Now this is one of those rides that people have been waiting for a very, very long time. It is no secret that the Japanese automaker Toyota has been slacking with an entry-level tuner car for a number of years. Heck, the Celica has been discontinued since
2006! Toyota's most sporty vehicle at the moment is the
Tundra which puts out a cool 381 hp and 401 lb.-ft. torque with its 5.7 L V8 version. However, it is a truck! No tuner wants to put a flatbed next to an STI and have them run side to side. it's like comparing oranges to apples.
According to the publication
Car and Driver it might just be a little too late for the release of this vehicle since Hyundai has already taken a head start in the race with its recent release of the real-wheel drive genesis which is marketed with two engine options:
- a 2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged produced 210 hp and 223 ft·lb torque
- and a naturally aspirated 3.8 V6 puts out 306 hp and 266 ft·lb torque.
The FT-86 will likely be offered as a front-wheel drive, naturally aspirated 4-cylinder and a turbocharged version of it should be available at a later date.
So what do you think about this one? Will Toyota/Subaru have a shot at the tuner market with the FT-86/0846 or will it be too late for the party as suggested by
C&D? Will the option of a naturally aspirated front-wheel drive make it a sit on the side when compared to the existing genesis or will it be a nice tuner starter?