It was one of the best sport-compact coupe vehicles from its era, with huge success due to its World Rally Championship titles.
The street version though was a different story.

The Toyota Celica was offered with three bodywork styles: hatchback-coupe, three-box coupe, and convertible. The hatchback-coupe version was the base model for the rally-car, with a turbocharged engine and all-wheel-drive. The Europeans received it, but they didn’t get it with the convertible and the three-box coupe version. The U.S. version was available with all three bodyworks.

When compared with its predecessor, which featured pop-up headlights, the 1994 Celica featured four rounded headlights and no grille. The engine was cooled via the front-integrated wide grille. The side fluid lines were typical for the biodesign era when the car was designed.

Inside, there were four seats installed, but the rear room was very limited. The interior featured a driver-oriented dashboard and high-bolstered front seats. The car was fitted with dual airbags for the front occupants, but the ABS was optional for the base model. The air-conditioning was fitted as standard on the GT trim levels.

The base engine was increased over its predecessor from a 1.6-liter to a 1.8-liter, while the top version was the 2.2-liter unit. In Europe, a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated and a 2.0-liter turbocharged was offered, the later being mated to an all-wheel-drive system. The U.S. models were stripped of that and the Celica was offered with front-wheel-drive only. A wider track and a stiffer suspension over its predecessor made the 1994 Celica better on the corners.