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Toyota Motor Corp. put on a class act during its 1992 model run. And not one to believe that you can do too much of a good thing, the company is introducing a line of 1993 cars and trucks that are expected to outshine their predecessors.

Leading the thrust toward being bigger and better is an all-new ’93 Toyota Corolla that is built in the former General Motors Corp. plant at Fremont, Calif. Also among the more interesting products is a Land Cruiser with an all-new six- cylinder engine.

The features making this power plant so outstanding are that at it is a four valves per cylinder, 4.5-liter, double overhead cam in- line six that powers an off-road vehicle. At 4.5 liters, this engine is bigger than the dual cam 4.0-liter, 24-valve in-line six in the Jaguar XJ6 sedan, and comes within 11 horsepower of the Jag’s output.

It is unfortunate that Toyota doesn’t have a passenger car into which it could put this advanced engine. However, Tom Poland, general sales manager for Tom Wood Toyota, said, “You may see that.

New cars in works

“The new Cressida and a new Supra are about a year away, and you may see this engine in one of those.”

The Corolla line with an upgraded dual-cam, 1.6- liter, 16-valve four-cylinder engine, and a new 1.8-liter, dual-cam, 16-valve four, still does a quite respectable job in its own right with these two relatively small power plants.

The ’93 version is the 25th year for the nameplate, one of the company’s major sellers, and the seventh generation of the Corolla model. Toyota is recognizing both events by increasing the size, adding a driver-side air bag, and improving the performance.

The company really does think bigger is better, because the increase in size moves the automobile from a subcompact to a compact vehicle. It is being offered as a four-door standard, DX or LE sedan, plus a five-door wagon.

Both the sedan and wagon share the same wheelbase and overall length dimensions, with the rear section of the wagon fundamentally being an extension of the sedan body shell.

Takes tested route

This is a proven path among auto manufacturers to obtain a wagon configuration, and Toyota does it well with this ’93 model.

The Corolla sedan now stands on a wheelbase of 97 inches and has an overall length of 172 inches. By comparison, the wheelbase of the 1992 sedan was 95.7 inches and the overall length 170.3 inches.

The ’92 wagon shared the same 95.7 inch wheelbase, but had a 171.5-inch overall length.

All this growth doesn’t exactly make the new Corolla a limousine, but then the price won’t stretch your budget all that far.

“The base on an entry-level Corolla is $11,698,” said Pete Kutche, new-car sales manager for O’Brien Toyota. “For the DX it’s $13,095, and for an LE its about $14,500.

“I’d say the price range to buy one is going to run from the mid-12s ($12,500) to the mid-15s ($15,500).

Configuration increases room

In going from subcompact to compact, Toyota says it has increased roominess by mounting the front seats on the center tunnel and side rails. This provides full width beneath the front seats for rear- passenger footroom. There also is increased rear-seat hiproom and headroom. And a new instrument panel has been fitted with enlarged controls that now are located closer to the driver.

Style-wise, the exterior of the Corolla has been given a narrower hood and trunk, and the door and body panel gaps have been narrowed to finer lines. A taller trunk has been styled to complement the upward slope of the front end and to reduce air turbulence.

Both the car and the wagon are fairly light, ranging from 2,304 pounds for a standard four-door with a five-speed manual transmission up to 2,469 for a wagon with a four-speed automatic. As a consequence, engine sizes lie on the modest to moderate side.

Have dual overhead cams

While both the 1.6-liter four-cylinder and the1.8-liter four-cylinder both sport dual overhead cams and fou r valves pe r cylinder, power is a rather modest 105 horsepower for the 1.6-liter and 115 horsepower for the 1.8-liter.

The 1.6-liter is up three horsepower. Toyota did not have a 1.8-liter four for 1992.

The carmaker offers a variety of four-cylinder, 16-valve engines in ’93, including a 2.0-liter, 200-horsepower turbocharged one in its midengine, rear-drive MR2 sports car. But the one that really stands out is the new 4.5-liter, 24-valve in-line 6.

Considering that an overhead cam, 190-horsepower 4.6-liter V-8 powers the Lincoln Town Car, at 212 horsepower and 275 foot-pounds of torque for the Toyota 4.5-liter you quickly run out of power plants that possess higher power numbers. Those that do are mostly in high-performance automobiles, not a four-wheel-drive sport-utility vehicle.

This 4.5-liter is a quantum leap forward from the Land Cruiser’s 155-horsepower, 4.0-liter in-line 6 of 1992. That engine was a push- rod/rocker-arm GM motor.

“It (the 4.5-liter) was needed,” Poland said. “When I receive my first one, I’m expecting to see a tremendously different vehicle.”

While the ’93 Corolla has arrived at Indianapolis Toyota dealerships, the Land Cruiser with its new engine isn’t expected to appear until about November.

Its arrival will herald an optional locking front and rear differential system that Toyota says is an industry first, all-new anti-lock four-wheel disc brakes, and an all-new four-speed electronic transmission.

Toyota also is offering upgrades on other vehicles in its ’93 lineup, including the Camry, Tercel, Paseo, Celica, MR2 and Previa minivan.

“I wish I had more cars,” Kutche said. “The only thing I have on the ground (in 1993 models) is Corollas. But the rest except for the Land Cruiser are due now.”