. But everything is surprisingly practical an functional. The Dafin like the instrument. Panel is somewhat spartan but it con gains a Handy recessed area for maps and other papers. 1 there a not much instrumentation a Only two big dials. One shows the water temperature and fuel level and the other a speedometer in a a Mph and a a Kph with p trip odometer. Positioned Between the the new Toyota Tercel a wedge styling features Low front Hoo line High notch Back sweep at rear. A amp Sholos 1.5-liter, 4-Cylinder engine turns out 82 he. Interior is spartan but highly functional. Dials is a vertical warning checklist on the Battery brakes Oil level engine Seatbelt and door openings. A digital clock is also integrated into the dash. The ventilation heating system knobs Are located in the Center there Are four air outlets on the dash and beneath this unit Are the radio a storage Box ashtray and upholders. A Good size Glove Box is at the right and the Bottoms of both front doors contain storage bins. About the Only complaint regarding the Interior is the Lack of grab bars. A few Standard items on the Tercel less Interior include a Drivers Side foot rest fold Down 60/40 split rear setbacks tinted Glass child protector door locks rear window defogger. Intermittent wipers and radio with two speakers. The test car had such options As a special stereo radio cassette system with four speakers and air conditioning. The Drivers seat is quite comfortable and supportive and Botn Driver and Pas Senger seats recline fully the headrests Are of a see through design. According to our backseat passengers of medium height leg room was not bad there was plenty of head room and the ride was comfortable. Toyota describes the rear passenger area As Ade quote for three adults but two adults and a Small child Are More like it. The split 60/40 rear setbacks open quickly and easily to the trunk which is Low level to make for easy loading. All four doors open wide and they close with a solid a thunk a a sound rarely heard on a  the fuel Economy department the Tercel be four door recorded 26.8 Miles per gallon quite Good considering several sustained runs in the 80 to 85 Mph area. The Lank holds 11.9 Gallons so the Range would be a bit Over 300 Miles. Wrapping it up the Tercel is among the Best new subcompact on today a car Market and its also one of the most attractive. Another big plus concerns Economy of operation. The Tercel Sedan is being offered by Toyota car world outlets in both two door and four door styles. There Are four models to choose from a a de luxe two door two deluxe four doors Ami one  four door the  being the top of the Tercel line. Both automatic transmission and air  available As options. / 1 a a prices Start at $11,216 Lor the two door deluxe 5-Speed manual Model and Range to $12,816 for the be 4-door Sedan. A Home shipment program with shipment from Bromer Haven is also available for $319. 7 a 7 7 a a a in addition to car world outlets in Germany the Tercel sedans Are available in Belgium Iceland Italy the Netherlands Spain and the United  a Randy Barnett. A amps Auto columnist by the los Angeles times los Angeles the big three automakers Are forming a Manhattan pro acct style research consortium a with utilities Batik by makers and the . Gove a Petit a to develop a cheap durable Battery capable of powering the no polluting electric cars of the future. The Lack of such a Battery is the most important technological impediment to a practical electric vehicle says Roberta j. Nichols a manager in the alternative fuels department for Ford motor co. Electric vehicles Are now believed to be the Only Type of car that will meet California requirements for Zero emissions by 1998. They could also Cut Reliance on imported Oil because Utility officials estimate that there is already ample spare electric generating capacity to energize an Armada of them during the off Peak hours when most would be recharged nothing has been formalized but in meetings in the last two months general motors corp., Ford motor co. And Chrysler corp. Have neared agreement with Southern California Edison co., the. Department of Energy and others on a consortium to develop a workable Battery system that would be shared by All. The nonprofit electric Power research Institute a Utility Industry financed research group would also take part. The 12-Ycar project is expected to come together by Spring and will Cost a in the tens of millions of dollars a says Richard Schweinberg manager of electric transportation at Edison. Until now automakers utilities and Battery makers have All pursued.indepen-, Dent a  a research into Battery systems. Dozens of technologies have been considered. The alter a lives developed so far All have serious drawbacks. A a unless we have this concentrated of. Fort on a few batteries and increase funding Signi Vantly. It will take a very Long time to have commercially available batteries a Schweinberg says