Pictures of the forthcoming cabrio version of the Toyota hit the ‘net this week and it looks fantastic. It struck me that this car could be the one that knocks the MX-5 off its perch. It’s better looking than the Mazda, especially in cabrio spec, drives at least as well and, in base spec anyway, is 25,000 AED cheaper. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
This is our third week with the Toyota and it continues to grow on me. The little niggles are still there — the teeny tiny fuel tank being the latest one— but pretty much all of these are forgiven by the fantastic handling. It still begs you to flog it through roundabouts and round corners and you can give in to its demands safe in the knowledge that it will get you plenty of warning of where the limit is.
I’ve also realised that the silver-grey colour scheme on our car doesn’t do it justice. The car park under my apartment block is home to a metallic blue example and the bolder colour moves it from something you might glance at in the street to a real head tuner.
This week I’ve been staying off the motorway for my daily commute and using the back roads and I’ve noticed something. Pulling up at the front of the queue at traffic lights in the Toyota always gets the same reaction. The quick glance from the driver next to you, the nervous blip of the throttle and then, when the lights turn green, lift-off! The GT-86 can usually give them a run for their money over the first 100 metres but is then quickly outclassed. It says something about people’s perceptions of this car but then I suppose the Toyota is, after all, a sheep in wolf’s clothing.
