4A-GE series

Good: Lots of variants available to suit the driver. The early high-horse (found in AE92) has good mid-range for everyday driving while the later 20-valve (101 and 111) has lots of revs and very good top end, like the B16 Honda counterpart. There's also a supercharged version, 4A-GZE, which appeared in the first MR2 and some AE101s. These engines can be interchangeable among different Corolla models as well.

Bad: Not available here straight out of the showroom unlike the SiR. Tuning parts for the 20-valve are also more expensive than the B16, thus more Honda tuners.

Verdict: Some say the B16 is the best 1.6 engine. Others argue that the 20-valve is more all-around being torquier and more flexible with the available close-ratio 6-speed manual in later models.