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Originally Posted by Deslock
They aren't lightweight and RWD.
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Neither of which anybody should be willing to pay ANY extra money for, since there are no exotic materials being used to make the car. RWD is not a bonus feature, it's a drivetrain layout, and the car is tiny. It damn well better be light.
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As far as acceleration goes, it ought to be similar to the Si. The Toyobaru is for people that want a smaller, lighter, cheaper, and more efficient RX8 (and are fine with smaller rear seats and acceleration closer to the MX5's).
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The Si is literally the bottom of the barrel, performance wise. The low cost performance car segment has become insanely competitive. If ANYBODY can think of a reason why this car should have Si performance, and not MS3 or GTI performance, they should speak up. Those vehicles are offered at a similar price.
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I'm not sure about the volume part of that statement. The car would be significantly heavier (from the 2.5L + turbo spaghetti as well as the beefier components needed to handle the engine's 244 ftlbs) and get worse MPG. Yes, some on this forum scoff at fuel efficiency, but it matters to many people looking for a daily driver.
Also, I don't know if the car would even be profitable.
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Who said anything about a 2.5L turbo? A 2.5L N/A or a 2.0L turbo would be preferable. And the turbo piping and hardware to support the torque would not add much weight at all. It's 2xx ft/lbs of torque are not that much.
Additionally, it would certainly not get worse gas mileage. A turbo engine gets non-turbo mileage as long as you stay out of the boost. I AVERAGE 27.9 mpg in the city in my GTI - and most of that is in the city. If anything, it would get better gas mileage, as you wouldn't need to rev the snot out of it just to pass somebody.
The RX-8 was a failure. Offering a car that's only marginally lighter, has less power, and less usable space will also be a failure. Base price on an RX-8 is sitting right at ~26k and if you can actually FIND one on a dealer's lot you can walk away with it for more like 22-23k. Do you really think this car is going to cost much less than that?
I see absolutely no reason why a higher performance target should not be met
for the same price. I would view this vehicle as a rip-off if it offered Si level performance for Si level money, because I view the Si as a rip off.
If the car is offered and is extremely competitive with other cheap performance cars, of course it will sell better than if it's among the slowest. That's a given.
People need to stop viewing RWD+Light as something that should cost extra. Neither are. This car is going to be a scion and it will not have a premium interior - it should AT LEAST be able to match a GTI in performance for the money.