Toyota 86 revealed ahead of Tokyo Motorshow

The eagerly waited Toyota 'Hachiroku' has been revealed ahead of the Tokyo Motorshow next week. The front-engined, rear drive sportscar is named differently between the Japan and European market. In Japan, it will simply be called Toyota 86, while in the Europe it will be named Toyota GT 86. The GT moniker denotes the inspiration in developing the 'Hachiroku', starting from the Toyota S800, a boxer two-cylinder with FR layout from 1962.  The line continues with the 2000GT in 1965 which features svelte looking body styles and powered by 2.0l  straight-6 developed in collaboration with Yamaha. The Celica generation arrived in 1971 and then Toyota Supra is also the main actor in Toyota sports car play house where all its four generation is FR-layout and powered by straight-6 engine. The real descendant to the 'Hachiroku'  however, is the Toyota Levin or Corolla GT AE86. The new Toyota 86 lives in the same principle of front-engine, rear-wheel drive package, compact dimensions, light weight, impeccable balance and superior power-to-weight ratio to deliver a superior sheer excitement and capturing the fundamental joy of driving.

Toyota 86 measures 4,240mm long, 1,285mm high and 2,570mm wide,  and rides on 2,570mm wheelbase.Both the powertrain and the driving position have been set as low and as far back as possible to achieve the best balance: the car has a near-perfect 53:47 front-to-rear weight distribution. The flat-four engine format and the driver's hip point – the lowest of any current Toyota production model – together give the 86 an ultra-low centre of gravity, at just 475mm height.

The GT 86 makes the most of a light kerb weight, making it easy for drivers to exploit its nimble handling and cornering poise. The suspension features MacPherson struts at the front and double wishbones at the rear. The car rides on 18" wheels (17" on European model)  and is fitted with ventilated disc brakes all around.

The car is powered by Subaru-sourced 2.0l flat-4 engine whereby Toyota has added their own D-4S system where the cylinder head are designed to feature both direct injection and port injection for the in cylinder combustion. The combustion cylinder is perfect square 86 by 86mm. It has a high 12.5:1 compression ratio, increasing power and torque across a wide range of engine speeds without sacrificing fuel efficiency and environmental performance. The headline figure is 197bhp@6000 rpm and 205Nm@6600rpm. Drive is channeled to the rear wheel via either short-throw 6 speed manual or 6 speed automatic transmission with paddle shift.

The exterior styling of the Toyota 86 was previewed by the Toyota FT86 iteration 2, where it has eschewed the original concept car svelte futuristic lines. The changes were outlined as the results of driving development where the car body configuration does play a big role in driving experience. It features an evocative and expressive lines, especially in expressing the lower part of the car with huge grille.  The lower grille's "scorpion" look gives the 86 a more powerful appearance.

Inside the cabin, every control surface has been arranged to make the driving experience natural, instinctive and rewarding. The 365mm steering wheel diameter is the smallest steering ever fitted to the any car bearing Toyota nameplate. The meter binnacle is 3-item type with large rev-counter dominating the centre item. Elsewhere in the cabin, the 2+2 gets an all-black headlining, aviation-style rocker switches and lightweight, aluminium pedals. The JDM car features red interior detailing too. More detail and galleries after the jump.

Subaru BRZ Concept STi showcased in LA

Subaru showcased its BRZ sports coupe in the LA motorshow. The car is essentially a thinly disguised production version of Subaru new sports car. The BRZ is co-developed with Toyota FT86 and both cars are expected to bow in at Tokyo Motorshow in mass-production form. 

The main difference with the Toyota FT86 is limited to different bumper design for both front and rear. The headlamp is shared, however, the rear light is different from FT86 as it is more boxy in appearance. The LA showcar also gets a massive rear wing. Both FT86 and BRZ has been tested by several journalist and all are single-voiced in praising the accessible fun handling of both. 

Toyota FT86 - specs, photo & driving impression

In a series of controlled leak, the information about the forthcoming Toyota FT86 is gradually increasing. From the latest spec, we know that the FT86 will come in two guises, the standard and high-spec. In addition to that, a "Customized" grade will be made available too, essentially a stripped-out version of FT86.

All versions are set to have 2.0l flat-4 producing 197bhp@7000rpm and 205Nm@6600rpm of power and torque. The front-engined rear drive layout vehicle will channelled the drive via 6MT or 6AT gearbox. No performance data is available yet. However, in light of 'green' era, the absence of performance figure is replaced with fuel consumption figure, 13km/l for the base model and 12.4km/l for the top model, drawn from 50l fuel tank capacity.

The Toyota FT86 is 4,240mm long, 1,775mm wide and just 1,285mm tall. The squat appearance is further enhanced with 2,570mm giving it a short overhang, particularly at the rear. The weight for low-spec manual is respectable 1,210 kg while the stripped Customized spec weights in at 1,190kg. The fully equipped high-spec is heavier at 1,250kg for 6AT version. The manual version is 20kg lighter. The manual version gets LSD for both version while for the automatic geared, only the high-spec is equipped with such device. Both version however gets the VSC.

Suspension system comes with strut at the front and double wishbone for the rear suspension. Front brake is ventilated disc at the front and rear, except the low-spec variant make do with solid disc at the back. Tyres is 215/45 R17 for the high-spec while the cheaper version is equipped with 205/55 R16. Lightweight version gets  steel rim of 16".

The High-Spec FT86 cabin

In terms of equipment level, all version gets a standard dual front airbags and curtain airbags. The high-spec model gets additional features such as HID headlight, LED DRL,  leather-wrapped steering, paddle shift for 6AT, auto air-con, 6 speakers audio system, metallic and carbon fibre insert for the cabin and the option of alcantra upholstery on the top of higher-grade fabric seats. More photos and details after the jump.