The Sunday News
Lovert Mafukure
The 3S GTE is a 4-cylinder turbo charged engine that produces 260hp and was just a tad shy of reaching my favourite 1jz gte’s 280hp, impressive right?
Well, I think it is. For those that think that an Altezza is fast and powerful, then think of something more powerful than the 3s ge in the Altezza — it can only be the 3s gte! It is the engine running in the Toyota MR2, the Celica and the very unlikely monster Toyota Caldina GT.
Toyota GE engines are made for performance while FE engines are made for efficiency and economy. GE engines are naturally aspirated while the GTE engines are boosted.
The 3s GE has its close cousin the FE engine which comes in the Ipsum, Gaia and such other cars just to name a few.
The Toyota Caldina is a station wagon. Ideally, a station wagon is a family car that can carry the whole family and a whole lot of goods at the same time. It’s the type of car you can use for those camping trips, it’s basically a touring car.
The third generation Caldina GT 4 from 2002 onwards is a station wagon with a difference, I’d rather call it a sports wagon for some obvious reasons — it’s got a lot of power from the 3s GTE engine and its quite a beauty, truth be told.
Anything that Toyota made with a GTE at the end of its name has some kind of aura that comes with it — it’s unexplainable, it’s the type of aura that makes your foot heavy. Do not let the Caldina looks fool you, its packing a punch under the hood and few people realise what machines they have in these Caldinas GTs.
The 3s gte is a DOHC 16 valve 2-litre inline 4 cylinder engine that’s turbo charged. It is based on the 3s ge with a few modifications to accommodate a turbo charger and some extra horsepower. DOHC refers to dual overhead camshafts. Somehow I wish the Toyota Altezza came with the 3s gte, perhaps its power output would be as good as its looks.
The 3S-GTE in the Caldina is transversely setup and the easiest way to understand transverse setup is to understand that transverse setup if for front wheel drive cars and the opposite is longitudinal set up which is for rear wheel drive. In the Altezza, its longitudinal set up because power is transferred to the rear wheels via a propeller shaft and a rear differential and that makes it a fun car to have.
I will say this again, don’t be fooled by the mummy van looks. The Caldina GT comes with a manual five speed gearbox for the obvious reason that it’s a 3s gte monster — basically it’s an Altezza engine with a turbo. You wont get all that Beams stuff but hey, you get the better stuff — turbo! The best way to enjoy that is to have a manual.
It’s unfortunate that it is front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The later GT Four Caldina came with a tiptronic four-speed automatic transmission and it was the only option with no manual option. As time went by, manufacturers decided to lose touch with their clientele base. We still love a good old manual transmission to play around with.
How about we leave the automatics for the grannies Mr Toyota? Apart from it having no manual option, this was one of the fastest sports wagons ever offered by Toyota, so if you think your Toyota Altezza is fast, try driving these station wagons, it makes all Altezzas look like a joke.
It boasts of an all wheel drive system that gives it a better edge where grip is concerned. AWD is something Subaru has mastered thus far and Toyota made use of similar technology on this sports wagon — they are sister companies anyway. It may not be that much fun but will give this car credit for being a powerful sports wagon.
Station wagons are traditionally known to be family cars with the capability of carrying loads of whatever and people for those camping trips. Ideally most are designed to be touring cars and it’s not everyday that you find a super sports wagon that has enough power and looks to make me want a “mummy van”.
By the way, ladies should stay away from these cars — they are not unisex.
If you are the fun loving car guy like me, this is the car for you, there’s no better way to enjoy your car than to have a family sports car! Sports cars don t need to have 2 doors all the time and family cars don’t always need to be bulky and boring, they need to have the space, the looks and of course a 3s gte. It can only be the Caldina GT-Four.
Till next time. Happy motoring.
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