Spy Photos: Toyobaru Coupe. Subaru's Version of Toyota FT-86 Spotted

LOL, tmanz! Well said!

MY2008+ base Impreza WRX STI (no fog lights) front and rear quarterpanels
STI (brand) wheels

Sliding brake calipers, rear-mounted (as in aft of the axle-line) steering rack (not used on current Impreza...I don't think they are mounted in this fashion on any current Subarus because of the AWD...if this coupe is RWD, why couldn't they get the rack mounted in front of the axle-line?...although Nissan doesn't do that for the Z and G)

Allow me to be the first to say - shooting brake!

with all that extra camo on it, looks like a hunchback. but hopefully the end product isn't that disproportional.

Is it illegal for Subaru to make a good looking car?

Based off the size of the tires, size of the brakes, etc. you can tell this won't be a "real" performance car. Seems to me like it will offer regular WRX performance at best...why are they producing this again?

Are you saying the regular WRX isn't a performance car?

We can't tell if those wheels are 17-inch or 18-inch from the photos.

17-inch:

So this isn't a performance vehicle either, zwiedower?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/06-08_Subaru_Forester_2.5XT_Sports.jpg

18-inch:

What about the Subaru Impreza WRX STI R205?

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-r205/

2010 WRX 0-60 under 5 seconds
1/4 mile under 13.5 seconds.
Break 60-0 107 feet

And that's not a performance car?

I'm guessing this thing's 0-60 times would probably be about 5.5-6 since It won't have the all wheel drive launch. The test mule looks terrible though I still have high hopes.

Isn't the Toyota version going to have a 180 horses?

SubaSaabToy
Saab is in discussions with Subaru to provide the FT-86 platform and engine for Saab's new 9-2.

Just kidding, FT-86 will be a great new addition to Subaru portfolio.

Why is it the Subaru version? Last time on the Nurburgring was almost the same sans the hood

I think I'll take the Toyota version, as this mule seems to indicate some odd styling cues, as expected from a Subaru.

I'll keep the faith on Subaru. Yeah, this looks odd, but what did y'all expect? It's a bunch of chopped up parts put together with tape. I wouldn't be surprised if the final concept model looks very much like Toyota's version.

name it the svx, and I'll buy one

Between the Toyota and the Subaru version assuming equivalent power trains I would go with whoever pulls up a nice interior. Neither Toyota nor Subaru are known for their interiors. I hope that like GM's recent improvements in interior quality and feel, both Subaru and Toyota get the message. Exteriorwise, the Toyota version rules on this one. I hope Subaru doesn't screw up with the exterior as usual. When was the latest nice-looking sporty Subaru built? NEVER! Or maybe it was in the 90s. The impreza coupe was not bad, but it was not great either. I would pay up to $2,000 more for a nice interior. GM dropped the ball on the Camaro... I'm sure it's costing 1,000s in sales. Meaning that they would have been even more successful otherwise. Afterall, I spend more time looking and living with the interior than I do the exterior, but I could not live with a truncated STI with a Forester interior!

I do not understand why people are not seeing that this is a mule. Nothing more. It’s, simply, a hacked up Impreza; a bunch of parts from the Impreza parts bin thrown together for testing purposes. I mean you can clearly see how they chopped the rear doors in half, covered up the spot where the rear door handle was then taped and welded it all into place.

As far as the engines go; I have heard that the Toyota version is going to have a 2.0 liter Boxer engine good for 200HP while the Subaru version will take the 2.5 liter Boxer engine from the WRX, which is good for 265HP.

The toyota version looks better

How anyone can comment on the styling of this cobbled-up test mule, is beyond me.

/\

people love doing it around here.

seen the posts on the camo-oed civic?

'oh its So bland!'

'it looks just like the old one!"

'honda has to step it up'!

'this design looks so ancient!'

seroiusly i'm glad the only power the internet allows some people is the ability to post some words.

it's probably just testing the drivetrain platform

God! mike magrath, I hate you. You cannot write, whenever I have to read an article 2 or more times to try to understand what it is saying, it turns out you wrote it. Are you trying to say "we can't [help but] notice it looks more like a men's hat" or "we CAN notice it looks more like a men's hat?" I think that is what you are trying to say...

Well hopefully this Mule isn't pointing to any kind of styling. This shape is hideous even for Subaru. But I'm pretty sure it will be AWD, that's what makes a Subaru a Subaru. If they can throw the STI drivetrain in it, they could have a new Halo car. But even with the WRX engine it will probably be awesome to drive. And anybody thinking Subaru doesn't do performance cars, has clearly never driven anything in the WRX lineup. They may not have the outrageous numbers, but they still cook when it's time to put there money down.