This has nothing to do with anything, it's just something that was on my mind lately.
Toyota is doing a special Toyota Racing Division of their sporty FT86 model for 2019. That's cool, there was a time when the MR2, Supra, and AE86 were world-beaters in various types of racing.
But after watching a review of its performance, it's just massively disappointing. It's $32k+, it's 2+2 (2 adults, 2 pieces of luggage or two pets), and it's 6-cylinder boxer engine produces 205 horsepower. That's... honestly, not a lot. Yes, the steering is sporty and the suspension gives you a very stiff, responsive driving experience. But you get all that with a number of similar cars in the neighborhood, price wise, that give you more. It doesn't really have the muscle to be a track or street racing car, and it's too sporty to be a daily driver in a city.
For about $3,000 more, you can get a Honda Civic Type R. The type R either has a 4 door model, or a 2-door hatchback, both of which have much more room than the FT86, making it more practical as a daily driver. It's more comfortable when not attuned to sport mode, and it has slightly better fuel economy. But more than that, it has literally more than a hundred more horsepower, 306 to 205. So it's both more practical as a daily driver, and a higher performance racer.
For just a little bit more, you can get a Subaru WRX STI, which has a little more horsepower and all wheel drive, is a 4-door with a trunk, and has about the same fuel economy.
I mean, it's just that Toyota could have done something special here. GIve it a twin turbo or something. Give it the same amount of muscle as its competitors. Instead, it comes off looking a bit anemic, which is sad when you think about the Toyota Racing Division's legacy.
Toyota is doing a special Toyota Racing Division of their sporty FT86 model for 2019. That's cool, there was a time when the MR2, Supra, and AE86 were world-beaters in various types of racing.
But after watching a review of its performance, it's just massively disappointing. It's $32k+, it's 2+2 (2 adults, 2 pieces of luggage or two pets), and it's 6-cylinder boxer engine produces 205 horsepower. That's... honestly, not a lot. Yes, the steering is sporty and the suspension gives you a very stiff, responsive driving experience. But you get all that with a number of similar cars in the neighborhood, price wise, that give you more. It doesn't really have the muscle to be a track or street racing car, and it's too sporty to be a daily driver in a city.
For about $3,000 more, you can get a Honda Civic Type R. The type R either has a 4 door model, or a 2-door hatchback, both of which have much more room than the FT86, making it more practical as a daily driver. It's more comfortable when not attuned to sport mode, and it has slightly better fuel economy. But more than that, it has literally more than a hundred more horsepower, 306 to 205. So it's both more practical as a daily driver, and a higher performance racer.
For just a little bit more, you can get a Subaru WRX STI, which has a little more horsepower and all wheel drive, is a 4-door with a trunk, and has about the same fuel economy.
I mean, it's just that Toyota could have done something special here. GIve it a twin turbo or something. Give it the same amount of muscle as its competitors. Instead, it comes off looking a bit anemic, which is sad when you think about the Toyota Racing Division's legacy.
