'Fun’ has returned to the Toyota dictionary. And for driving enthusiasts that means a rear-wheel-drive sports car…enter the Toyota 86.
Car Showroom has driven the most anticipated Toyota product for many years and we can confirm the Toyota 86 is a winner – the rear deal with the looks, performance and dynamics sports car enthusiasts demand. Due in Australia early next year, the 86 should have lines forming at Toyota dealerships.
Toyota 86 Overview
Tetsuya Tada, chief engineer of the Toyota 86 is a ‘driven’ man. From creation to delivery there were many roadblocks to the development of the 86 and his professionalism and determination overcame every one.
For example, sourcing a boxer engine from Subaru raised some eyebrows within the Toyota corporation so Mr Tada and his team quickly built a road-going prototype, fitted the engine and demonstrated the reasons why this was crucial to the program. Same for the rear-wheel-drive configuration…it would have been easier to use an existing front-drive platform but that would not have been a ‘pure’ sports car.
The result is a brilliant execution, a sports car which, like the Mazda MX-5, ticks the boxes of driving enthusiasts. Unlike the MX-5, the Toyota 86 is a four-seater which means it will appeal to a wider cross-section of new car buyers.
2012 Toyota 86 Engine
The partnership between Toyota and Subaru is significant. Toyota says Subaru’s naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre boxer engine was important because it delivers the required performance and its compact dimensions aid the overall packaging.
The engine is mounted low and a long way back – for better chassis balance.
Toyota brought direct fuel injection and the six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.
Underlying its sports car characteristics, the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder is a ‘revvy’ powerplant with maximum power of 147kW at 7000rpm and peak torque of 205Nm at 6600rpm. Much work was also done on the exhaust system and sports car fans will be delighted with a purposeful note when working hard.
2012 Toyota 86 The Interior
We score the Toyota 86 very highly inside with both models delivering the required sports car dynamics (supportive seats, nice driving position, slick instrumentation) with quality materials (leather seats in the upscale version).
We liked the dashboard layout which provides a digital readout of gears (both manual and automatic). The cars we drove in Japan were prototypes without audios so we have no information on what systems will be fitted to production versions.
Realistically the rear seat is only for occasional use by youngsters but at least there is one and the luggage area is reasonable.
2012 Toyota 86 Exterior & Styling
Like many sports cars, photos don’t really do the best job with the Toyota 86. In the metal, Toyota’s newest sports car looks the part with a determined on-road presence.}
Toyota stylists have brought to the 86 a modern look with the traditional sport car angles. The small package size and low/rear mounting of the boxer engine has allowed clever crafting of the front-end with a large cool air intake, raked bonnet and smart curved front fenders.
The rearward cabin and wide rear three quarters accentuate the sports car balance and the rear end hints at aerodynamic efficiency. And there is certainly some resemblance to previous Toyota models.
Nicely-styled 18-inch wheels complete a very competent styling job.
0212 Toyota 86 On The Road
Six laps -three in a manual and three in and automatic - around the club racing circuit inside the Fuji Race Circuit (in cold, wet, foggy conditions reminiscent of the famous Niki Lauda-James Hunt 1976 World F1 Championship-deciding Grand Prix at the same venue) doesn’t represent a definitive Car Showroom road-test. However they were enough to prove the Toyota 86 is the ‘Real Deal’ – not in the Toyota Supra league (of grunt or price) but still a sports car enthusiast drivers will enjoy.
It’s the combination of the true sports car driving environment (pedal/steering wheel relationship and supportive seat) and the performance-feel on-road dynamics from the nicely balanced rear-wheel-drive chassis.
In fact in the tricky conditions on the tight circuit, the six-speed automatic was just as good as the manual with its rapid shifts from the steering wheel paddle shifters.
The Toyota-Subaru 2.0-litre Boxer engine was nicely responsive and free-revving beyond 7000rpm and the brakes withstood a fair bit of punishment.
We’ll have to wait for a full road test in Aussie conditions next year, but certainly our first acquaintance with the Toyota 86 augers well…performance car fans get ready.
2012 Toyota 86 Challenges
We haven’t had enough seat time for a definitive assessment of the Toyota 86 but first impressions are excellent. The challenge for Toyota will be getting sports car enthusiasts back to Toyota dealerships as it’s been a long time since they last had a reason to visit.
2012 Toyota 86 Verdict
We expected the Toyota 86 to be good and it is. Brilliantly bringing together the strengths of Subaru’s Boxer engine (both in performance and packaging) with Toyota’s design smarts and production quality, the 86 marks a stellar return to mainstream sport scars by the world’s number one car-maker.
Not as raw as the Nissan Z-car, the Toyota 86 is intended to appeal to a wider audience and succeeds because it brings to the table Toyota’s every-day-car prowess but with a distinct sporty edge when pressed.
If you’re considering a sporty coupe, definitely wait until the first quarter of 2012 when the Toyota 86 goes on-sale in Australia.
2012 Toyota 86 The Competition
Budget-conscious sports coupe buyers can’t look past the Kia Cerato Koup (starting price $23,690) so realistically the Toyota 86 will battle it out with Mazda MX-5 (Roadster Coupe starts at $47,200) and the BMW 1-Series Coupe (starts at $47,400).
On the limit, the mighty MX-5 is still the raciest (but the Toyota 86 is very close) however there is no rear seat in the MX-5. The BMW 1 Series oozes European style, whereas the Toyota 86 looks the real sports car deal and the 115kw 120i is outgunned by the Toyota 86’s 147kW.
2012 Toyota 86 Likes:
Looks the part; sporty interior; 2.0-litre boxer has some punch
2012 Toyota 86 Dislikes:
Rear seat legroom is restricted (but at least the 86 has one!)
