1991 Toyota Levin GTZ review from Australia and New Zealand
"Rare, quick, reliable and sexy"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
(nothing major except general wear and tear items etc)
New clutch.
New tires.
New cam-belt.
Air cond no longer cold. (needs coolant)
Some oil leaks when I first bought it.
General comments?
Toyota Levin AE101-GTZ (1991-96 production)
A car that feels very responsive and deceptively powerful (after driving, youl get the strong impression the car is more powerful than it actually is) due to the response and early engagement of the supercharger youl get sucked into your seat a lot more than virtually any 1.6L car (I've had the car wheelspin hardout at around 80kmh).
Handling is good, but very average when compared to cars such as Turbo Subarus, EVOs, etc. Car has mild understeer characteristics and average bodyroll.
Almost instanaeous response from supercharger (in its boost making ability) means you can overtake (or run yellow lights) without shifting down a gear to get the rpms up. You will be addicted to the torque response of this car esp if you were used to large amounts of turbo lag.
Interior is comfortable, back seats are very spacious compared too many other 2 door cars like my previous Honda Prelude. The dash styling is mildy conservative yet modern and stylish, more curvy and not as plain as the newer generation Levins.
Reliability is excellent for a forced induction vehicle of this age and mileage, seeing as the engine and supercharger have not been reconditioned or in any way needed major repair nor ever showed signs of needing attention... which is not usually the case with many turbo cars (esp after 130,000kms, usually turbo recon etc). Fuel consumption is pretty awesome considering the torque the engine/supercharger can produce I've gotten 530kms to 41 litres of 96 octane before (esp compared too many turbo or higher capacity engines). Toyota overbuilt the 4agze generation of engines with strengthened parts such as forged pistons that greatly out weigh its sub-200 horsepower output, so the engine can stand up to some serious abuse and major increases in power without any hassles.
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6 DOHC Supercharged Manual |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 9/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 151000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 164000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Honda Prelude |
| Date of Entry | 11th February, 2004 |