Toyota previews Subaru-powered affordable sport coupe

No one's going to accuse the current Toyota lineup of being exciting. Sure, it's good -- stalwarts like the Corolla, Camry, Sienna, Prius and Highlander all earn kudos from reviewers and and spots in drivers' garages across the country. These top-selling nameplates help make Toyota the market juggernaut it is today. The thing is, not very long ago, Toyota let its buyers have their cake and eat it, too. The economy and family cars that represent the automaker's bread-and-butter were once joined in showrooms by sport coupes like the Celica and performance icons like the Supra. Toyota's present leadership realizes that this ingredient, fun, is sorely lacking, and has moved to correct it by greenlighting an affordable rear-wheel-drive sport coupe -- a modern take on the formula used to great effect with the Toyota AE86 of the 1980s. This month in Tokyo, the Toyota FT-86 concept will make its public debut, and rest assured, it's ultimately showroom-bound.

The FT-86 Concept is the culmination of years of rumors surrounding an possible (and hoped-for) AE86 revival. The aerodynamic coupe rides on a newly-developed platform and is powered by a horizontally-opposed 2.0-liter "boxer"engine from Subaru. (Toyota owns a stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru's parent.) The car's emphasis will be on light weight and good balance, which is why the Subaru powerplant was chosen -- the boxer engine can be mounted lower for a better center of gravity. All of that is a recipe for good times behind the wheel if you're the driver. The buzz surrounding the Toyota FT-86 is only going to grow, as the actual production car is expected to be revealed in 2010. Production should follow in 2011, when it's expected to arrive in showrooms with a reasonably-priced window sticker. Enthusiasts will be counting the days.