Top Gear Review of the GT86

[hunter3232792]

loved this episode

[akuhei]

Originally Posted by was385

Someone seriously needs to make "He who shall be last, shall be sideways and smiling" into a window decal.

I second this idea...definitely need one of these.

[jpit]

The 7.7 sec. 0-60 time was the slowest I've seen.

[dsgerbc]

Originally Posted by jpit

The 7.7 sec. 0-60 time was the slowest I've seen.

Probably because it's the 0-100kmh time.

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by dsgerbc

Probably because it's the 0-100kmh time.

Ah, and they probably had to shift to 3rd for that.

[jpit]

Jeremy Clarkson did say 0-60 mph.

[DSOmegaX]

For those that missed the video you can find it here: http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-...e3_2419350.htm

[Citrus]

Originally Posted by endos2000

I don't like it that he said "it doesn't look particularly interesting" but yea, smiles all around.

I can see why he said this. The trend for new cars styles now is very "sheet metal stretched tightly across the body of the car". What I mean by this is you tend to see a lot of sharp corners, very defined lines and curves. Think of a muscular person at very low body-fat-%. You see all the muscle fibers underneath the tight skin. The BRZ/GT86 is lacking in this department. It has that classic sports car look but lacks the sharp lines and defined curves that differentiate "new" cars from older generation styles. The car looks good and looks like a sports car but is messing the elements that make a car stand out and "interesting" to look at.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference.

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by Citrus

I can see why he said this. The trend for new cars styles now is very "sheet metal stretched tightly across the body of the car". What I mean by this is you tend to see a lot of sharp corners, very defined lines and curves. Think of a muscular person at very low body-fat-%. You see all the muscle fibers underneath the tight skin. The BRZ/GT86 is lacking in this department. It has that classic sports car look but lacks the sharp lines and defined curves that differentiate "new" cars from older generation styles. The car looks good and looks like a sports car but is messing the elements that make a car stand out and "interesting" to look at.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference.

Yeah, I would say it has very "safe" styling. It's a potpourri of tried and true classic sports car styling features. The whole point of the car wasn't to be groundbreaking on any one feature, but rather how effectively they were tied together. The thing about "interesting" cars is that they look great at first, but after about ten years it's hit or miss whether they'll still look fantastic or terrible. The e36 M3 and NSX still look fantastic. The e60 5 series and the first generation CTS haven't aged as gracefully even though their styling was brand new and "interesting" at the time. Still fantastic cars in their own rights, but they won't be remembered as much for their aesthetics.

[strat61caster]

The best thing I can say about the styling is that it's not offensive. It just blends in, it's no Mustang or Miata and will never be instantly recognizable, I confuse it for Nissan's Z's all the time, especially the headlights.

[Citrus]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Yeah, I would say it has very "safe" styling. It's a potpourri of tried and true classic sports car styling features. The whole point of the car wasn't to be groundbreaking on any one feature, but rather how effectively they were tied together. The thing about "interesting" cars is that they look great at first, but after about ten years it's hit or miss whether they'll still look fantastic or terrible. The e36 M3 and NSX still look fantastic. The e60 5 series and the first generation CTS haven't aged as gracefully even though their styling was brand new and "interesting" at the time. Still fantastic cars in their own rights, but they won't be remembered as much for their aesthetics.

I don't believe there is anything wrong with the styling of the car, but I do believe it could have used a bit more "defined features", but thats just my opinion. As you said the car will age very well because of its appearance. Then again, thats why cars do/should go under a complete refresh every 4-5 years. When thinking about Clarkson's statement, one, also has to understand that he spends a lot of time around performance cars that cost 100k+. If every car looked like an exotic, exotics wouldn't be so exotic . If the BRZ had gone further with its design, lets say something like the Genesis coupe, it tends to look tacky. Its all about finding the right balance.

As a side note, am I the only one that thinks the STI concept has sharper lines on the sides, moving up the rear wheel arch and the rear bumper seems a lot less round. If so, they definitly should have gone with something like this (minus the massive rear wing). It has the perfect balance of an updated look and staying classy...

[Sport-Tech]

Personally I prefer it showroom stock over the above, except for the wheels. The wheel arches look overcooked - especially at the rear. And quad pipes? That's writing a cheque this car can't cash.

[Citrus]

Originally Posted by Sport-Tech

Personally I prefer it showroom stock over the above, except for the wheels. The wheel arches look overcooked - especially at the rear. And quad pipes? That's writing a cheque this car can't cash.

I forgot to mention the quad pipes would need to go . But other then that I really dig the concept