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Photo of a Toyota Carina E

Toyota Carina E

Toyota's European passenger-car production began with the Carina E on December 16, 1992.1

Researched October 31, 2026 from 29 sources

Also called

  • Liebling der PrüferGerman for 'inspectors' favorite': 82.1% passed their first inspection after 3 years without defects.2

At a glance

0100200
72–173 hpPower

The coral arc spans the family, from its mildest version to its wildest.8

Engine
1.6/1.8/2.0 L gasoline I4s; 2.0 L diesel and turbo diesel I4s5
Layout
Front-engine, front-wheel drive911
Gearbox
5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic5
Built at
Tsutsumi, Japan; Burnaston, United Kingdom5
Units built
250,000 at Burnaston by June 19963

The story

Built to win over European drivers, the E meant Europe. Sedan and liftback bodies had Cd 0.30 aerodynamics, while the 1.6-liter 4A-FE lean-burn engine could run at a 23:1 air-fuel ratio.34

1992: Carina for Europe debuts · Burnaston starts building Carina E19921993: Semperit Irish Car of the Year · Estate arrives; liftbacks go British19931994: 100,000 built at Burnaston · GTi reaches 173 hp19941995: 1.8-liter lean-burn and GS arrive19951996: Airbags and side-impact protection19961997: Avensis takes over1997 Toyota Carina (A10/A30): 1970–1977A10/A30Toyota Carina (A40/A50): Introduced 1977A40/A50Toyota Carina (A60): 1981–1988A60Toyota Carina II (T150): 1984–1988T150Toyota Carina II (T170): 1988–1992T170Toyota Carina E (T190): 1992–1997T190Toyota Avensis (T220): Introduced 1997T220 197019801990200020102020
GenerationsBefore and afterMilestones3581516
Show the numbers
YearWhat happened
1970–1977Toyota Carina (A10/A30)
Introduced 1977Toyota Carina (A40/A50)
1981–1988Toyota Carina (A60)
1984–1988Toyota Carina II (T150)
1988–1992Toyota Carina II (T170)
1992–1997Toyota Carina E (T190)
Introduced 1997Toyota Avensis (T220)
1992Carina for Europe debuts
1992Burnaston starts building Carina E
1993Semperit Irish Car of the Year
1993Estate arrives; liftbacks go British
1994100,000 built at Burnaston
1994GTi reaches 173 hp
19951.8-liter lean-burn and GS arrive
1996Airbags and side-impact protection
1997Avensis takes over
  1. 1992

    Carina for Europe debuts

    Japan supplies the launch cars for a model developed to win over European drivers; E means Europe.3

  2. 1992

    Burnaston starts building Carina E

    Toyota starts European passenger-car production on December 16, with chairman Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda attending the line-off.14

  3. 1993

    Semperit Irish Car of the Year

    Ireland crowns the Carina E its 1993 Semperit Car of the Year.56

  4. 1993

    Estate arrives; liftbacks go British

    British liftback production starts in December, after the new estate joins the range in April.3

  5. 1994

    100,000 built at Burnaston

    A second shift helps lift annual output from 37,000 toward 90,000; European content is set to reach 80% by year-end.7

  6. 1994

    GTi reaches 173 hp

    The Celica-sourced 2.0-liter 3S-GE GTi grows from about 156 to 173 hp. Earlier GTis had 186 Nm and a quoted 0–100 km/h time of 8.4 seconds.8910

  7. 1995

    1.8-liter lean-burn and GS arrive

    The range gains a 1.8-liter lean-burn engine and GS trim; the new engine produces about 106 hp.38

  8. 1996

    Airbags and side-impact protection

    The midyear refresh improves passive safety, including airbags and side-impact protection.8

  9. 1997

    Avensis takes over

    Production ends in September; the British-built Avensis replaces the Carina E in Europe.8

Every generation

  • Toyota Carina
    A10/A301970–1977
  • Toyota Carina
    A40/A50Introduced 1977
  • Toyota Carina
    A601981–1988
  • Toyota Carina II
    T1501984–1988
  • Toyota Carina II
    T1701988–1992
  • Toyota Carina E
    T1901992–1997
  • Toyota Avensis
    T220Introduced 1997

Power over the years

From 72 hp to 173 hp in 2 years.

