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| Toyota's 86, with a sneek preview a few days ahead of its official launch at a national spinning event in Pietermaritzburg, KZN. (Photo: Frans Kruger/Iyamila.com) |
THE Midlands had an exclusive preview of the Toyota 86 at a
national spinning event held at Mason’s Mill last weekend.
Deon Olivier, dealer principal of Toyota in Pietermaritzburg,
showed off his new, but already a classic, two-door sports car to SA’s spinning
cognoscenti a few days ahead of its official launch on Wednesday.
At its launch on Wednesday, Toyota issued a statement describing
the 86 as a top-class sports car “but without the usual price tag that comes
with firm suspension, direct steering and good stopping power”.
Kerry Roodt, general manager of Marketing Communications, said:
“The true marvel of the 86 is that it’s every inch as much fun to drive as its
vastly pricier competition.
“Here you have a car that’s priced at the same level as a hot
hatch, but it manages to dish up classic sports-car delights — engine at the
front, driven wheels at the back, fast throttle responses and quick, meaty
steering — without the need to be travelling at warp speed to enjoy them.” All
this will be music to the ears of Enver Kikia, one of the Maritzburgers who
placed an early order for his 86. Ribbed by youngsters at the spinning event
that the 86 “was a car for a man with a midlife crisis”, he laughed them off,
saying he could not afford a Porsche so bought the 86 instead.
Toyota’s chief design engineer, Tetsuya Tada, would endorse Kikia’s
choice.
Tada said that in his opinion, modern-day sports cars [read
Porcshe] have become “boring” with their big turbos and all-wheel drive
systems.
Tada said the 86 has the three key elements a sports car must have:
rear-wheel drive, no turbo and ordinary tyres. The Subaru boxer engine 86 makes
147 kW at 7 000 rpm and maximum torque of 205 Nm at 6 400 to 6 600 rpm.
Prices:
Toyota
86 Standard R298 500
Toyota
86 High R329 400
Toyota
86 High Auto R346 500.
All models have a four-year/60 000 km service plan included in the purchase price (service intervals every 15 000 km), along with Toyota’s three-year/100 000 km warranty.
The
new 86 is supported by the ToyotaCare Roadside Assistance Programme, with
24-hour roadside assistance.
