Here’s a fun video showing the Toyota 86 being driven around a very wet Marulan Driver Training Centre. Supposedly the two cars are being driven by rally aces Rick and Neal Bates.
From inside the cabin, the 86 sounds half decent too.
Rounding out our launch coverage of the Toyota 86, we bring you a healthy selection of press images. We start with the images you saw yesterday, but add to them, most notably with the higher-spec GTS model. For some reason Toyota has gone light on with pics of the entry-level 86 GT.
After the break you can get your hands on over 40 pics of the Toybaru 86; simply click on the photos to open in 2000px super image sizing.
Here, in all its glory, is the full text from the 2012 Toyota 86 press kit, with thanks to Toyota Australia. For an introduction to the 86, including local pricing, check out today’s earlier pricing & specs article.
As the contents list below shows, there’s a lot of detailed info in this press kit. We hope it will be a great resource for fans of the Toybaru, who we expect will enjoy pouring over every last word!
Toyota Australia has provided two brief videos to promote its new 86 sports coupé. There’s no audio in either, so you’ll just have to imagine yourself in the driver’s seat ripping through the gears nudging the 7450rpm redline.
Toyota Australia has just announced pricing for its new rear-wheel drive 86 sports coupé. And we think Toybaru fans will like it: the base GT model starts from $29,990 and the higher-spec GTS (shown above) is priced from $35,490.
On its Facebook page Toyota Australia has shown an example of drive away pricing for the base GT model. If you’re a 40-year-old male with good insurance history and based in the 5000 postcode you can drive away for $33,748. Of course, you’ll need to check with your local Toyota dealership to confirm individual pricing if you don’t fit that description.
Toyota Australia’s executive director sales and marketing Matthew Callachor expects buyers will embrace their sharp pricing: “The 86 is meant to be enjoyed by as many driving enthusiasts as possible, and our pricing will extend its appeal to people who never imagined they could afford such a fun car.
“The 86 will serve as a halo car for Toyota, expanding the brand into a new dimension of driving performance.”
The base model, with 6-speed manual transmission, tips the scales at 1222kg and with 147kw on offer from the 2.0 litre boxer engine the Toyota 86Â has a power to weight ratio of 120kW/tonne.
A 6-speed automatic transmission can be optioned for an extra $2500, which comes with steering wheel paddles to activate the 0.2 seconds gear changes. The auto ‘box will also blip the trottle to match revs on downshifts.
Fuel consumption for the 86 is rated at 7.8./100km for manual equipped cars and, surprisingly, a low 7.1l/100km for those fitted with the self-shifter.
Standard equipment on the 86 GT includes 16″ alloys, cruise control, air conditioning, seven airbags and a five-mode stability control system. While the higher-spec 86 GTS gets 17″ wheels, satellite navigation, xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, climate control and leather accents on the seats with red contrast stitching.
You can read Toyota Australia’s press release after the break, accompanied by 15 wallpaper-friendly 2000px super images.
Ahead of tomorrow’s release of official Australian pricing and specifications for the Toyota 86 sportscar we bring you a selection of 50 images sourced from Toyota UK. We expect we’ll be adding a few more from Toyota Australia tomorrow as well.
We start with these very cool composite shots showing the inherent balance achieved through the Toybaru’s boxer engine and general chassis geometry.
Remember, you can simply click on the pics to view them as wallpaper-friendly 2000px super images.
Toyota Australia has confirmed via their Facebook page the whispers we’d already heard: pricing and local specifications for the new rear-wheel drive 86 sportscar will be announced at 10am on Monday 4 June.
Although, the cat may already be out of the bag in regards to pricing, with reports a Toyota dealer in Queensland has already been giving quotes to enquiring customers. It’s believed the 86 will be offered in entry-level GT spec as well as a higher GTS specification; the former will reportedly be priced from $39,000, the latter from $43,000. We won’t be surprised if those figures prove to be inaccurate, but we reckon they’ll be around the mark.
Some media outlets are also reporting the 86 has secured enough orders to ensure there’ll be a minimum two month waiting list. Although we note on the Facebook page Toyota’s Nowra dealership is trying to find bites for the two models it has on its books.
Besides, two months is no great strain when you need to wait 6–12 months for a Polo GTI or Golf R.
After the break we’ve got an ad from the US, where the Toybaru is badged as the Scion FR-S. You can be certain we’ll never see an ad like this on Australian TV screens.
Nunawading Toyota in Melbourne may well be able to lay claim to being the first Australian dealership to have a Toyota 86 on their forecourt, as these pics show.
If the Toybaru tickles your fancy we suggest you get in touch with your closest Toyota dealer for the skinny. Even better, if you’re in Melbourne and don’t mind a drive why not find your way to Nunawading and see one for yourself.
Those anticipating the Australian launch of the Toyota 86 sportscar were given a boost recently when the car was spotted at Mount Panorama in Bathurst. It’s understood Toyota Australia had the 86 on site to capture promotional images and film a television commercial.
Apparently Toyota reps weren’t too pleased when this car, wearing 8TYSIX numberplates, was photographed.
The 86 is powered by a 147kW 2.0 litre normally aspirated boxer engine. It’s joint development with Subaru has earned the car the nickname of Toybaru.
Subaru will also launch their version of the car, the BRZ, in Australia. Indeed, it’s expected Subaru will launch their car before the Toyota 86. We’re guessing we’ll be seeing official material for both within the next 3–4 weeks.
[Source: Western Advocate | Thanks to Scott for the tip]
A total of 79,097 new vehicles were sold in April, official VFACTS numbers show. That’s an increase of 6.6% (4,833 sales) compared to same month last year.
While the demand for SUVs continues (27.6% of all monthly sales) there is an increasing trend for diesel powered SUVs, up 56% on the same month in 2011.
“Yet again, SUVs dominate the Australian vehicle market, with sales increasing for all sizes of SUVs in the private, business and rental sectors,†FCAI Chief Executive Ian Chalmers said. “This month however we can also see an interesting emergence of customer preference for diesel powered SUVs.â€
The Hilux remains a leading product for Toyota and topped the sales charts in April, followed by the Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla. No surprise to see Toyota heading sales figures, in front of Mazda and Holden.
Remind us why the Feds are supporting the Commodore and Falcon again?
In the early stages of Sebastien Loeb’s WRC career he ran a few races in a Toyota Corolla. After the break you can enjoy a short and sweet clip from 2000 showing the, then, young French starlet forging a career that would go on to become superior to all those to have gone before him.
With 43 race wins and three constructors’ championships Toyota knows a thing or two about WRC success. And now the creation of a new 1.6 litre turbocharged race engine by Toyota Motorsports GmbH could herald the beginning of a new WRC journey.
The recently completed engine complies with the FIA’s regulations for the WRC is expected to be fitted to a Yaris chassis.
“We’re leaning towards an S2000-style of car which would be available for customers first,” confirmed a TMG spokesperson. “This is a development project, but it’s very early days—the engine only fired up for the first time a few weeks ago—at the very earliest, a car won’t be available until next year. Obviously, this being a Global Race Engine, it could go in any car, but the Yaris seems to make sense.â€
Of course, Toyota is currently pre-occuipied with its TS030 Hybrid Le Mans and World Endurance Championship program. But a return to WRC does appear possible.
“Medium to longer-term there is a degree of logic in the WRC,†the TMG spokesperson said. “We have been there [the WRC] and this is a step back into rallying.â€
Having Toyota back in the WRC would be like getting the band back together. Subaru next?