1997 Toyota Paseo Walkaround Review at Automotive.com
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Toyota
Paseo
1997

1997 Toyota Paseo Review: Exterior

Below is a full, detailed 1997 Toyota Paseo review and road test from New Car Test Drive. A full evaluation of price, equipment, the driving experience, and specs are all here in a structured, easy-to-navigate format from journalists with limitless e ...     read more
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1997 Toyota Paseo Review

Fresh air fun on a budget.
Walkaround
During our time with this car we were pleasantly surprised by the number

of folks who inquired if this was the new Toyota. Just goes to show that

convertibles do make people look--and maybe too, the Toyota advertising

has made an impression.

Whatever the reason, our basic black convertible drew questions and

attention. Toyota calls this color Satin Black Metallic, by the way, and

it is one of only three in which the Paseo convertible is available. The

others are Super White and Super Red. The palette is larger for Paseo coupes,

with eight exterior colors offered in all.

The body panels upon which the color is sprayed and baked fit together

well. Coupe or convertible, the finished car has a sporty, fun look that

invites you to take it for a drive.

And if it's the convertible, well, ya gotta put the top down. No problem.

Undo the latches on the windshield header and flip it down. It's almost

as easy as a Mazda Miata.

Look in the trunk and you'll find the separate boot to snap over the

folded top, to tidy up the appearance. When it's time to put the car away,

or if weather becomes a problem, reversing the procedure is equally simple

and quick.

An added thoughtful touch is the glass rear window with an integrated

electric defogger, a quality feature we usually associate with much more

expensive convertibles. In fact, some very pricey ragtops still have plastic

rear windows, which is prone to yellowing and distortion over time.

Another nice touch: the rear quarter windows fold down with the top.

Toyota builds the Paseo at its big plant in Toyota City, Japan. Paseos

ticketed for convertibilization are only partially assembled and additional

structural members are added in Japan. Then they are shipped to California

where a division of ASC (formerly known as American Sunroof) takes over.

ASC completes the conversion and adds the high-quality, multi-layer insulated

convertible top. Next Page


1997 Toyota Paseo