FT-86 to be named FR-S...

[10sec rx7]

Dale any results yet???

taking chris longer to jig the pipes than he hoped for..

the ecu etc is all done etc..

ive been out for the last few days doing boat shit for the start of the season this weekend so im not sure where they got up to this arvo..

[MZ21]

Is it getting tuned tomorrow. Need to know whether I come in to pickup on sat or go watch some wtac

[10sec rx7]

Call shop at 11

[Uwish]

looking forward to seeing the results.
Can you over lay stock dyno to turbo'd dyno

[Captain_Slow]

So Canberra Toyota wants a $3k deposit before they'll let me take an 86 for a test drive.

Yeah, nah. That won't be happening.

Edit: Capital Subaru, meanwhile, only too happy to help. Looking forward to 12:30 now

[DaveBxGT]

Hows the tune going?

[MickyD]

ah yes (hopefully not repost)

[TonyJZX]

2,300km on it too lol

[Guido]

Fark they look good in silver.

So Canberra Toyota wants a $3k deposit before they'll let me take an 86 for a test drive.

Yeah, nah. That won't be happening.

Edit: Capital Subaru, meanwhile, only too happy to help. Looking forward to 12:30 now

Head to Toyota dealership. Cut massive driveway skid. Flip bird. Try not to take out other cars in the parking lot. Live a fruitfull existence.

[Captain_Slow]

Steve, the SS owner who wrote to Motor (see pic on previous page) is kind of right, and at the same time, doesn't get it at all.

I'm late to the party I know, but finally managed to organise a test drive at lunchtime today. I drove a manual blue BRZ (#090 for those of you playing at home) without either of the option packs.

I'll deal with his point first, as I'm in a perfect position to compare. There is not the same amount of straight line, push-in-the-back, smile on your face shove as you get in an SS. Unlike our mate Steve who wrote to Motor, this wasn't a surprise and nor was it a problem. The BRZ is adequately fast for people who aren't into drag racing. Maybe it's not for you if you're used to pointing your car at a hill and not needing to change gears, but for those of us who enjoy a good manual box it's no problem at all (and it is good - light effort, short throw, no trouble finding gears). Having said that, it could comfortably handle more power; Dale should be able to sell his turbo kits by the truckload and as long as it wasn't laggy, it would make the car just about perfect.

But oh, the way it turns. The way it turns, ladies and gentlemen. I have not driven anything quite like this. The steering is the right weight, points beautifully, and has instant response. I kept overdoing the amount of steering input needed - I'd put in enough to start the process of changing lanes, and bam, lane change done. This is what I've been looking for in a steering setup. I didn't push too hard but there seemed to be no issues with bodyroll and the ride, while harder than say my SS, was not uncomfortable. It was nowhere near as bad as the C6 Corvette I drove once, which seemed to be a classic case of American "make it stiff and handling will follow".

Everything about the driving experience said that someone had really thought about what makes a good driver's car and was focused on delivering it. The seat/wheel/pedals/gearshift relationship is spot on. The pedal spacing was just right for blipping the throttle on downshifts. The seats give a decent level of support (but I'm very glad that I've lost some kilos recently as it would be tight otherwise). Visibility is good, all the minor controls came to hand pretty well and even the engine note is decent, with a nice boxer note through the midrange. My only complaint there is that it does sound a bit strained up top, but I'm sure there will be an exhaust setup along soon if there isn't one already that will deal with this).

Unusually for me, I couldn't tell you much about things like the quality of the interior other than it seemed fine - how nice the plastics and carpet are really seemed to be totally irrelevant because you enjoy the drive so much, whereas when bored in some econobox I tend to start noticing things like hard plastic door trims. For the price, and for the enjoyment factor, I didn't care enough to look closely.

To sum up, I've been an SS guy for years now and I totally get this car. And I want one. For what I would use it for - commuting with the odd mountain road drive for fun - I doubt that I'd need more power, and I'd appreciate the other qualities more.

[Grunt]

nice write up Marco.

[260BC]

Love to match up a standard BRZ against a SS around Lakeside, the SS would do OK but my bet would be on the BRZ by a clear margin. The attraction of power without much else does not last long, a handling car satisfies forever.

[cracka]

I beg to differ and i reckon a thousand guys in australia with big blocks and supercharged shit do as well

[fury]

That's probably because they are too closed minded to try anything else...

[rj_astra]

Love to match up a standard BRZ against a SS around Lakeside, the SS would do OK but my bet would be on the BRZ by a clear margin. The attraction of power without much else does not last long, a handling car satisfies forever.

What's Lakeside like? Are you talking laptimes or fun? 'Cause apparently a Commodore SV6 is within a whisker of a '86 around Wakefield and a Falcon Ecoboost can whip it.