1992 Toyota Paseo from North America - Comments

Water pump (did not fail, but was leaking). Alternator.

While some may not think this car is a strong performer, I certainly do. I have hit 120 miles per hour at just over 5,000 rpm. Impressive. Highway acceleration is decent. Off the line it'll smoke other cars in its class, even some V6's. It does not sound like an I-4 engine if you ask me. It has the rumble of a V6 at lower RPMS, then starts to pitch up in tone. STRONG engine, lots of torque. This car will press you back in your seat when you punch it. The folks who say it lacks performance obviously don't have the guts to rev 'her high and let off the clutch! It's a four cylinder engine, and if you know anything about cars you know you have to keep the smaller engines "wound up" to get power out of them. Fuel economy is excellent. I get around 30 miles per gallon at 80 miles per hour on the highway. It does not burn oil, though my Paseo seems to choose what days it will impress you with its performance. I'm getting a K&N air filter for it, that should help. All I can say is... I beat the pants off my friends Chevrolet pickup truck that has a V6 engine. SO there you have it. Great little car.

I don't find any performance problems with the auto at all in my 1992. Quick is the word--everything happens between 3 and 5k RPM, however. The overdrive is very easy to use. I do advocate the K&N filter (33 series 2094). Keep her revved!

120mph at 5000 rpm? By my calculations, 120mph in 5th should be about 6000 rpm.

Well, I got one. It picks up speed very very rapidly. 0-50 in less than 3 seconds. Very easy to be caught for speeding. In my case, I don't feel like I am even going any fast until I hit 80. I haven't tried going any faster than 85mph. I got mine new and the only thing I had to fix was an ruined thermostat. It has very good mileage, but the back area is not spacey.

I was looking for sports cars, and I am still forced to stick with my 1992 Paseo. This car is very very fast. It goes 0-75mph in about 6 seconds. Its gas mileage is incredible. Even with no airbags, the car is still pretty difficult to dent, and got a dent on the side when I got it, while, with a comparable Toyota, that'd have finished the car completely.

It accelerates so fast, that you have to be very careful not to speed. You have to look at the speedometer as there is no comparable change in the engine reaction until you are past at least 85 mph.

I think Paseo is the best car that they made. It's a sports car, and doesn't feel like one. I always pass by to see Toyota Paseo owners, and one for one, they prefer this car to the more expensive ones. Wonder why?

Wow, the Paseo was based on the Tercel and used the same engine with DOHC, but you don't see Tercel owners claiming 0-75 in 6 seconds. Must be all that extra horsepower the Paseo had over the Tercel.

That would be a whopping 7 hp, by the way.