|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
12 December 2011
This is the real deal. Forget about Toyota Celicas and Corolla
Sprinters that looked the part but which were, on the whole, all
show and not a lot of go, the all-new Toyota 86 is a pure sports
coupe in every sense of that too-often misused term.
Japanese sports coupes, indeed sports coupes from many countries,
faded from the scene in the early years of the 21st century.
Toyota noticed fun had gone out of motoring, so Akio Toyoda, the
president of the Japanese giant, made this point forcefully while
introducing the Toyota 86 coupe at the recent Tokyo Motor Show.
Young buyers are staying away from cars in droves – Toyota wants
them back again.
Working in close conjunction with Subaru, Toyota stylists and
engineers have come up with cars called Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86.
The latter gets its name from a Sprinter model tagged the AE86
that was sold during the mid 1980s.
Both
companies worked on the styling, mechanical bits and suspension of
the new model. It’s built in a Subaru factory, with the two
companies keeping a close eye on quality control in a very
Japanese manner.
The styling is just right. Neat and sporting but without the
ostentation often seen in Japanese sports models in the past.
It’s not quite European in its simplicity of line, but comes
close to it.
The engine uses Subaru’s traditional flat-four layout but the
direct-injection fuel system was primarily the work of Toyota. In
true sports coupe form the engine is mounted in line with the body
and drives the rear wheels.
Toyota also supplied the six-speed manual gearbox, and an
automatic transmission with the same number of forward ratios.
For
generations, engineers have decreed that an engine which puts out
100 horsepower per litre is a technical work of art. It’s not
difficult to achieve even in these times of electronic control
units because of the need to meet thorough emission regulations.
But the Toyota 86’s unit has been brought up to that number. Its
two litres produces exactly 200 horsepower. That’s 147 kilowatts
in metric terms, a number that simply doesn’t have the ring of
200 bhp.
Our initial test drive of the Toyota 86 was carried out at Mt Fuji
raceway near Tokyo. That’s the good news, the bad news is that
the main circuit was in use so we had to use a rather small sub
track better suited to motorbikes and karts. And it was drizzling
with rain…
Nevertheless, a good time was had by all as we turned off the
traction controls (don’t tell the officials we did this!) and
experimented with throttle control as a means of steering.
This
car is simply brilliant, a real sports machine. The engine revs to
the heavens - the redline is at 7500 - and delivers power in a
lovely linear manner. Response to the throttle is virtually
instantaneous, indeed it’s so fast that sloppy drivers had
better sharpen up their acts when they get behind the wheel. Those
brought up on turbo Japanese cars with all that means in slow
pedal response could be taken by surprise, but they will soon grow
to love it.
The engine sounds great as well, a sharp, eager note that will
bring a smile to the face of those who love hot fours.
Steering is as sharp as the engine, and the Toyota 86 is
well-balanced thanks to the engine’s placement further back than
you get in a front-drive car. That, and the use of rear drive,
really does give the driver huge amounts of control.
Another advantage of rear-wheel-drive is that the gearbox sits
alongside the driver’s foot, so the change mechanism is simple
and direct. Toyota 86 has lovely precise gearchanges as a result.
We briefly sampled the automatic transmission and found that while
it’s better than average for its type it’s still not in the
same class as a ‘proper’ manual in the driver enjoyment
stakes.
A true report on the Toyota 86’s handling and ride won’t be
available till we can sample the car on road and in Australia, but
we will be surprised, very surprised, if it doesn’t feel just as
exciting and interesting to drive.
Though Toyota Australia is being shy about revealing the release
date a little bird suggests it will be in June 2012. Prices are
yet to be finalised, but may be speculate on them beginning in the
mid 30s?
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
|
