The Toyota Paseo (known as the in Japan and other regions) is a

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-styled

subcompact car Subcompact car is a North American classification for cars smaller than a compact car. It is broadly equivalent to the B-segment (Europe), supermini (Great Britain) or A0-class (China) classifications. According to the U.S. Environmental Prote ...

sold from 1991 until 1999 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 ...

and was directly based on the Tercel. It was available as a

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 ...

and in later models as a

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

. Toyota stopped selling the car in the United States in 1997, however the car continued to be sold in Canada, Europe and Japan until 1999. The Paseo, like the Tercel, shares a

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with the

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. Several parts are interchangeable between the three. The name "Paseo" is Spanish for "a walk" or "a stroll", while the name "Cynos" is a coined word taken from "cynosure", meaning "the target of attention". In Japan it was exclusive to ''

Toyopet 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. __TOC__

First generation (L40; 1991)

The first-generation Paseo was made from 1991 until 1995. Based on the L40 series Tercel, it is powered by a 1.5-liter '' 5E-FE''

inline-four engine A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...

. In most markets, the Paseo's engine was rated at at 6,400 rpm and of torque at 3,200 rpm. In 1993, in California and other states with California level

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s, it was rated at and of torque. It was offered with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission. In Japan, the Cynos was available in α (Alpha) and β (Beta) trim levels. The α trim is powered by a ''5E-FE'' engine producing , while the β trim is powered by a '' 5E-FHE'' engine producing . In β trim, four-wheel disc brakes and

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electronically controlled suspension can be selected as options. File:1992 Toyota Paseo (EL44) coupe (20318580361).jpg, 1992 Toyota Paseo (EL44, Australia) File:Toyota Cynos (Japan).jpg, 1992 Toyota Cynos (EL44, New Zealand)

Second generation (L50; 1995)

The second-generation Paseo was introduced in Japan in 1995, and for the 1996 model year in North America. Apart from some modernizing in the engine electronics, the only noticeable change was in the body sheet metal. A

model was shown at the October 1995 Tokyo Motor Show and was released for sale in August 1996. 1996 was the last year the Paseo was sold in the United States (for the 1997 model year). To reduce emissions levels, the second-generation Paseo's ''5E-FE'' engine performance was reduced to the same specifications as the California CARB models, delivering and of torque. The second-generation Paseo was sold in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 1998, but was withdrawn due to slow sales. The UK market Paseo was offered in three trim levels: the base ST, the Si; adding 14-inch alloy wheels, a Sony CD player, color-coded boot spoiler with third brake light and an

anti-lock braking system An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a safety anti-skid braking system used on aircraft and on land vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. ABS operates by preventing the wheels from locking up during braking, thereby maintaini ...

, and the Galliano, adding a color-coded chin spoiler, mud guards and yellow paintwork with aquamarine decals on the bodysides, as well as wider 15-inch alloy wheels with low-profile 195/50 tires. The convertible model was not offered. All UK models came with the ''5E-FE'' engine producing . The top speed, as claimed by Toyota, was . The Japanese market version was again named "Cynos". Three trim levels were available: α, α Juno Package and β. All came with color-coded wing mirrors and a rear windscreen wiper. The models differed in their dashboards, interior upholstery, steering wheels and engines. The Juno trim came with a 1.3 L '' 4E-FE'' engine with a 4-speed automatic transmission. The α trim had the 1.5 L ''5E-FE'' engine with a 5-speed manual transmission and the β trim came with a ''5E-FHE'' engine, also with a 5-speed manual transmission. Both the Paseo and Cynos were discontinued in 1999. File:Toyota Paseo rear 20080220.jpg, Rear view File:1997 Toyota Paseo front 7.22.18.jpg, 1997 Toyota Paseo convertible (EL54, US) File:Toyota cynos el52 1.3ajunopackage 1 f.jpg, Toyota Cynos 1.3 α Juno Package (EL52, Japan)

References

{{Authority control Paseo Cars introduced in 1991 Coupés Convertibles Front-wheel-drive vehicles Sport compact cars