Toyota Corolla (E90)

Japan

The 1.3 liter sedan has a four-speed manual transmission (later all 1.3 liter engines had five-speeds) or a three-speed automatic transmission. The only model with the 1.5 liter 5A-FHE was SE-Limited G. The 4WD sedan is powered by the 1.6 liter 4A-F. The 1456 cc 3E engine was only fitted to the Japanese market Van (wagon) commercial version. The Sprinter sedan has a third window in the C-pillar.

The AE92 Levin and Trueno were also fitted with a supercharged engine. It used an SC12 roots type supercharger and a top mounted intercooler that was fed cool air via a scoop on the bonnet. They generated 206 N·m (152 lb·ft) at 4400 rpm as opposed to the naturally aspirated 4A-GE's 136 N·m (100 lb·ft) at 4,800 rpm.

Japanese market chassis:

Japanese market engines:

Asia

Indonesian market Corollas originally came with four-door sedan (1.3, 1.6) or five-door liftback bodywork (1.6). The engines were the 12 valve 2E with 72 PS (53 kW) or the Twin Cam 16-valve 4A-F with 94 PS (69 kW). All engines were carbureted and without catalysts.

Australia

In December 1988, Toyota formed a joint venture with Holden called UAAI to build and market the Toyota Corolla as the Holden Nova. This agreement paralleled two Corolla generations including both the E90 and E100 series.

Australian market engines:

Australian market chassis:

Note:

Europe

The European model Corolla four-door sedan, three- and five-door hatchbacks, and the regular wagon basically has the front end of the Japan-spec Corolla FX, except for the all white clearance lights and the "TOYOTA" or the ellipse emblem instead of the "FX" or "GT" of the Japanese models. It has the standard side marker lights and the tail light with the integrated rear fog lamp (except for the wagon, which has the rear fog lamp on the tailgate.) European market Corollas also have headlight washers on the XL and the XLi models. The five-door liftback used the Japanese market Sprinter Cielo body in its entirety, although in Europe it was available with the little 1.3 liter engine as well. The second generation Sprinter Carib was also sold as a Corolla in Europe, where it replaced the Tercel Wagon. This little four-wheel drive station wagon received the "Touring" suffix in most European markets. The hatchback, representing the most popular and most closely contested market segment in Europe, suffered from being somewhat of a design afterthought. As opposed to its European competitors, where hatchbacks received a tacked-on trunk to become sedans (à la Ford's Orion, the Volkswagen Jetta, or the Opel Kadett sedan), the Japanese hatchback was derived from the sedan. As a result, the design was a bit truncated and trunk space was minimal at 281 L (9.9 cu ft). This was only a fraction more than the much smaller Citroën AX, and considerably less than for competitors such as the Kadett and Fiat Tipo (390 and 345 L, 13.8 and 12.2 cu ft).

The diesel version saw substantial sales in countries such as Belgium and Netherlands, where the tax structure favored diesels but where there were also no laws hindering the sales of Japanese cars. In Europe it was only sold with the comparatively spartan XL equipment level. The diesel, while quite slow and with heavy steering, was competitive with similar European cars of the period.

From late 1989 the 4A-GE engine in the GTi model was changed from the T-VIS equipped 'big port' variant to the non-T-VIS 'small port' version. For UK specification cars, this increased power from 124 bhp (92 kW) to 129 bhp (96 kW). The GTi was available as a hatchback or a liftback, although not all markets received both bodystyles. In Sweden, the 4A-GE equipped liftback was marketed as the Corolla CS (Coupé Sport), beginning in May 1991. It had the new 125 PS (92 kW) version of the 4A-GE engine and ventilated disc brakes all around.

European market engines:

European market chassis:

North America

North American production of the sedan took place at NUMMI and Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. These two plants made 279,000 units, making a total of 4.5 million of this generation (AE92) made. The North American models depart from the previous generation's boxy styling, for a more contemporary look and improved aerodynamics. They feature longer bumpers and small red conspicuity lights on the rear quarter panels. Cabin air exits through stylish vents behind the rear side windows.

A 25th anniversary special edition was produced in 1990, made to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Corolla line. It included 25th anniversary emblems on the front fender, embroidered on front seat and a three-spoke steering wheel.

Minor changes for the 1991 model year were Toyota's new (T) ellipse emblem on the grille, all-red tail lights, door-mounted and manual lap front seat belts, and new wheelcovers for the DX. The rear garnish was deleted for the base model.

The North American Corolla coupé with retractable headlights was basically a Sprinter Trueno with different front corner lights and longer bumpers. Trim levels are SR5 and GT-S. The GT-S is powered by 4A-GE engine, and comes with full body kits. In 1990 the 4A-GE received a revised cylinder head and intake manifold. The new motor featured higher compression, the removal of the T-VIS system, and smaller ports in the intake manifold and is thus commonly referred to as the "smallport" version. Horsepower jumped from 115 hp (86 kW) to 118 hp (88kW) and 135hp (100 kW)..

The four-wheel drive All-trac wagon in Base and SR5 trim levels were sold from 1988 to 1992 and had different bodywork to other Corollas. The Corolla All-trac sedan was sold in very small numbers, shared the same body as the AE92 sedan, with the only visible difference being the tire size.

The Geo Prizm shared a slightly different body with the Japan-market Sprinter sedan and Cielo liftback. These models were slightly more basic than their European/Japanese versions. The GSi version was equipped with the 4A-GE.

North American market engines:

North American market chassis code & (VIN code): The Japanese built E90 has a JT2 VIN prefix while the NUMMI made E90 used 1NX (Toyota) and 1Y1 (Geo) VIN prefixes and the Cambridge built E90 has a 2T1 prefix.

South Africa

The sixth-generation five-door hatchback that was made in South Africa was marketed as the Toyota Conquest. The four-door sedan was also available, but with "Corolla" badging. Production began in October 1988, with a 1.3 liter 53 kW (72 PS) "2E" engine or the 1.6 liter "4A-F" with 53 kW (72 PS). The twin cam version of this was also sold, as the GLi Twin Cam for the sedan and RSi for the Hatchback (4A-GE), with 96 kW (131 PS). It was also sold as a panel van called the "Conquest Carri".

In October 1996 an entry-level model called the Toyota Conquest Tazz appeared. This model had a very low equipment level, originally only available with a four-speed manual and missing things such as a rear windshield wiper or a cigarette lighter – however, the Tazz received a twin-tip exhaust and body coloured bumpers. A five-speed became available three years later. From October 2000 the car received a light facelift with a more ovoid front end treatment and the name was changed to simply "Toyota Tazz". This model continued to be built until July 5, 2006. The first version of the Tazz was only offered with a 1300 cc engine, while the facelifted version offered two models: 130, and 160i. Power was 55 kW (75 PS) and 79 kW (107 PS) respectively, same as for the Conquest/Corolla from September 1993 on. The Conquest and Corolla was also available in the 1.8 liter 7A-FE engined model beginning in September 1993; this replaced the earlier 1.6 Twin Cam in the Conquest and was available in a number of equipment levels in the Corolla (sedan), from GL to the mildly sporting GSX.