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Toyota has rubbed the domestic automaker`s noses in it again. Pontiac`stwo-seater Fiero was considered without peer–until the two-seater Toyota Mr-2appeared last year.

Now comes the restyled Toyota Celica and its top-of-the-line GT-Sversion, complete with all-new sheet metal, conversion to front-wheel driveand a powerful 2-liter, 16-valve, 4-cylinder engine.

If the domestic automakers are going to keep U.S. motorists from buyingmore Japanese cars after they see and drive a Celica, they are going to haveto set up naval blockades from Seattle to San Diego to stop the freightersarriving from Tokyo.

We recall when Celica first appeared in 1970, a paunchy little car thatlooked to be no more than a Corolla with plastic rear window louvers for thepretense of being sporty. No louvers and no pretending in `86.

U.S. automakers are busy developing 16-valve, 4-cylinder engines thatprovide the power boost of larger V-6s. The Japanese have them, and nextspring (after a Chicago Auto Show debut) Toyota goes to 24 valves in a new V-6offered in the totally restyled (but still rear-drive) Supra.

The restyled front-wheel-drive Celica is built on a 99.4-inch wheelbase,1 inch longer than the rear-drive `85. Length is 173.6 inches (171.9 inches onthe Liftback), or 3 inches shorter.

Celica, in its 16th year on the market, has copied the domestics in going “aero.“ Body lines are rounded, a wraparound air dam under the bumper andretractable headlamps attract the eye up front and a deck lid spoilercompliments the look in back.

The engine is a 2-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve design that delivers 135horsepower (yet 23 miles per gallon city and 29 m.p.g. highway) and letsToyota claim a 0-to-60-miles-an-hour time of 8.2 seconds. (Celica GT and STmodels are offered with the same fuel-injected, 97 horsepower, 2-liter, 4-cylinder engine in the Camry.)

Power-assisted disc brakes on all four wheels allow you to stop without a chute. Four-wheel independent suspension absorbs road jolts.

Based on the quick, yet quiet, response of the 1.6-liter, 16-valve, 4-cylinder engine in the Mr-2, we expected the Celica`s engine to respond in thesame fashion.

Quick? Yes–hold onto the wheel when you punch the pedal. Nimble ride and handling like the Mr-2? You bet.

Point and go, but keep in mind that Celica has a few hundred extra pounds on the Mr-2. You drive Celica with both hands, Mr-2 with fingertips.

The Celica 5-speed transmission shifts just as smoothly as the Mr-2`s(automatic overdrive is a $250 option).

Quiet? Not exactly. One disappointment was a metallic echo feeding backfrom under the car each time we shifted. Rumble-tuned exhausts are acceptable performance sound effects but a kettle-drum hum isn`t.

Inside, the Japanese approach is to keep it simple and locate neededhardware within sight and reach. Power seat and dual mirror controls are inthe center cons ole, door locks in the arm rests and lights and wipers onstalks alongside the tilt and telescoping steering wheel, which is thicklypadded for the feeling of driver control.

Seats are plush velour, more comfortable than in most luxury cars. Dialsadjust both seat bottom and back position to ensure comfort. The dash is lowto provide good visibility.

The car isn`t without faults, however. You`ll do yourself bodily harmtrying to enter the cubbyhole called the rear seat. Exiting means gettingtangled on the seat belt. Better you simply fold those seats down for storage.Not only do they lie flat, they provide access to the trunk.

The car we drove was equipped with electric sunroof. The lip around therectangle cut out for the glass left a distinct impression–on our head.

When you lift the heavy, prop-held hood you may gasp at the maze ofcomponents staring back at you. When you lift the trunk lid you may gasp, too,at how much cargo-carrying room Toyota got nto a subcompact car. You`d haveto move up to a midsize domestic car to get the same space.

GT-S starts at $11,998. Standard equipment includes power steering andbrakes, steel-belted radials, AM/FM stereo, rear defogger, dual-power mirrors,tilt and telescoping wheel.

The option list is long, and it doesn`t take much to reach the $15,000level with an Acoustic Flavor AM/FM upgrade at $560, sunroof at $600, cruisecontrol $175, air-conditioning $855, power windows and door locks $340. A“front end mask“–or bra–runs $123. Our test car, with $210 for freight,listed at $15,114.