Forza Horizon 3: Toyobaru Revisited - Side 86

It's been half a decade since Toyota and Subaru introduced the world their compact front-engined, rear-wheel drive sports coupes sold under their respective names of Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ and as sportscars come and go by, rest assured that these affordable Asian sportscars never gone to waste even though they're not as fast as any European sportscars because what these cars are not just good-looking but also greater to drive which isn't so bad for a four-cylinder car to begin with if you're new into sportscars.

Because both the BRZ and the 86 both have the same boxer-4 engine, the same 200HP power output, the same FR layout, and with the rest goes on and on, it's hard to decide which one is the best so let's ditch the comparison and talk about how it feels to be behind the wheel of the Toyobaru coupes, starting with the 86.





This Toyota will be remembered as one of the all-time greats because it brings Toyota back to its sporty character that dates back to the legendary AE86 Sprinter Trueno that wows speedo boys elsewhere for being a drift-focused car, not to mention pop culture stardom because of Initial D.

With today's lineup of Toyotas too regular for their own good, the 86 isn't what you called "regular" because even though it's not powerful enough to outsmart the European sportscars, its superb handling capabilities is what made them get into the sportscar craze in the first place and the more they have fun with the 86, the more they will graduate to an even more powerful sportscar and that is just a crash course to those who are new to sportscars. Think of it like a stepping stone for the speedo boys, a rite of passage, a first impression if you may and if you had enough fun with the 86, you have a choice of either stay with this Toyota or go forward to another sportscar.

I think I could just stay with this for a little while because while the 86 is a speedo boys' car, I had a little tinkering job to do with it. Ready?









See what I did here? A little Rocket Bunny aero kit, some major improvements on the mechanical bits, and with the little decor you are mostly familiar with, this 86 is ready to impress the crowd with its untapped potential as a tuner's car. Now, here's a little thing about this car because it's important not to overdo with its performance because putting it too much power makes it darn undrivable even at the starting line but while it can be somewhat undriveable on the race, it makes up an ideal drift car to score some huge points in the drift zones if you are careful with it. In the meantime, I decided to tone it down a bit and make it more track-mannered because today, I called on some 86/BRZ enthusiasts for a little meeting all around this upside-down country and they wanted to see if this 86 is good enough to impress themselves.

Ready?





You may think it's mad to say that this is the best four-cylinder sportscar in the world but look at this way, the 86 has gone through different times and while it didn't produce the results that a sportscar should be, it will always be the starting point for anyone who is new to sportscars and if they are happy with it, they will have some tough decisions to make.

This is why I love enjoying the Toyota 86 because while it doesn't have the power and the speed to eclipse against the world's best sportscars, its fun factor will always play a key role in its driver involvement and this is all about bringing driving back for the drivers. It really is an all-time great for Toyota.