The Toyota Sprinter Marino is a four-door B-pillar hardtop sedan version of the Toyota Sprinter sedan produced between 1992 and 1998 (series E100 Corolla) for sale in Japan. The Toyota Corolla Ceres is a slightly restyled version of the Sprinter Marino, as was common practice by Japanese automakers in the 1980s and 1990s.

Overview

The hardtop approach was used on various segments of core Toyota sedans by offering a more upscale hardtop version. These cars were offered for consumers who wanted the luxurious approach offered by the Crown hardtop and sedan, as well as the Mark II (4-door sedan), Cresta (4-door hardtop) and Chaser (4-door hardtop and performance enhancements), and the next segment down on the Corona and Carina, called the Corona EXiV and the Carina ED which were all offered at reduced prices and reduced tax liability based on the vehicles size and engine displacement. The Ceres/Marino twins saw competition from other Japanese manufacturers in this size classification, such as the Nissan Presea, the Mazda Lantis, and the Honda Integra.

Features

Powertrain

The Sprinter Marino was available with four options, the more common 1587 cc Twin Cam 16 Valve DOHC 4AFE engine, 1487 cc Twin Cam 16 Valve DOHC 5AFE, the rare 1587 cc Twin Cam 20 Valve DOHC Silver Top 4AGE and the even rarer 1587 cc Twin Cam 20 Valve Black Top 4AGE. The Silver Top 4AGE engine produces 160 hp (at 7500 rpm) and the 2nd most powerful of the high performance 4A-GE Toyota motors ever made, only beaten by the Black Top 4A-GE which is around 5 hp more powerful (available in the Sprinter Marino 1997 to 1998 with 6 speed manual or 4 speed auto). The Marino featured a specially developed five-speed manual gearbox as well as an automatic version and optional limited slip differential.

Safety

A driver's airbag was available after 1995. Automatic door locking was a mandatory feature on the vehicle beginning in its first year of production (1991) – as per Japanese vehicular law (1991) whereby all vehicles for the JDM must lock all doors at 18 km/h.

Trim