Why Toyota Needs The FT86 - PistonHeads

[FR_S_Fan]

From piston heads, is this article on why Toyota needs the FT86.

Toyota hasn't made a PH-worthy car for ages. But the FT-86 is one of them and I, for one, can't wait for the car to arrive. And it seems I'm not alone, the response to our story last week from the LA show where its Scion-branded brother was showing in concept form alongside its Subaru BRZ equivalent showing a real appetite for both of these cars.

Toyota has a lot to prove. Because, let's face it, the mainstream products are the very personification of cars as white goods blandness. Worse than that, the safe middle ground Toyota has occupied lately is rapidly being taken over by the Koreans, whose products combine unpretentious dependability AND a little bit of design verve. Leaving Toyotas as expensive, boring to drive and utterly anonymous to look at.

The timing for the FT-86 for Toyota is therefore bang on. Cars like the Celica, Supra, MR-2 and even classic old AE-86 prove that there is - or was - a sense of fun at the heart of the brand once. And it's up to the FT-86 to rekindle that.

But it's relevant to more than Toyota. The 911 we've driven this week (you may have noticed...) is now so outrageously competent that to extract even a modicum of excitement from the drive requires a doubling or even trebling of local speed limits. Um, apparently. Very impressive. But how long before the laws of physics or the land catch up with you, in a very big way?

A lighter car with less power but more emphasis on handling? You'd have never thought Toyota would be leading the charge but it is. With a bit of help from Subaru - another brand desperate for a new direction.

Scion badges or not, the FT-86/FR-S I saw last week looked utterly fabulous and the real thing is just days away from its Tokyo debut, alongside its Subaru equivalent. The Toyota looks every inch the LFA's little brother, at a price and performance level more relevant than the Lexus. 200hp and a price around £25K? With rear-wheel drive and an emphasis on weight saving that's something PH can really get behind. All of a sudden that Scirocco or TT doesn't quite look so appealing, does it.

So. Expect a whole lot of FT-86 and BRZ chatter over the coming days. We're excited. You should be too. And just to whet your appetite here's a little teaser video, heavy on the corporate schmaltz and racking up the hype another notch but a game we'll happily play a part in.

[cfrp]

Toyota has avoided selling a performance car for a long time now. Toyota fans and motor fans are all going to be glad that Toyota has finally stepped their game up in the performance auto world. Even though their sales are great for family cars they should realize that there is a market for a performance car in their lineup.

[Flat-box]

they really should drop the whole economy thing, and safety and other BS their car line up is focused on and on the FR-S really just market it toward performance with out Toyota recent... useless econo boxes!

[import_nation]

They economy cars sell well. Very well for Toyota. But they have ignored the performance market for years now. It is almost like they assume that the performance market is not working for them but its really because the recent "performance" cars they have released weren't that great. The latest MR2 and Celica didn't do well at all. And that is not because the performance market is a failure. It is because they didn't do their research and come out with competitive cars. Even the FR-S. It would do well because it is highly anticipated and slightly competitive. It's going to be hard to tell what would make the FR-S a succesful car. It isn't as light as we thought or as quick as we hoped for. As for the price so far we are all afraid that it will be priced too high. It's going to be interesting to see if Toyota messes the FR-S up just like how the MR2 and Celica went down the drain. I honestly think Toyota should bring back their turbo cars. The supra and old generation mr2 were both great sports cars.