Celica?s naughty but so nice

I'm old enough to remember being captivated by a television ad for Toyota cars.

You may remember. It started with a young person and a Corolla, moved through the Celica and Corona, to the Cressida and then the gentlemanly Crown – all to Sinatra's weepy strains of It Was A Very Good Year.

The problem is that today's Celica is bought by more women than men, so in the ensuing 30 years perhaps the roles have changed and it's the ladies doing the luring. Bring it on!

And indeed, bring on more of the cars like Celica.

Virtually forgotten on the present car market – and isn't that a huge change from the 1970s? – the Celica presents as a racy coupe with more body creases than Charles Bronson.

The look is clean, with those creases inspiring movement even when the car is sitting at the kerb.

Despite its slimline side windows and steeply raked front and rear glass, the cabin is roomy for two adults and even allows two children in the rear. Front-wheel-drive gives a bit more boot space than the pre-1986 rear-drive models, though it's hardly huge.

In reality, the singles or couples who buy a Celica probably place cargo-carrying low on the priority list.

Instead, they're into style, a bit of performance and an element of exclusivity.

In its latest guise, the Celica actually runs hard and delivers high standards of roadholding.

Most earlier Celicas only earned the title ¿hot¿ when they were left under a Perth summer sun for a few hours. Performance generally swung from dismal to embarrassing.

Thanks to a high-revving 1.8-litre engine driving the front wheels through a six-speed gearbox – and auto is optional – the car now gets up and barks.

I wheeled one around Nannup and Busselton (in WA) for the Forest Rally and, on the open roads, it went like stink and thrived on cruising.

Even the suspension was compliant enough to make the occupants arrive unfazed, while the depth of sound deadening kept the cab hushed enough for conversation.

There's nothing outlandish about the oily bits under the body. Its engine is purpose-built for this car – though lately also shoehorned into the Corolla Sportivo – and has a fetish for revving hard up against the 8000rpm redline.

Toyota makes two Celica models – SX and ZR – with only spoilers and extra equipment separating the two. The more recent Celica model is the limited-edition TTR version that adds more gear at a discount price, effectively making the SX into a ZR for less than retail prices. Additional gear includes 16-inch alloys, alloy-look pedals, TTR badges, airconditioning and ABS.

Toyota says there's $3800 of extra value stuffed into a coupe that sells for $39,998.

It's a nice car but much naughtier than any of its predecessors.