Toyota is beginning to claw its way back from the design and
performance abyss. First the Lexus
IS-F and LFA supercar showed their mettle, and now officially the GT 86. Previously known as the concept FT-86 in its many different guises, the new sports coupe that sits four people
is Toyota’s first performance coupe since the days of Celica and Supra.
Not exactly a Nissan 370 Z beater in terms of power and
performance, the GT 86 nevertheless provides a good starting platform for more
potent stuff. It’s powered by a 2.0-litre
naturally aspirated boxer motor delivering 147kW at 7000rpm and maximum torque of 205Nm at 6600rpm. Clearly this will be a screamer of note, and
sadly it will not perform quite to rivals’ turbo standards when it lands in
Gauteng where it will probably only produce around 125kW. Shift is through a 6-speed
manual for the standard car, while an optional 6-speed automatic can be specified in certain markets. A limited
slip differential (LSD) assists in
laying power and torque down over
the rear wheels.
Nevertheless things do look quite good, from both inside and
outside. From a measurements point of view, the GT 86 is 4.2 metres long, 2.57m wide and 1.3m high. A 53:47 weight distribution was achieved. A 50 litre fuel tank is fitted. Front suspension
is a MacPherson strut system, while
double wishbones make up the rear ride. Speaking of ride, the car rides on
17-inch wheels and has ventilated brakes all around.
High-end features used include aluminium pedals, red stitching on the leather apparel, satellite
navigation, heated front seats, climate control, Bluetooth connectivity and others.
The Toyota GT 86 will definitely be in Mzansi in 2012, but
pricing hasn’t been confirmed. But considering that its main competitor, the Volkswagen Scirocco 2.0 TSI costs R340 200 standard, this should be
the ballpark around which Toyota should play. Unfortunately in the UK the car will be priced around R360 000, meaning in Mzansi it will be more.
6 comments:
Not bad but not good either
that boxer engine won't work in GP its like Subaru 2.0 R which is normally aspirated and is just flat flat flat.why not turbo but Toyota?
Which one are we getting, is it the Japanese or European version?
Sorry Toyota but the concept car looked so much better.
no ways guys this thing is not working for me! So how much here maybe R400000 or something? Too much for such a car, please I want the SCirocco instead.
I cant comment only to say that I'm happy for Toyota to finally get their lives together in terms of design. All the boring Toyotas cannot go on forever they must start now on a clean surface and build really attractive cars.
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