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| The Toyota 86 four-seater sports coupe has a 2.0 flat-four boxer engine and rear-wheel drive, but is it as good as the equally strong but lighter Peugeot RCZ? |
The maker of most cars sold every year has finally unveiled that sporty Toyota that fans like me have been waiting for since, well, 1986. That was the year that I really enjoyed groping on the front seat of my dad's Cressida station wagon, but never quite the handling at the rear.
Fittingly called just the GT86, local Toyota fans can also expect to see the sleek coupe in South African showrooms from July next year.
Company president Akio Toyoda, a part-time racer himself, described the GT86 as being “entirely driver-focused”.
Ja well no fine, Toyda-san, but do those four seats mayhaps hint at the fact that your also admit that all us Toyota fans across the world are also good dad-material.
Under the four seats, the coupe uses rear-wheel drive linked to a boxer engine placed up front. which Toyota developed with a little help from Subaru.
The 'Subyota' flat four engine delivers 147kW at 7 000rpm while the peak torque of 205Nm is available at revs which are a tad high at 6 600rpm.
A high compression ratio of 12.5:1 using Toyota’s D-4S injection technology does mean that the 86 will burn its petrol efficiently, but unfortunately it will also burn rather a lot of fuel at speed. A short-ratio six-speed manual or auto transmission links the driveshaft to the engine. At the rear. the now standard limited-slip differential helps the 86 to compete with its rivals, while anti-lock brakes and vehicle stability control systems help drivers who are perhaps focusing on the kids in the back to bring things back in line.
The Peugeot RCZ, which is also a petite four-seater coupe, also generates 147 kW.
But the lil' French game changer delivers its power using an economical 1.8 engine, and offering a huge boot, to boot.
To my mind, Toyota will have to price their 86 for less than the fantastic little Peugeot, which costs R365 725, if they want to compete in the coupe market in South Africa, which also has the Nissan 370Z two seater (245 kW) and the Audi TT (155kW) each of which quickly costs half a mill when you add a few extras.
