BBR Mazda MX-5 Turbo or TRD-Tuned Toyota GT86?

Both the Mazda MX-5 and Toyota GT86 (Scion FR-S) suffer from having too little power, whichever one you go for. This is apparent whatever sporty car you climb out of before driving either of them, but as the EVO video posted below tries to illustrate, there’s no harm in trying to improve these cars to really make the best of their chassis.

First off, the Toyota can be had with a list of factory updates, in the form of a TRD kit. However, that does nothing to up the power and torque of the GT86, the car’s two main quibbles. It does address the grip problem brought about by the use of 17-inch Prius tires in the basic car by swapping them out for larger 18-inch forged rims with much better rubber.

Still not fast enough, but that’s where the MX-5, tuned by BBR, comes in with 70 hp more than the stock GT86, courtesy of a turbo kit. It’s a car that has been slightly neglected ever since the Toyobaru came out, but as the folloowing comparison illustrates, in this slightly-tuned guise, it’s actually a better choice (for the money).

 

Toyota Fun-Vii Concept Coming to Tokyo

Toyota today announced that it will use the upcoming Tokyo Auto Show to give us the Fun-Vii concept, a development that can be described in one word: interactivity.
The exterior of the car can be used as a display space, so the driver can change the color and the message(s) shown on the vehicle, while the interior offers a similar feature, aiming to match the mood of the passengers and also uses augmented reality to introduce navigation information to the occupants

The Fun-Vii has the following dimensions: Length 4,020 mm; Width 1,745 mm; Height 1,415 mm and Wheelbase 2,750 mm and can seat three. Toyota brags that the vehicle can also communicate with surrounding cars and infrastructure.

Autoevolution will be attending the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show, so stay tuned for some real up close and personal shots of the vehicles, as well as for first-hand details of the motorized contraptions presented at the event.

First Toyota GT 86 Videos Released: Driving Footage, FT-86 Evolves

Toyota Europe has decided to enhance the appeal of the recently revealed production version of the FT-86 sports coupe, which has been renamed as the GT 86. We have a couple of short and sweet videos to bring to your attention, one covering the evolution that took place from the FT-86 concepts and the other how the new 2+2 looks going down the road.
The new “GT 86” name is derived from the legendary Corolla GT from 1986. Cue AWD Subarus and the mighty RX7 on the winding roads of Mount Fuji... or something like that.

Ust like the old Corolla GT, the GT 86 should play the underdog really well in the real world, because it’s only got 200 horsepower coming from it’s 2.0-liter engine that’s fitted with Toyota’s advanced injection technologies. That only as much as a Clio RS, but the GT manages to sprint to 100 km/h in just 6 seconds, thanks in part to its low weight and focused chassis.

The power is sent to the back via a six-speed manual or the optional six-speed auto that use paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. The budged sportscar also comes with a limited slip differential as standard and its center of gravity is impressively low at just 475mm (18.7-inches).

Autoevolution will be attending the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show, so stay tuned for some real up close and personal shots of the vehicles, as well as for first-hand details of the motorized contraptions presented at the event.