Minneapolis Street Sighting: Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD

Minnesota is the land of the long and treacherous winter; we have snow and ice, and lots of it. Owning a versatile vehicle in this state often means an SUV or a loaded-to-the-brim luxury truck. Looking back twenty five years, Minnesotans often thought otherwise. In addition to the normal F-150s, Cheyennes, Suburbans and AMC Eagles, there was a different breed of four-wheel-drive wagons: the Japanese.
In the early 1980s, Japanese cars were starting to really catch on, here in the United States. Smaller cars like Toyota's own Tercel and Corolla were beginning to be common even in the midwest, and competition from Honda and Datsun was starting to take its toll. With the rise of "all-purpose-vehicles" like the AMC Eagle, and the Subaru 4WD wagons, Toyota realized that it, too, could fill a niche in the up and coming segment.
Launched in 1983 for the US market, the Tercel SR5 was truly the first Japanese "crossover" if you will. Combining 4WD versatility with station wagon room, this concept would be commonplace fast forward twenty years. In 1985, when sales peaked, this and the Subaru were the only Japanese four wheel drive nontrucks you could buy; for awhile, Toyota was actually thinking ahead. Unlike the contemporary Subarus which had mediocre mileage, the Tercel SR5 was a traditional front-wheel-drive car with a six speed manual. However, if 4WD was selected via the stickshift, the car didn't have to come to a full stop. Instead, the transmission could be shifted into an extra low gear that acted as a transfer case; in automatic transmission cars, a little button was pushed on the dash, and power would be split equally among the front and rear wheels. The only fault I find with this Toyota classic is that it produced a rather measly 63 horses, which isn't as bad as one might think. Sure, these are no race cars, but what Tercel is?
Sure, this example was a little rough around the edges, but what daily-driven economy car isn't? The body has started to showcase some of the common rust spots on these cars, both between the hood and grille, and around the rear emblems, which are incredibly still intact after twenty five years of daily driving. I didn't get to peek inside, so I can't remember if this is a stick or auto, but being outside in the snowbelt would suggest that the 4WD did indeed work.
With Toyota now turning pretty steadily toward appliances on wheels rather than proper funky, enthusiast oriented cars, I think it's time we remember what this Japanese giant used to do for the car industry. And this Tercel SR5 4WD lets us do just that.