TOYOTA GT 86

Toyota's hotly anticipated rear-wheel-drive sports car is here at last, revealed today in the form of the GT 86. The car's unveiling follows nearly three years of "will they or won't they" rumours, four FT-86 showcar concepts and a flood of leaked details.

Unveiled online ahead of its Tokyo Motor Show debut next week, the arrival of the GT 86 also puts to rest the question of the car's final name, with FT 86, FR-S and even Celica all figuring in the rumour mill.

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda described the GT 86 - which will be sold simply as the '86' in Japan - as the embodiment of "waku doki, a car that creates excitement and gets your heart racing."

Developed in partnership with Subaru - which is expected to reveal its own "BRZ" version of the car in the coming days - the GT 86 is powered by Subaru's naturally-aspirated 2.0 litre boxer engine, benefiting from the addition of Toyota's D4-S direct injection technology.

As revealed recently in a run of leaked brochure pages, the boxer engine delivers 147kW at 7000rpm (redline at 7500rpm) and 205Nm of torque at 6600rpm, and Toyota promises a Cayman-rivalling low centre of gravity.

The 86's combination of a horizontally-opposed engine and a rear-wheel-drive configuration is a one-of-a-kind package in the current global market.

Power is sent to the rear wheels through a limited-slip differential and one of two transmissions: a six-speed manual or a six-speed auto with paddle shifters.

Suspension is MacPherson struts at the front end, with a multi-link arrangement out back.

In top-spec trim, there are ventilated disc brakes front and rear, while the base model makes do with ventilated discs at the front and solid discs at the rear.

Toyota hasn't revealed any performance figures yet, but with a kerb weight of just 1180kg, the GT 86 should be good for a 0-100km/h time in the low to mid sixes.

Fuel consumption is expected to figure at around 7.7 l/100km for the manual and 8.0 l/100km, although local numbers may differ.

Specifications

Australia

Toyota Australia has confirmed a 2012 local debut for the GT 86 (will it keep that name here?), but firm details are still to be revealed.

Watch this space for more.

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• reply ” like !

  

  Paddy says,
  1 year ago

  1 like

  Looks like a cheap rip-off of the 370Z. Interior clean but nothing revolutionary. Bottom front lights disgusting. Exhausts and rear lights so boyracerish.
  Torqueless engine. Fuel efficiency nothing to even talk about.
  
  To sum it up; nothing other than just another Toyota with an engine that probably won't burst up in flames or bust into pieces.
  • reply ” like !

    

    Super Mattthew says,
    1 year ago

    1 like

    Oh get off it, this car will have been in the works for a very long time, before anyone even knew what the Z34 looked like. - where's the Z rip-off, anyway?
    
    They're both coupes, so obviously they share that much in common. They've both got big exhaust pipes. Not seeing any other similarities.
    
    Not loving the taillights, but in the scope of the entire car, who gives a ratsass about that!
    
    (Comment edited)
    • reply ” like !

      

      Paddy says,
      1 year ago

      Hah. That's my opinion buddy. This one's quite far down on my list (Comment edited).
  • reply ” like !

    

    Donkey says,
    1 year ago

    Pft, torqueless engine.
    More like fun, revv happy fun engine!
    Its not a 4x4 Paddy, its a sports car. Learn to drive.
  • reply ” like !

    

    Joe says,
    1 year ago

    except the nissan is 300 Kg heavier, in my opinion the lighter car wins..
    
  • reply ” like !

    

    ur mum says,
    1 year ago

    you clesarly dont know what your talking about
  • reply ” like !

    

    Rangi says,
    11 months ago

    Dude you couldnt even afford one in your wildest dreams.but still happy to rip the piss out of it, get a life
• reply ” like !

  

  xristofa says,
  1 year ago

  All I can say is it better be sub 40k when it arrives on our shores. The whole philosophy surrounding this car is a good one, but I can't help feeling like there has been a number of major compromises (styling, drive train) to get this car built to a price. If it ends up $45-$50k on road for top spec, I say 'Fail'!
  
  BTW, the 2012 hyundai genesis coupe will be coming to Aus next year with a 2.0T and (maybe) a 3.8 V6 option. Great to see affordable RWD sports cars coming back on to Aus roads.
  
  Now if only Nissan would bring back the 200sx...
  • reply ” like !

    

    Super Mattthew says,
    1 year ago

    The Genesis Coupe will not be here next year. There's not going to be an RHD version of the current model, and with a facelift only just now revealed, it will easily be another couple of years until we see a brand-new (and RHD) Genesis Coupe.
    
    I'm not sure how styling has anything to do with the development and production costs, either... Do you think it costs more to tool up a factory for a 'better' looking car? And if the car is ugly or boring to look at, I doubt it's because an accountant said "right, the design studio has had its week's worth of budget, time to build it!"
    • reply ” like !

      

      xristofa says,
      1 year ago

      Ok 2013 for Genesis Coupe...read the article incorrectly.
      
      Yes costs are affected based on styling and finish, just like they are affected by nearly every other aspect of building a car.
• reply ” like !

  

  5 valve per cylinder says,
  1 year ago

  Best collaboration between Toyota and Subaru, this will surely benefit both manufacturers' and hopefully turn a lot of sales. This version by Toyota looks supreme - fantastic spec sheet, nice color options, racy cabin and with the low center of gravity placement of the boxer engine means this car will be quite stable at high speeds ( although I'm still biased towards the Subaru BRZ ).
• reply ” like !

  

  Gee man says,
  11 months ago

  1 like

  I have owned a 370z since 2009 and let me say I'm excited about the 86. Sure, some of the styling cues are similar but I don't see that as a negative. It looks very tasty to me. Sure, the 370 is heavier, around 98kw more power, has a lot more kit, is around 0.5 sec quicker to 100k at around 5.7s, but it's also a lot more buckwala at around $70k. I suspect that the 86 is going to be enormous fun to drive and maybe potentially has more scope for tweaking. Good one ToyMotor. Looking forward to driving it and adding it to my garage. Woo hoo.
• reply ” like !

  

  Bernadette says,
  10 months ago

  I am loving the look of this car but am wondering will there be a Turbo option???? I have had 2 Toyota Supra's years ago & loved them both, can't wait to take this for a test run, am hoping our Toyota dealers will have a demo one soon for me to try, the suspense of getting one is killing me