FEATURE:
WE DRIVE THE TOYOTA GT86
20
July 2012| Images by: RaceMasteR J |
Review by: Nadeem Essack.
With
all the hype going around this car at the moment and talk of it
maybe even being the “second coming” to car enthusiasts,
we just had to get our hands on one to see what all the fuss was
about. Nadeem got himself into the hot seat and discovered firsthand
what all the “whoohaa” is. If you want to see for
yourself and take this car for a test drive, scroll down to the
bottom for all the details. I shall now hand you over to our Initial
D correspondent, Nadeem Bunta Fujiwara.
RaceMasteR J.
First
impression: NOT IMPRESSED because there's no space for a helmet
if I sit in the car... then I found the lever to drop the seat!
Re-impressed!
Interior
is neat, uncluttered and easy to reach everything. Nice carbon
fibre on the dashboard. Gauges are very sporty and reminiscent
of Subaru's STi. Sound system I didn't even bother, because who
is really interested in ICE in this epic SPIRITED Drivers car???
.
Mileage
was 18km's so ONE other person had driven it before me, the test
drive set route is 18km's, when we got back the mileage was 36!
Gears are fantabulous, short shifting and easy to know which gear
you're in. We turned left onto Oswald Piro from Toyota, and then
left onto the Eastern Blvd.
I cruised 2nd, then third till the first bend then gave some throttle
... the SOUND!!! Wow!!! Absolutely shocking! I know they fitted
a sound simulator inside the cabin, but man it's SO REAL!!! Easy
to tell where in the rev range you are without looking at the
rev counter.
The power is somewhat "lacking" but that was to be
expected from a brand NEW 2l n/a 4 pot... then I got to 5000rpm's!
Eish... she pulled and pulled and pulled! You could feel she's
holding back... probably due to the crap SA fuel and the cat's
holding her back... this would be my 1st mod... a de-cat!!!
Hospital bend was like HEEEEE HAAAAAAAA!!!!! Till the tail started
squealing… just a little, but there was traffic so I backed
off. Wouldn't risk taking it sideways... YET!
Got to the UCT turnoff and under the bridge, in 2nd gear gave
some loud pedal... oh the sound!!!!
Entering the highway (inbound now) and there was more than enough
grunt to get the 86 in front of the Volvo who didn't want to
give us a space to enter the highway... kept it flat through
2nd, 3rd and 4th... she accelerates beautifully... but most
importantly was that SOUND, the GRUNT, man it sounds really
sweet!!!
Tested the brakes coming down hospital band towards Walmer Estate,
I must admit, the brakes are more than sufficient in the STOCK
car.
My
mind is made up; I "MUST HAVE ONE"!!!
Nadeem
Essack
Now
for those who want to test drive this car for themselves...
Join
Barloworld Toyota Stellenbosch
for the launch of the exhilarating long awaited Toyota 86 tomorrow
Saturday, 21 July 2012, between 9am and 1pm, at the Dealership
situated on the corner of the R44 and Bird Street Stellenbosch.
This highly anticipated lightweight perfectly balanced rear-wheel
drive coupe boasts the exciting FA20 boxer engine that offers
high output and powerful torque as well as environmentally responsible
performance. It evokes emotion and combines exciting sports
car design with driver centric drive experience. Come and experience
the 86 for yourself, can you afford not to?
For
more information, feel free to contact us on (021) 861 5000.
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