Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Road Test
Date: December 1968
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)

Summary: Stylish yet practical two-door four-seater. Powerful engine and excellent 4-speed gearbox. Servo-assisted disc brakes are exceptionally powerful. Excellent seats. Firm but comfortable ride. Ideal heating and ventilation system. Controls somewhat heavy.

Road testing the Toyota Corona Mark II 1900SL Hardtop

At the same time that the Corona Mark II was introduced, Car Graphic purchased a Corona Mark II 1900SL Hardtop and began our customary long-term practical test. Having now covered 2,000km, we present our first test report.

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Road Test
Date: January 1969
Authors (Roundtable): Masuo Amano, Kenji Higuchi, Kazuo Kumabe, Osamu Hiaro, Atsushi Watari, Hiroshi Hoshijima, Akio Miyamoto, Jun Sakakibara, Teruyuki Komatsu, Yasunori Nakaoka, Nobuo Shibata, Kenzaburo Ishikawa, Taizo Tateishi, Yoshio Akutsu, Toshihide Hirata, Minoru Onda, Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

A Car That Can Compete Internationally

Magazine: To get started, could you tell us about the development process of the Corona Mark II and the aims behind it?

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Road Impressions
Date: December 1969
Authors: Yoshimasa Sugawara, Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

Yoshimasa Sugawara’s Test Drive

The newly released Mark II 1900 GSS is the fastest car in the Mark II series, and the successor to the Toyota 1600GT. For the test drive, we enlisted Yoshimasa Sugawara, who has made a name for himself at the Japanese Grand Prix, to give his impressions from the perspective of all-out performance.

Publication: Motor Magazine
Format: Test Drive Report
Date: December 1969
Author: Ryo Miyama

Corona Mark II GSS: A Soft But Responsive Car

The performance of domestic cars has continued to rise steadily in recent years. Even common practical sedans–including small-displacement models in the 1-liter class–can now often achieve 140km/h, while nearly all 1.5-liter sedans are now “100-mile cars.” Since even the standard production models have emphasized high performance as a major selling point, it is perhaps inevitable that their sporting variants–the ultimate extension of such model diversification–have further accelerated the trend.

Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Road Test
Date: January 1970
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)

Summary: 140ps twin-cam engine, smooth and relatively quiet beyond 7000rpm. Extremely high cruising speed. Pulls well at low engine speeds, easy to use around town. Pleasant 5-speed gearbox. Radial tires provide high cornering power. Comfortable bucket seats. Rear-seat ride somewhat harsh.

Road testing the Toyota Corona Mark II GSS

The twin-cam engine version of the Corona Mark II, which has long been awaited by many, has now made its debut under the name 1900 Hardtop GSS (Grand Super Sports), and went on sale on October 15 at a price of 1,055,000 yen (Tokyo). C/G promptly undertook a test covering approximately 700km of driving, including accurate top-speed measurements at the Yatabe Test Course as well as handling tests at the Japan Auto Sports Center. Our test report follows.

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Road Test
Date: February 1970
Authors (Roundtable): Masuo Amano, Atsushi Watari, Jun Sakakibara, Mineo Yamamoto, Hiroshi Okazaki, Kunitaka Furutani, Taizo Tateishi, Zo Doi, Kenji Higuchi, Kenzaburo Ishikawa, Yasuhei Oguchi, Toshihide Hirata, Minoru Onda, Mamoru Okubo, Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

The Definitive Mark II

Magazine: First, could you tell us about the aims behind the GSS, and the character of the car?

Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Road Impression
Date: April 1972
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)

Road testing the Toyota Corona Mark II Hardtop GSS

The hottest version of the Mark II lineup, the Hardtop GSS equipped with the DOHC engine and 5-speed gearbox, has grown to 1968cc as part of the full model change. The increase in output, however, is modest, rising only from the previous 140ps/6400rpm to 145ps/6400rpm. Torque, on the other hand, has increased by 1.0kgm to 18.0kgm/5200rpm. As before, this high-compression (9.4:1) version is intended for premium-grade gasoline, but a regular-fuel specification (8.5:1) has now been added to the range. Its output and torque are 140ps/6400rpm and 17.2kgm/4800rpm respectively. Our test car was the high-compression 145ps version, finished in Metallic Dark Green, one of six available body colors.

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Test Drive Report
Date: April 1972
Author: Eizo Ikeda

A Sporting Car for Mature Drivers

On paper, its specifications place it among the world’s leading high-performance models. Yet in one respect it falls short of super-sports-car expectations: its steering is surprisingly lacking in sharpness.

Positioned Closer to the Crown

The Corona Mark II, by now a familiar sight on Japanese roads, has undergone a complete transformation.

Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Road Impression
Date: June 1972
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)

Road testing the Toyota Corona Mark II Hardtop GSS

In the April issue we published a report on the Corona Mark II 2000 GSS covering brief performance measurements at the Murayama Test Course along with handling tests on the winding roads of Okutama. This time we brought the car to the Yatabe Test Course to measure its maximum speed and its standing-start acceleration over both time and distance. We also brought three other cars to Yatabe: the BMW 2002tii, Toyota Corolla Levin 1600, and Mazda Capella GS-II. As a result, four cars in the “190km/h catalog top speed” class ended up gathered there together.

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: “Bubble Index” Road Test
Date: September 1972
Authors: Osamu Mochizuki, Katsuzo Kageyama, Tadao Suzuki, Yasuhei Oguchi, Reiko Ikuuchi, Kensuke Ishizu

Selling the Sporting Mood?

Twelve new models have recently been added to the new Mark II range, which underwent a full model change in January, bringing the lineup to a total of 54 variants.

From among the additions to the range, we selected what appeared to be the most exciting model for evaluation, with SU twin carburetors and a 5-speed transmission. How did it fare in the eyes of our panel of specialists, and what scores did it earn? The results were as follows.

Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Road Impressions
Date: December 1973
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)

Road testing the Toyota Corona Mark II Hardtop GSL

Toyota’s upper-middle-class Corona Mark II underwent a full model change only at the end of January, but two additional variants have since joined the range. One is the six-cylinder model equipped with twin SU carburetors (Road Impression in the October issue); the other is the GSL fitted with EFI (“Electronic Fuel Injection,” a Bosch-manufactured electronically controlled fuel-injection system).

Publication: Car Graphic
Format: From Our Motoring Diaries
Date: November 1973
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)

Road testing the Toyota Corona Mark II LG

Even the C/G staff sometimes just wants to relax and enjoy a cruise while listening to music. In this scenario, American cars are ideal, with spacious interiors, good quality seats, the comfort of air conditioning, quiet and powerful engines combined with automatic transmissions, and power-assisted steering that requires no mental or physical effort. If they also had good quality AM/FM radios, they would be perfect. Some of the only domestic cars that fit these criteria are the luxurious four-door sedans of the Laurel and Mark II series, and among these, the Corona Mark II LG Automatic is one of the best.