9
0
Midsize car; Built in Japan
  • 4-door sedan
  • longitudinal front-engine/rear-wheel drive
Good condition price range: $1,000 – $1,600*


1990 Toyota Cressida


1991 Toyota Cressida


1992 Toyota Cressida


1990 Toyota Cressida interior


1990 Toyota Cressida interior

Pros:
  • Acceleration
  • Optional antilock brakes
  • Quietness
  • Ride
Cons:
  • Cargo room
  • Fuel economy
  • Price

Toyota’s well-equipped flagship of the past delivers lots of luxury in a capable sedan, widely known for reliability and happy owners.

Overview

Toyota’s rear-drive luxury sedan was restyled for 1989, growing modestly but keeping its basic shape. A 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine (with four valves per cylinder) replaced the former 2.8-liter, boosting horsepower to 190. Cressidas came in only one trim level with a 4-speed automatic, with electronic shift controls standard. On the safety front, antilock braking was optional for the 4-wheel disc system, but no airbag was installed. Motorized front shoulder belts, with separate manual lap belts, were standard.

Yearly Updates

1991 Cressida
A redesigned grille and taillamps, and new alloy wheels, subtly affected exterior appearance. Inside, the climate-system controls now were consolidated in a single dashboard location.
1992 Cressida
Unchanged for 1992, Cressida was dropped before the 1993 model year began.

Engines

longitudinal front-engine/rear-wheel drive

Just one powertrain was available in Cressidas: a 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine with dual-overhead camshafts, making 190 horsepower and driving a 4-speed automatic transmission.

dohc I6
Engine Size (liters/cubic inches) 3.0/180
Engine HP 190
Engine Torque (lb-ft) 185
Avail. Trans. EPA MPG (city/hwy) MPG avg. as tested
4-speed automatic

 19/24

 22.2

Road Test

Cressida performance has rated as rather snappy–more than competitive with the car’s natural rivals. Gas mileage, on the other hand, earned no prizes. We’ve averaged 22.2 mpg overall, but just 17 mpg in the city. Cressida owners enjoy refined cruising and smooth revving from the inline 6-cylinder engine, which runs very quietly. The automatic transmission delivers prompt, smooth shifts at all speeds.

This Cressida handles with some agility, and the back end hugs the road tightly through corners. Braking is exceptionally good with the optional antilock system, and steering is crisp and responsive. Cressida tracks straight and true on the highway. On the down side, rear-wheel drive translates to poor wet-weather traction, though grip is predictable most of the time. A firm but supple highway ride comes with little pitching and rolling. However, the size and weight of the Cressida prevent it from having sports-carlike moves.

Conservative, upright styling does not translate into an abundance of usable passenger room. Trunk space is skimpy, compared to the competition, and the rear seats do not fold down to increase cargo space. Except for the slide-out climate control panel of 1990 models, and duplicate sound-system controls that put too many buttons on the dashboard, Cressida’s interior brings no complaints. Simple, feather-touch controls help make driving easy, seats are comfortable, and outward visibility is good.

Ratings

Model Tested: 1990 Toyota Cressida

Ratings values are on a 1-10 scale, with 10 being the best. With the exception of Value, these numbers reflect how the vehicle compares against the universe of vehicles, not just against rivals in its class.

Performance

Acceleration - 5
50%
Fuel Economy - 3
30%
Ride Quality - 5
50%
Steering/Handling - 3
30%
Quietness - 5
50%

Accommodations

Controls/Materials - 5
50%
Room/Comfort Front - 5
50%
Room/Comfort Rear - 4
40%
Cargo Room - 4
40%

Other

Value - 4
40%

Total: 43

Specifications

4-door sedan
Wheelbase (in.) Length (in.) Width (in.) Height (in.) Weight (lbs)
105.6 189.6 67.3 54.5
Cargo Volume (cu/ft) Payload Capacity (cu/ft) Fuel Capacity (gal.) Seating Capacity
12.5 18.5 5
Headroom Legroom
Front Rear Front Rear
38.4 37.1 42.8 35.0
Safety Ratings

Model Tested: 1991 Cressida 4-door sedan

NHTSA

(5 is the highest rating)

Front Impact Test

Driver Injury - 3
60%
Front Passenger Injury - 4
80%

Side Impact Test

Driver Injury - N/A
N/A0%
Rear Passenger Injury - N/A
N/A0%

HLDI

(A score of 100 is average. Lower is better)

Collision 115
Injury 92
Theft 139

Trouble Spots

Oil leak
Description: Head gaskets may fail on 7M-GE and 7M-GTE engines. (1990-91)
Audio system
Description: Panasonic CD players may skip, fail to play, or show ERR (1992) while Fujitsu 10 CD players may not load or eject. (1990-92)
Vehicle noise
Description: The headrests rattle. (1990-91)

Recall History

Equipment Lists

Equipment lists are only viewable on larger screen sizes.

Pricing

Used-car pricing varies widely depending on local market conditions. Therefore, we recommend visiting websites that list used cars for sale to get a better idea of what a specific model is selling for in your area.

More about Tom Appel
Written by: Tom Appel on July 30, 2014.
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