Finally! THE Toyota We’ve All Been Waiting For.
Toyota South Africa has announced pricing for the local version of its highly-anticipated new 86 sports coupe.
I’d just like to start off by congratulating Toyota on one of the cleverest marketing ploys in ages. This 86 sports car has petrolheads and car enthusiasts hyped up and excitable. When was the last time that people were excited over a car brand whose key brand strength is reliability and longevity? If you said Toyota Supra, you’re looking at a time period before the Millenium. Both of those traits have nothing to do with sports cars or sporty driving so after a few years of “sensible” run-of-the-mill vehicles, Toyota has decided to make a car that will bring back some of the passion for the brand. We all know that passion. Give a motoring magazine to a bunch of boys and within seconds, they’ll be ogling the sporty and fast cars.
Toyota has needed a car that will adorn the pencil boxes and bedroom walls of youngsters everywhere. While the Lexus LFA is an incredibly desirable vehicle, it’s a Lexus and doesn’t speak to the masses. The 86 sports coupé was first shown off in 2009 as the FT-86 concept and, since then, has been teasing the public with numerous variants of the same theme. Last year, Toyota had an example of the FT-86 G Sports concept at the Johannesburg Motor Show so there’s been considerable hype in the run-up to launch.
Basically, what you’re looking at is an attempt to create a pure driving machine that everyone can afford to own. These days cars are hindered by electronic aids, automatic gearboxes and diesel engines. While these are valuable features for the modern motorist, they detract from the overall driving experience. So, what recipe makes for a pure driving machine?
Rear-wheel drive + manual gearbox + firm, forgiving suspension + coupé looks + reasonably powerful engine = Driving Nirvana.
If you don’t believe this philosophy, go drive a Mazda MX-5 and a Nissan 350Z. Also, ask my friend and rock-star racing driver Thomas Falkiner for his opinion on this matter.
Toyota reckons that it has the above equation covered with the 86. This little two-door coupé has a 2.0-litre with 147kW/205Nm which doesn’t sound too bad on paper. It’s not going to be a firework in the 0-100km/h stakes and I reckon most of the turbo hatch brigade will have it covered but I’ll guarantee that this thing on a twisty road will be most enjoyable.
It isn’t here yet but Toyota cleverly has announced the local pricing which has helped raise the excitement levels. Right, so a 2.0-litre sports coupé that has some rather nice luxury features like key-less entry, leather/alcantara interior and climate control will be about R350,000? At the risk of sounding like a clichéd television sales pitch, I can happily say no!
Toyota will be launching the 86 sports coupé at a base price of R298 500. There’ll be other versions which will cost R329 400 and R346 500 but there you have it, a desirable sports car from Toyota that can be a realistic dream. My only concern is this car could possibly be over-marketed and over-hyped, and expectations will be too high when it launches. If it’s as good as it sounds on paper, Toyota will have a winner.
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