050100150200 1992199419961998 hp 1992 · 72 hp · 2.0 diesel 2C1992 · 106 hp · 1.6 4A-FE lean-burn1992 · 114 hp · 1.6 automatic, stoichiometric1992 · 131 hp · 2.0 3S-FE1992 · 156 hp · 2.0 GTi 3S-GE1994 · 173 hp · 2.0 GTi 3S-GE update1995 · 106 hp · 1.8 7A-FE lean-burn1996 · 82 hp · 2.0 turbo diesel 2C-T1996 · 124 hp · 2.0 3S-FE update1997 · 98 hp · 1.6 4A-FE lean-burn update 173 hp 2.0 GTi 3S-GE update 72 hp 2.0 diesel 2C
23810
Show the numbers
YearHorsepowerModel
1992722.0 diesel 2C
19921061.6 4A-FE lean-burn
19921141.6 automatic, stoichiometric
19921312.0 3S-FE
19921562.0 GTi 3S-GE
19941732.0 GTi 3S-GE update
19951061.8 7A-FE lean-burn
1996822.0 turbo diesel 2C-T
19961242.0 3S-FE update
1997981.6 4A-FE lean-burn update

Versions

10 versions worth knowing, with their power.

  • Xi / XLi (UK)

    Standard

    Xi / XLi (UK)

    1992–1996

  • GLi (UK)

    Standard

    GLi (UK)

    1992–1996

  • Sportswagon

    Standard

    Sportswagon

    1993–1997

  • Standard

    XLD / GLD (UK)

    1992–1996

    72 hp
  • S (UK)

    Standard

    S (UK)

    1996–1997

  • GS (UK)

    Standard

    GS (UK)

    1995–1997

  • CD / CDX (UK)

    Standard

    CD / CDX (UK)

    1996–1997

  • Executive (UK)

    Standard

    Executive (UK)

    1992–1996

  • GTi (early 3S-GE)

    Performance

    GTi (early 3S-GE)

    1992–1994

    155 hp

  • Performance

    GTi (uprated 3S-GE)

    1994–1997

    173 hp

How to spot one

Look for

  • A low, pointed nose.3
  • The windshield leans back sharply.3
  • Smooth body sides lead to a rear end that narrows inward.3
  • Body choices are a four-door sedan, five-door liftback and five-door wagon.5

Year by year

  1. 1993

    The Sportswagon joined the sedan and liftback range, adding the wagon silhouette.312

  2. 1996

    The facelift introduced a grille whose shape resembles a large T.10

Don’t confuse it with

  • Photo of a Toyota Carina E
    Carina E
    Photo of a Corona (T190)
    Corona (T190)

    Corona (T190)

    Some Coronas share the Carina E's exterior; Corona badging is the useful clue.5

  • Photo of a Toyota Carina E
    Carina E
    Photo of a Caldina (first generation)
    Caldina (first generation)

    Caldina (first generation)

    Facelift wagons gained revised tailgates and lamps; exports usually kept the old tailgate to fit wider European plates.14

  • Photo of a Toyota Carina E
    Carina E
    Photo of a Japanese Carina / Carina ED
    Japanese Carina / Carina ED

    Japanese Carina / Carina ED

    Japan's Carina used its own sedan-only bodywork; the separate Carina ED was a four-door hardtop.515

