KE70

Archly conservative Toyota decided to hang on to rear-wheel drive with the fourth generation (KE70) Corolla.

Weight went up again, but so did safety, durability, space, comfort and refinement, and the now-47kW 1.3-litre 4KC unit struggled manfully under the bulk.

Coil spring rear suspension improved the sedan’s ride and handling, although by now the Corolla trailed its main rivals dynamically.

The model range now read as: SE sedan and wagon, CS sedan and wagon, XX sedan and a two-door panel van variant.

In early ’83 a 49kW 1.3-litre “Hi-Cam” version of the venerable 4KC engine became available, offering slightly more power than before.