Test Drive: 1993 Toyota Corolla

2016 marks 60 years on the market for the Toyota Corolla, but there's perhaps no version more memorable to the masses than the seventh generation.

Introduced to North America in 1993, the Corolla's styling was a drastic departure from the outgoing version, featuring a larger, more rounded shape.

It also featured two engine choices: An upgraded 1.6-litre four-cylinder that made 105 horsepower, and a 1.8-litre four-cylinder that made 115 horsepower to go with 115 lb.-ft. of torque.

The tester Graeme Fletcher drove all those years ago featured the larger of the two engines mated to a five-speed manual transmission, which worked together to run from 0 to 100 km/h in just eight seconds—a more than respectable time even by today's standards.

Fuel economy, too, was impressive no matter the era, with the Corolla returning a combined 8.8 L/100 km combined city/highway over a 1,000-kilometre test.

About the only downside was the test car's $18,500 price tag—equivalent to more than $27,500 today when adjusting for inflation.

This segment originally appeared on Episode 7 of Motoring 1993.

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