TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: No forced induction for Toyota's 86 Coupe
Engineers have confirmed there'll be no turbo hottie in Toyota's 86 Coupe line-upToyota will not offer a powered-up version of its 86 sports coupe. motoring.com.au confirmed the decision this week after our first drive of 86 Coupe in Japan. The confirmation came from an engineer close to the project who spoke only on the basis of confidentiality.
The man, let's call him Agent 86, said forced induction would detract from the car's purity. He said he believed aftermarket tuning companies or indeed project co-owner Subaru would be more inclined to offer a turbocharged version of the car.
"Toyota does not have any plans to turbocharge the small coupe," explained Agent 86. "It's not what the car is all about."
"That's not to say we couldn't do it, the engine lends itself readily to forced induction. But, we feel that would detract from the car's purity… Much like if I was to have turbocharged my old Miata (Mazda MX-5)."
"If anyone was to do it, I'd say Subaru would do it. They have the technology at hand, and as we've seen with the Impreza, are more inclined to turbo[charge] their models."
"An aftermarket tuning shop could also offer it as a modification package, although it's too early [to speculate] at this stage."
Turbocharged or not the Toyota 86 is likely to prove a hit with younger buyers and those young at heart. Until now they have had only front-drive offerings from Hyundai (Tiburon) or Kia (Koup) as affordable alternatives.
The Toyota 86 is slated for arrival in local showrooms from June 8, 2012.
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