Against its rivals

  • Cavalier 2.0 GSi

    Carina E vs Cavalier 2.0 GSi

    Price lower is better

    Carina E16,980 £
    Cavalier 2.0 GSi17,486 £
    13

  • Carina E vs Ford Mondeo 1.8 CDS

    Rear-seat spacing

    Carina E75.5 cm
    Ford Mondeo 1.8 CDS68.5 cm
    17
  • Opel Vectra 1.8 GL

    Carina E vs Opel Vectra 1.8 GL

    Rear-seat spacing

    Carina E75.5 cm
    Opel Vectra 1.8 GL74.5 cm
    17
  • Peugeot 406 1.8 ST

    Carina E vs Peugeot 406 1.8 ST

    Comfort score

    Carina E4 points
    Peugeot 406 1.8 ST5 points
    17

Prices

Price when newAuction salePrices on a log scale
$100$1K$10K$100K 1995200020052010201520202025 1992 · $18,716 · UK Xi base; approx. £1=$1.751995 · $23,200 · Hungary XLi base; approx. HUF125/USD 2026 · $455 · 1997 Kudos automatic, 93,677 miles, Ferryside2026 · $715 · 1996 Solair SE manual, 105,000 miles, Newton-le-Willows2026 · $1,586 · 1997 Kudos automatic, 79,800 miles, eBay $1.6K eBay, 2026
326272829
Show the numbers
YearPriceAmountDetail
1992Price when new$18,716UK Xi base; approx. £1=$1.75
1995Price when new$23,200Hungary XLi base; approx. HUF125/USD
2026Auction sale$4551997 Kudos automatic, 93,677 miles, Ferryside
2026Auction sale$7151996 Solair SE manual, 105,000 miles, Newton-le-Willows
2026Auction sale$1,5861997 Kudos automatic, 79,800 miles, eBay

The rest of the story is in the app

The full file tells why each version matters, the legend behind the car and what to check before buying one.

  • Versions

    • Why each of the 10 versions matters

  • Legend

    • 14 stories from its legend
    • “ST191's 1995 Super Touring homologation”
    • “Knockhill win, Silverstone rollover”

  • Generations

    • The story of each of the 7 generations

  • Market

    • 6 things to check before buying one
    • Where prices are heading, and why
Read the full file in SPOT

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Sources

Every fact on this page links to the source it rests on.

See all 29 sources
  1. Toyota's First European-Built Passenger Car at New UK Assembly Plant | Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website global.toyota
  2. Toyota Carina E (1992-1998) - AUTO BILD autobild.de
  3. History of the Toyota Carina | Toyota UK mag.toyota.co.uk
  4. Carina E to Avensis: 25 years of building Toyotas in Britain | Toyota UK mag.toyota.co.uk
  5. Toyota Corona - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  6. Irish Car of the Year - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  7. TMUK Builds 100,000th Carina E | Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website global.toyota
  8. Toyota Carina – Wikipedia de.wikipedia.org
  9. Toyota Carina E 2.0 GTi - Δοκιμές/Μάρτιος/1993 | 4tLibrary 4troxoi.gr
  10. Carina E og Avensis bilnorge.no
  11. Motoring: The Independent Road Test: It's much too good to be interesting: Smooth, fast, spacious and soon to be made over here, Toyota's Carina E lacks only character. It'll probably sell very well, the-independent.com
  12. Ich werde 30 – Toyota Carina E | SwissClassics Revue swissclassics.com
  13. Motoring: Keeping up with the Joneses: John Fordham drives the Toyota Carina E, the car that's in front - or is it? | The Independent | The Independent the-independent.com
  14. Toyota Caldina - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  15. Toyota Carina - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  16. Toyota Carina II - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  17. Peugeot 406 møter Ford Mondeo, Opel Vectra og Toyota Carina E i bilnorge.no
  18. 75 Years of TOYOTA | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION GLOBAL WEBSITE | Vehicle Lineage | In-depth Vehicle Information, Specification toyota-global.com
  19. FIA Historic Database historicdb.fia.com
  20. A brief history of Toyota in the BTCC | Toyota UK mag.toyota.co.uk
  21. 1993 BTCC Season – 1990sBTCC.com 1990sbtcc.com
  22. Super Touring Register : Toyota Carina / Corona (T190) (003) supertouringregister.com
  23. BTCC: Toyota Carina E specifications groups.google.com
  24. Britain's oldest Toyota Carina E found! | Toyota UK mag.toyota.co.uk
  25. TOYOTA CARINA E GTI - How Many Left? howmanyleft.co.uk
  26. Bontó helyett örökkévalóság | Totalcar totalcar.hu
  27. P275 SDE | 1997 Toyota Carina - Free History Check | UKCarData.co.uk ukcardata.co.uk
  28. P383 HWG | 1996 Toyota Carina - Free History Check | UKCarData.co.uk ukcardata.co.uk
  29. P377 NHL | 1997 Toyota Carina - Free History Check | UKCarData.co.uk ukcardata.co.uk
  • global.toyota
  • autobild.de
  • mag.toyota.co.uk
  • en.wikipedia.org
  • de.wikipedia.org
  • 4troxoi.gr
  • bilnorge.no
  • the-independent.com
  • swissclassics.com
  • toyota-global.com
  • historicdb.fia.com
  • 1990sbtcc.com
  • supertouringregister.com
  • groups.google.com

Photo credits

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