Another red sports car in the driveway?
Yep, and this one has distinctly ample ability to charm you.
If not just for
its value-for-money proposition; then for its delightful handling, and genuine
Boy Racerz accoutrements.
Inside you get red seat stitching;
figure-hugging buckets and a great leather-bound steering wheel.
On the tech
side, the new BRZ/86 manual gets a lower final drive ratio (4.1:1 to 4.3:1), and a modest boost
in engine power.
The combination of this mid-life tart-up continues
to deliver a genuine sports car, with pin-sharp handling on Michelin Primacy
tyres. There's a willingness to spin to the redline, and well-controlled ride damping to
ensure it goes where you point it, and it stays on line.
I first drove the Toyota Eight-Six in 2014,
and fell in love immediately.
It was three days of unadulterated fun on some
open back roads south-west of Sydney.
My November 2014 Driving & Life post,
covers all the background on the development of the joint car, but here’s a
refresher.
In 2008 Toyota acquired 18% of Fuji Heavy
Industries (Subaru); in 2009 Toyota engineer Tetsuya Tada presented his initial
concept to Subaru for the joint venture, which Subaru rejected because the car
couldn’t feature AWD.
After much gnashing of teeth at Toyota, and
submission at Subaru, the project got a green light in late 2008. At the Tokyo
Motor Show in October 2009 both companies presented on the Toyota stand with
the FT86 concept.
Two years later production began and coupes began rolling off
the line at Subaru’s Gunma facility.
The basics are the same. Subaru’s D-4S 2.0L
‘boxer’ engine, with 6-speed manual and 6-speed auto transmissions coming from
Aisin. Suspension is by Subaru, and interiors come from Toyota
suppliers.
I think this is probably the most
successful joint venture project I’ve seen in my 40-year car industry career.
It preserves the initial project aspirations, and delivers a great experience
for the customers – all the time being a very profitable exercise for both
Toyota and Subaru.
Subaru has experimented with a slightly
different concept, called the STi Concept, but it’s just messing around with
cosmetics (spoiler and wheels), plus an engine tune by its STi division.
Which one you choose depends on brand
preferences, but BRZ is the more overtly sporting of the two.
One big difference is the Toyota 86 has a space-saver spare (so you get a lot
more trunk space); whilst the BRZ has a bloody great full size spare, strictly
limiting the practicality of the car. Of course, you could fold the rear
seatbacks and squeeze some more luggage into the space behind the
occupants.
At its Australian launch the pricing
started at an almost unbelievable AUD$29,990. Today, the BRZ manual will cost
you just AUD$32,990.
As I said when I reviewed the Eight-Six in
2014; you may only keep the coupe for a short time, before moving on to
something more practical if you start your own tribe – but your term of
ownership will brings smiles, and miles of fun.
Recently, out in the BRZ for a spin, my
wife said she was re-introduced to the boy racer who stole her heart 50 years
ago during a spirited first-date drive in an Austin Healey Sprite
Go Boy Racerz!
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