So we got a 2011 Toyota Zelas

So we got a 2011 Toyota Zelas


It’s been more than a decade since a Toyota coupe has set foot (or tyre even) in a Dubai showroom. But Toyota has been churning out 2-door cars elsewhere for years, and one of them has finally made it to the shores of the UAE. Whether the Toyota Zelas will make Honda fanboys jealous remains to be seen.

All Zelas coupes that come to the UAE will look like this, with standard 17-inch wheels and full body kit.

Our car was even dressed up with dealer-installed thick decals on the bumpers and centre B-pillars, although you’d have to look closely to notice them.

The kit turns the Zelas into a looker, what would’ve otherwise been a rather boring shape.

Except for the padded armrests, the cabin is all hard plastic. The CD/MP3 stereo is cheap but there is an abundance of speakers. Toyota told us they were pitching this as a tuner car, so the replaceable stereo makes sense.

The front leather seats need no replacing however. They are very pretty.

The real surprise is the rear seating. It is somewhat easier to access than in most coupes, and legroom is very adequate for most adults.

And while the Jealous may be marketed as a coupe, strictly speaking, it is really a hatchback with its tall-opening tailgate. Floor space is compromised by a full-size spare wheel, but the rear seats fold flat to offer much more volume.

The Zelas marks a new dawn in Toyota’s Middle East strategy, as they start adding more exciting cars to their stereotypical line-up. And while it really isn’t a full-blown sports car, it actually offers a good bit of fun. More in the full review.

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Comments

  1. I am sure, this thing will sell well.

  2. Looks good and promising.. Tuners will like it..

  3. hmm, looks like an offspring from corolla n yaris into a coupe,,,

  4. the aliens have arrived eh? 😀

    luks lyk its already been reversed into a wall though :/

  5. one of the most stupid car in this decade…crap design..dumb interior thats what i can say…toyota is a big looser..

  6. I wouldn’t have mind if the looks was bad and it had a rear wheel drive. If Toyota was aiming to get youngsters to buy this, I guess they failed.

  7. Toyota Zelas : “Rivals, come and eat me up, I am not good enough for 2011” 🙂

  8. Ugly,,, Toyota is 100 million light years far from Honda…

  9. toyota & Honda both are craps…they are competing each other for recalling…thats all.

  10. Now thats an ugly car, looks almost unfinished. The interior also looks like its missing panels 🙂
    I wonder why Toyota cannot put some sleek lines in their cars like Hyundai have done…crappy effort

  11. They would be lucky if they sold 10 of these in this year.Its an insult ,the worlds best have their offerings here and we get a “Jealous “!!

  12. Why did they bother trying to make a 3-seat bench for the rear seating? Fail!
    I see they’re trying to follow ‘function-over-form’ by the long wheelbase to accommodate rear passengers. Maybe the design would have been a win if the wheelbase (and overall length) of the car was shorter. But this is a humiliating fail.
    How did Toyota even think of getting this out into the world?

  13. Is this the 2011 era? mean it looks like they have gone back to the beautiful Celica age, and actually made it look uglier and smaller with four doors now on it.

    What a horrible car, why are they becoming Koreans these Japanese people?

  14. ^what four doors?

  15. 100% sure, this thing will sell..very well.

  16. not so great, but if options are left out for aftermarket modds, the thing will rock. I especially like the FJ like incomplete, second window, though angled from bottom but merging with big front door.

  17. In these recession times, Toyota expects its sales to sell these???? … and that too, to UAE Auto enthusiasts?? Some management exec @ Al-Futtaim Toyota goofed up big time!

    The FT86 was something that UAE would’ve have truly appreciated but nooo, we get the odd ball monstrosity!

  18. Bring back the supra.

  19. I know it doesnt have the Ferrari looks, but it aint that bad eye sore. We all are just complaning coz it has the Toyota badge. People wont be bashing it up if it was a Hyundai or Kia. All praises if it had the korean name on it.

  20. ^
    Not really man. Doesn’t matter if it has a Toyota badge, nor should it look like a ferrari. It just is…well…ugly. Look at the G37, even the Altima coupe looks better than this crap.

  21. This is like the Scion XA story.. Id didnt sell well in the US so they bring it here..

  22. ugly vehicle… i pity the fool who will buy this

  23. well..mixed reactions..i wudnt trust the reliability of this or any Toyota for that matter…otherwise as a tuner, this may satisfy the amateurs!

  24. i dont know but somehow it does look like a counterfeit nissan gtr and it got the worst exterior toyota has ever built, come on toyota you can do it better .

  25. more feasable to “tune” a base manual 2011 stang

  26. If only they had launched this car in 1999.. would have got better reviews..

    uhh..Maybe not!:P

  27. ^ so true.. this car looks completely outdated

  28. It’s beautful 🙂 I’m planning to purchase one.

  29. lol.. good luck with that 😛

  30. Cheap ugly shit, and retards will buy it anyway for the resale value.

  31. the best line i have read so far has to be is”Add a racinging stripe for the length of the car and you will have 25 HP”

  32. Tuner Car??? How foolish does AlFuttaim-Toyota think UAE is to fall for this one? Bring back the Supra if you have even a little bit of self-respect.

  33. The Hyundai Coupe is a 100 times better than this crap in all aspects.Looks,Performance, feel and VALUE. Who in their right mind will buy this?! With Hyundai producing amazing cars, maintaining reliability and the japs going down steadily, we should get ready for a change in the game scenario !! Hyundai today are what Toyota was a decade or so ago ! Boo Toyota, Goo Hyundai !! 😉

  34. Hold on guys, I just finished my test drive with it, however it is not so elegant, but the value against price is high, let anybody tell me whats wrong with it??

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