Toyota FT-86

What is it?

We’ve been waiting a long time for the Toyota FT86  Literally, because we’ve seen a lot of the concept. But figuratively, too: Toyota is promising the FT-86 will deliver a return to sports car purity that is driven by feel and intuition, not lap times and lateral grip levels. We’ve wanted a car like that for a long while.

“Sports cars have gotten boring,” Toyota says. “They’re only interested in going fast.” The FT-86 is meant to amend that, to bring speeds down but take the enjoyment up, not unlike the Caterham 7 Supersport which we’ve fallen for recently.

The FT-86 is on a new platform that has been co-developed with Subaru (whose Subaru BRZ will be distinctly similar). We still don’t have all the technical details because it’s some way from launch – sales start in June 2012, following the production car’s unveiling at the end of November 2011.

What I can tell you is that it’s “as small as possible for a four-seater sports car,” which means it weighs 1280kg. It has a 2.0-litre flat-four petrol engine in the front, naturally aspirated, which is supplied by Subaru but gets Toyota’s D4-S direct injection system. It makes 197bhp.

The key things to add are these: it drives the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox and a Torsen limited-slip differential. And the tyres are the same modest 215/45 R17 items you’ll find on a Toyota Prius.

Oh, and the ESP can be completely switched off.

What’s it like?

As much fun as you’d hope. I drove a disguised car on a deserted airfield last May (wasn’t supposed to be able to tell you about it until the end of November, and it still makes me smile to think about it now.

First impressions: it feels light and compact, a bit like an MX-5. The driving position is low, straight and snug, with grippy front seats (and not a lot of room in the back).

The Toyota FT-86 feels quick enough, too, with a precise if a touch notchy gearchange, and an engine note that’s a bit growly – there’s not much flat-four burble. Tweaking the NVH is high on Toyota’s ‘to-do’ list. It has a broad power curve - it revs to 7500 but there’s no desperate need to wind it that far past the mid-range.

It’s hard to accurately guage the ride on a concrete airfield, but the FT-86 feels quite deftly set-up, light on its feet, with a touch of tyre roar that’s to be expected.

It steers easily too. At 2.5 turns lock-to-lock the steering’s quick without being hyperactive, and is light-to-middling in weight. It all adds to the impression that this is going to be an easy car to get along with.

Find a corner and you’ll find some roll, but its rate is well contained. The FT-86’s weight distribution is 53/47 per cent front/rear, so it’ll nudge into steady-state understeer if you’re on a constant throttle, where it grips moderately well and is pleasingly poised.

The great thing about the FT-86 though is, as promised, it really handles. It lets you choose how you want to corner. Add any amount of power and it’ll turn at least neutral. Trail the brakes into a bend, give a mid-corner throttle-lift or, well, just give the steering a bit of a bung and lots of throttle and it’ll either straighten its line or give you armfuls of oversteer, utterly as you prefer.