Toyota/Subaru/Scion Lightweight Sports Car: Toyota GT86, Subaru BRZ, Scion FRS!
03-21-16, 10:24 AM
#3107
I think the purpose of this car was to be fun to drive, not necessarily to be fast. Everything I've read has said its great to toss around a track even though it's not very fast. The problem with that though is most people will rarely be in a position to take advantage of its strengths and will only ever experience it as a slow, tiny not-so-sports car.
03-21-16, 02:07 PM
#3109
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03-22-16, 08:06 AM
#3110
I think the purpose of this car was to be fun to drive, not necessarily to be fast. Everything I've read has said its great to toss around a track even though it's not very fast. The problem with that though is most people will rarely be in a position to take advantage of its strengths and will only ever experience it as a slow, tiny not-so-sports car.
One of the conclusion(s) that can be drawn is, Toyota is NOT listening to the voice of the public, the drivers, the enthusiasts who really wants to enjoy such a car with a little more driving dynamics.
03-22-16, 09:24 AM
#3111
Toyota sells masses because it knows its drivers and enthusiasts who buy their products.
They don't listen to the public nor enthusiasts who only critique their products with no intention of purchasing them. An enthusiast who wants a 250+hp RWD coupe will get something else, if they can afford it. Otherwise, you get what you pay for: cheap thrills.
03-22-16, 10:10 AM
#3112
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But this car is first and foremose a Subaru. Boxer engine? Toyota ain't got time for that.
Toyota sells masses because it knows its drivers and enthusiasts who buy their products.
They don't listen to the public nor enthusiasts who only critique their products with no intention of purchasing them. An enthusiast who wants a 250+hp RWD coupe will get something else, if they can afford it. Otherwise, you get what you pay for: cheap thrills.
Toyota sells masses because it knows its drivers and enthusiasts who buy their products.
They don't listen to the public nor enthusiasts who only critique their products with no intention of purchasing them. An enthusiast who wants a 250+hp RWD coupe will get something else, if they can afford it. Otherwise, you get what you pay for: cheap thrills.
Want 300hp+ get Cayman or 370z. Want cheap 300hp get Mustang or Camaro. They are all great cars.
04-01-16, 07:12 AM
#3114
Pole Position
I totally agree with you. The so-called enthusiasts were what made mainstream Japanese automakers stop producing performance cars. Supra failed in sales, Mazdaspeed Miata failed in sales, RX-8 failed in sales, S2000, MR2, Celica, ITR, RSX, and one of the modern legends Evo X, but the list doesn't there. Seems like internet "car" enthusiasts are not enthusiastic enough to buy anything not 4 doors or German, that's why Japanese stop trying to sell to those people. Toyota is making and selling the car to those who actually buy.
Want 300hp+ get Cayman or 370z. Want cheap 300hp get Mustang or Camaro. They are all great cars.
Want 300hp+ get Cayman or 370z. Want cheap 300hp get Mustang or Camaro. They are all great cars.
04-01-16, 08:35 AM
#3115
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Japanese car companies probably prefer big volumes over marketing or having flagships or anything of the sort. For a while it worked for them. Now the competitive landscape has changed and everyone is scrambling to throw out a flagship halo car out there to get the customers attention.
04-01-16, 10:48 AM
#3116
Pole Position
04-01-16, 01:44 PM
#3117
Nevermind the masses, I find many "well heeled" car buyers really don't care about specs or HP beancounting.
Car enthusiasts really remain in the minority.
05-06-16, 12:34 PM
#3118
The Toyota GT86 Shooting Brake Concept is real
As a two-door wagon the shooting brake exists at the unusual but captivating intersection between practicality and sportiness. This Toyota GT86 Shooting Brake Concept is no different – it's a standard GT86, with no mechanical alterations save the grafted-on wagonette roof and hatch. It's fully functional, too, having turned some laps on Toyota's test tracks. It even has the blessing of Tetsuya Tada, the father of the Toyota 86 and its Subaru BRZ and (now rebadged) Scion FR-S, who's been protective of the original GT86 concept to the point of strenuously resisting any serious power upgrades.
This isn't the first shooting brake concept we've seen from the Toyobaru twins, but it's the first Toyota-badged one. Subaru brought the Cross Sport Design Concept to the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. So how did the GT86 Shooting Brake Concept happen? The story, as Toyota tells it, involves the company's Australian design team. They created a 1/4-scale clay model of the shooting brake, and showed it to Tada when he visited in late 2014. He was so impressed, Toyota says, that he had his hand-picked craftsman in Japan bring the idea to full-scale fruition.
The Australian design team, in the outdoor-loving spirit of their country, immediately thought that the longer roof would be perfect for carrying surfboards and other unwieldy sports equipment. And it would be. Meanwhile, Tada and the rest of the Toyota corporation want to tamp down expectations. It's a design study, the company says, and it's just "testing the waters."
Toyota won't rule anything out, and Mazda recently surprised everyone with the MX-5 RF's unusual and attractive targa model. Maybe in a world where Mazda felt confident enough to introduce the RF, Toyota can be daring enough to bring a sporty wagon to the masses. We can hope, and maybe if we all make enough noise together Toyota will make it a reality.
This isn't the first shooting brake concept we've seen from the Toyobaru twins, but it's the first Toyota-badged one. Subaru brought the Cross Sport Design Concept to the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. So how did the GT86 Shooting Brake Concept happen? The story, as Toyota tells it, involves the company's Australian design team. They created a 1/4-scale clay model of the shooting brake, and showed it to Tada when he visited in late 2014. He was so impressed, Toyota says, that he had his hand-picked craftsman in Japan bring the idea to full-scale fruition.
The Australian design team, in the outdoor-loving spirit of their country, immediately thought that the longer roof would be perfect for carrying surfboards and other unwieldy sports equipment. And it would be. Meanwhile, Tada and the rest of the Toyota corporation want to tamp down expectations. It's a design study, the company says, and it's just "testing the waters."
Toyota won't rule anything out, and Mazda recently surprised everyone with the MX-5 RF's unusual and attractive targa model. Maybe in a world where Mazda felt confident enough to introduce the RF, Toyota can be daring enough to bring a sporty wagon to the masses. We can hope, and maybe if we all make enough noise together Toyota will make it a reality.
05-06-16, 01:47 PM
#3120
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