Filed under: Coupes, Japan, Subaru, Toyota, Rendered Speculation
More Rendered Speculation: Toyota/Subaru FR sportscar, no turbos for the EU
Japan's buff books are at it again, peppering a bit of informed speculation with a healthy dose of rendered conjecture to create images of Toyota's front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car. While we dig the pic above, which blends a bit of Fisker Karma with the Mitsuoka Orochi, we're giving the design a snowcone's chance in Hades of resembling the production version of the coupe.
The renderings posted below the fold seem a bit more plausible and the dimensions, measuring 4,300mm long (14.1 feet), 1730mm wide (5.7 feet) and with a wheelbase of 2,570mm (8.4 feet), makes it a little smaller than the Scion tC that the FR coupe could replace.
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According to 7Tune, which translated the text from a recent article in BestCar, the design is aimed to change people's perception of Toyota by offering a vehicle with "wonderful style." While aesthetics might be a top priority, if Toyota wants to capture some of the mystique that surround the old AE86, it had better drive as good as it looks.
For better or worse, the coupe will be underpinned by the current Subaru Legacy platform, which makes use of front struts and a multi-link arrangement in the rear. The conversion of the chassis from all-wheel-drive to rear-wheel-drive has caused some headaches around ToMoCo HQ, with one engineer saying the suspension from the Legacy is "weak and terrible." We wonder how much got lost in the translation.
Power is still expected to be provided by a 2.0-liter boxer four cribbed from Subaru, with between 190 and 200 horsepower sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. An automatic gearbox will be offered after the initial launch and don't be surprised if a convertible variant is available further down the road.
Autocar chimed in with its own inside sources, saying that due to new emissions requirements in the EU, turbocharged WRX or STI variants of the Subaru-badged coupe won't be offered. The Toyota version, however, will be sold in the UK (contradicting earlier reports) and that there's a chance that it could wear a Supra badge when it goes on sale for £20,000 in 2011.
[Sources: BestCar via 7Tune, Autocar]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Okki 3:40PM (10/20/2008)
wow... looks like a Hyundai Tiburon to me.... Suitably not impressed. how can this come from the same people who created the MR2 and the Celica?
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That One Person 5:14PM (10/20/2008)
You pretty much answered your own question. The last MR2 was nice but the Celica was meh at best (fine driving car, though). Plus, this is a car from the same people that killed everything exciting they ever made. It also comes from the same people that current build their current lineup.
Dan 7:17PM (10/22/2008)
umm it didnt come from the people who made the mr2 and celica. It came from some random artist. Thats why it said "Rendered Speculation"
Injected 3:40PM (10/20/2008)
I'd buy that as long as it was less than or equal to 3,000 lbs.
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Travis 5:23PM (10/20/2008)
weight's my biggest concern as well, as less weight = better performance *and* better gas mileage. i'm still scratching my head about a NA 2.0l putting out 200hp, as that's usually into turbo territory (or VTEC, VVTL-i, etc). I'd rather see a turbo 1.6 putting out 200hp, with a turbo 2.0 going into the 270-300ish range. without a doubt, though, the 6sp manual will be a HUGE upgrade over the closely-geared 5sp tC.
rypt 5:42PM (10/20/2008)
The BEAMS 3S-GE (black top) puts down 207bhp in the RS200 and that was a 2.0L Toyota plant.
viper GTS-R 3:44PM (10/20/2008)
The first pic looks so much more sexier the front/rear/side drawing. Fix the headlights, might have a new Supra there.
--RS
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Alvin 3:44PM (10/20/2008)
It would look tons better if they took out those two inner lights.
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jnh 3:51PM (10/20/2008)
front view looks like ugly ford escort zx2
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P.V. 5:25PM (10/20/2008)
The entire thing looks like a ZX2, IMO.
npChaos 3:52PM (10/20/2008)
Yeah the inner lights make it look taurus-y, but the front silhouette reminds me of my first gen IS with the bulging fenders, also in the slope of the roofline. But that headlight is really making it sorta G35ish.
On that note, why can't we just get a downgraded IS, ala 2G version of a IS200/RS200? Bring back the 3S-GE/GTE...
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npChaos 3:56PM (10/20/2008)
Also that blue car looks like a Ferrari California ate a 6th gen Celica.
jon 3:53PM (10/20/2008)
it still needs work to be more original. the first reply on this article said it looked like the hyundai tiburon, and thats very true, but the fact that this baby will be pushing power to the rear wheels changes everything, making it so much different than a korean front-front car. im truly excited for what they make of this opportunity, and i think that the only logical thing to do on toyota's part (are you listening toyota? cuz this is for you) is to call this car the celica. in the days of camaro, challenger and others, people want to hear the names they knew before, and nothing would suit this better than the celica.
and i really hope they make a supra too, because that car is still in my opinion one of the cleanest looking designs in recent history
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Serge 3:54PM (10/20/2008)
HOLY BASTARD CHILD OF TIBURON AND 335i BATMAN!!!
I don't car if that thing performs like a 335i for less... it's FUGLY!!!
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bigford87129 3:55PM (10/20/2008)
If you squint, the front looks like an Elise and the rear looks like a 3-series coupe.
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Frylock350 3:56PM (10/20/2008)
I'd hope it doesn't get a Supra badge. Without the 2JZ-GTE or some modern variant of it, its just not a Supra. And this certainly won't kick out enough power to warrant the Supra badge either.
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CBXweb 4:00PM (10/20/2008)
LOL, you have no idea how things work.
npChaos 4:00PM (10/20/2008)
Indeed, plus it wouldn't nearly be as big, Supra's are huge compared to the tC size comparison they drew up.
Frylock350 4:06PM (10/20/2008)
A Supra with a 4cyl Subaru boxer? What about that doesn't sound terrible?
The 2JZ-GTE kicked out 320hp when it died and that's nearly a decade ago. Subie's STi motor can't even compete with that. Don't forget Supra wasn't a competitor for V6 Camaros and Mustangs. It was a competitor for Corvette and Porsche on the same level as the R34 GT-R.
If Toyota is to use an old nameplate, use Celica.
BigMcLargeHuge 4:24PM (10/20/2008)
"The 2JZ-GTE kicked out 320hp when it died and that's nearly a decade ago. Subie's STi motor can't even compete with that."
Ummm...
"In 2005, Subaru launched an STI variant of the Forester, the Forester STI for the Japanese Market. It shared the same engine as the 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, but thanks to different tuning generated 320 bhp."
That engine certainly can compete with that. They just don't in the US.
In Japan, the Legacy GT comes with 280bhp from a 2.0L boxer-4. That'll be just fine power/weight ratio for a little tC-sized vehicle.