The is a
sport compact
Sport compact is an American car classification for a high-performance version of an affordable compact car or a subcompact car. There is no precise definition and the description is applied for marketing purposes to a wide variety of models.
C ...
coupé
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
built by
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
from 1994 to 1998. It is based on the
T200 series Celica chassis. It shared the same interior and rear end design as the Celica coupé. Instead of having four round
headlamp
A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for ...
s like the Celica, it has a rectangular headlamp design providing a more traditional
halogen
The halogens () are a group in the periodic table consisting of five or six chemically related elements: fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), astatine (At), and tennessine (Ts). In the modern IUPAC nomenclature, this group is ...
headlamp appearance. Modifying the appearance of the Celica allowed Toyota to sell the Curren at ''
Toyota Vista Store
Toyota vehicles in Japan are distributed to numerous dealership chains throughout the country. Up to May 2020, each dealership chain had a different product offering, with some models restricted to one chain to maintain exclusivity. Since May 2020, ...
'' locations, as the Celica was exclusive to ''Corolla Store'' locations. The Curren directly replaced the
T160 series Corona Coupé, which was exclusive to ''Toyopet Store'' locations.
The name "Curren" is derived from English word "current".
Model history
1994–1995
In 1994, the Curren was available in two models, the ST206 and ST207. The ST206 model had four different trim levels. The FS, XS, ZS and ZS Sport Selection. The FS and XS trims were both powered by the 2.0 L ''
3S-FE'' engine, whereas the ZS trims were powered by the 2.0 L ''
3S-GE'' engine. The ZS Sport Selection trim had the added benefit of a
limited slip differential
A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the generic tr ...
and leather steering wheel. The ST207 only came in the XS Touring Selection trim, which was powered by the ''3S-FE'' engine and came equipped with
four-wheel steering
Steering is a system of components, linkages, and other parts that allows a driver to control the direction of the vehicle.
Introduction
The most conventional steering arrangement allows a driver to turn the front wheels of a vehicle using ...
and Toyota's active suspension package called
TACS
Total Access Communication System (TACS) and ETACS are variants of Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) which were announced as the choice for the first two UK national cellular systems in February 1983, less than a year after the UK government an ...
.
In 1995, the XS and ZS S-Package trims were introduced which included a rear spoiler, rear wiper, alloy wheels and slightly more power output on the ZS trims. The later model, the ST208, was introduced as a base model to the lineup. It had two trim levels, the TS and TS Private Selection which included a rear wiper and a rear spoiler. Both trim levels were powered by the 1.8 L ''
4S-FE'' engine.
1996–1998
In 1996, the Curren received a
facelift
A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (from the Ancient Greek () "wrinkle", and () "excision", the surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are mult ...
that included redesigned front bumper, clear front turn signals and redesigned front grille. It also received redesigned
taillamp
The lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signalling devices mounted to or integrated into the front, rear, sides, and in some cases the top of a motor vehicle. They illuminate the road ahead for the driver and increase t ...
s that had a darker tint and clear turn signals, while the 1994 model had the same design having orange turn signals with the ST202C and ST204C Celicas for the US market.
In 1997, the four-wheel steering ST207 model was discontinued. The rest of the models remained unchanged until it ended production in July 1998. In September 1998, sales of the Curren ended with a total of 42,000 units.
TRD Sports Version
In late 1995 Toyota introduced the Toyota Curren TRD Sports version. Based on the Toyota Curren ZS Sport Selection, the TRD Sports included various interior and exterior modifications from TRD to include a TRD muffler, TRD rear wing, TRD front bumper, TRD leather shift knob, and a TRD TRDSPORTS steering wheel with TRD horn. Other standard items include a carbon fiber-like interior trim package, a gray gauge cluster with orange backlighting and gray accents surrounding the gauges. The TRD Sports Curren was available with a 5-speed manual with a LSD or a 4-speed automatic transmission. The 5-speed manual transmission received a helical limited slip differential as standard. The Toyota Curren TRD Sports was limited to 300 units for the Japanese market.
Gallery
Toyota Curren rear.jpg, Rear view (pre-facelift)
CurrenRear.jpg, Rear view (facelift)
1996 Toyota Curren XS 4AT interior.jpg, Interior
1996 Toyota Curren XS 4AT 3S-FE engine.jpg, '' 3S-FE'' engine in the 1996 Curren XS
References
{{Toyota road cars timeline, 1985-date
Curren
Cars introduced in 1994
Coupés
Sport compact cars
Front-wheel-drive sports cars
Vehicles with four-wheel steering