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The Celica's styling is based on Toyota's XYR concept car (for Xtreme, Youthful, Racy), which made the rounds at major auto shows a few years ago. The Celica's 102.3-inch wheelbase is long for a compact coupe, and its front and rear overhangs are short. That long wheelbase with short overhangs emphasizes the Celica's athletic appearance.

Designers at Toyota's southern California studio drew inspiration from Toyota's racing program. The channel down the Celica's hood is supposed to recall the needle nose of an open-wheel race car. The long, vertical headlights are intended to suggest the endplates of a race car's front wing. A mesh grille, new for 2002, adds a note of brutal functionality.

The racecar cues are subtle. However, the Toyota Celica's blend of organic curves and razor-sharp edges is anything but subtle. These contrasts aren't necessarily clean or elegant, but they are dramatic and by no means ugly. Celica's striking headlights make it look expensive. The Celica's styling is particularly bold by Toyota's usually edgeless, conservatively industrial standards.

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As you might expect from a sport coupe, the Toyota Celica offers tight quarters: intimate for average-size people, perhaps cramped for larger folks. The front seats allow height adjustment, but they lack variable lumbar support. The optional leather upholstery ($660) looks and feels rich.

The rear seat provides a surprising amount of space for a 2 + 2. A toe-operated lever on the front passenger seat allows it to slide forward for easier access to the rear compartment. The rear seat folds to expand cargo space.

The dashboard starts with a simple, clean, cross-compartment design. The gauges have orange script on a black background. Switches are easy to find and operate, particularly the stereo controls. The center console has a storage rack for eight CDs or ten cassettes.

Occupant safety remains a priority in the Toyota Celica. Side-impact beams guard against intrusion, and side airbags deploy from the front seats. The seats themselves are built with a one-piece back frame designed to limit whiplash injuries, and many interior trim pieces are deformable to soften impacts. The Celica is the first Toyota that shuts off fuel delivery, if the airbags deploy.