Automotive

Toyota Shooting Brake concept adds more junk to GT86 trunk

Toyota Shooting Brake concept adds more junk to GT86 trunk
The GT86 was recently updated, but this shooting brake concept is based on the older car
The GT86 was recently updated, but this shooting brake concept is based on the older car
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The Toyota GT86 Shooting Brake in Sydney
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The Toyota GT86 Shooting Brake in Sydney
The Shooting Brake has more luggage space and rear headroom
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The Shooting Brake has more luggage space and rear headroom
The Shooting Brake injects a hit of practicality into the GT86 design
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The Shooting Brake injects a hit of practicality into the GT86 design
Up front, it's business as usual
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Up front, it's business as usual
Tetsuya Tada says the car's handling is still as fun as ever
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Tetsuya Tada says the car's handling is still as fun as ever
The Shooting Brake is an idea Mercedes has used with some niche models
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The Shooting Brake is an idea Mercedes has used with some niche models
The GT86 has a cult following among tuners and trackday fans
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The GT86 has a cult following among tuners and trackday fans
With space for bags and prams, the car is far more practical than the current 86
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With space for bags and prams, the car is far more practical than the current 86
The GT86 Shooting Brake's boot, in all its practical glory.
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The GT86 Shooting Brake's boot, in all its practical glory.
The GT86 was recently updated, but this shooting brake concept is based on the older car
10/10
The GT86 was recently updated, but this shooting brake concept is based on the older car
View gallery - 10 images

The Toyota GT86 and Subaru BRZ won plenty of fans with their balanced rear-drive chassis at launch in 2012, but besides a mid-life redesign of the budget sports coupe in New York, very little has changed in the ToyoBaru world – at least very little had changed until Toyota whipped the covers off the GT86 Shooting Brake concept.

Developed by Toyota's Australian team, the concept was hand-built in Japan. Just as Mercedes has done with its CLS and CLA, Toyota took the coupe and grafted on a sloping hatch-style rear end to free up luggage space and headroom.

Unlike some concepts, the 86 Shooting Brake is a fully functional car, and Toyota says it has been put through its paces on a test track. Although the press is yet to get behind the wheel, Toyota Global Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada is confident the car has lost nothing in the transition from coupe to shooting brake.

"The nicely weighted and direct steering of the 86 ensures the car retains the involving drive experience of the coupe with a slightly more neutral feel in tight corners on a driver's favourite road," Tada-san said. "I would love this concept to become a production reality, it is very much a concept that demonstrates the passion within Toyota for cars that are fun to drive."

With space for bags and prams, the car is far more practical than the current 86
With space for bags and prams, the car is far more practical than the current 86

Other than the rear roofline, the car remains unchanged, which means power still comes from a 2.0-liter boxer engine punching out 149 kW (200 hp). That might not sound like much, but Aaron Turpen discovered it's more than enough to have fun with when he reviewed (now-defunct) Scion's take on the car.

There are currently no plans to put the car into production, although Tada-san said Toyota would gauge the public response to the concept. If that's the case, we're considering getting a petition going to encourage the company to do just that.

Source: Toyota Australia

View gallery - 10 images
5 comments
5 comments
kwak65
Mmmm seems like someone has found the old manufacturing drawings of the "Reliant Scimitar" and re-vamped them. (those were the days ! )
Kevin E. James
Put my name on that petition!
Nostromo47
This car has appealing looks plus hatchback practicality. But the NAME, Shooting Brake?! C'mon! Kinda like Heisenberg's Breaking Bad!
CzechsterMarek
Someone crossed a Gremlin and a 2012 Honda CR-Z Hybrid to create this abortion. Petition that fire the Styling group who came up with this joke.
David Fobrogo
The term "shooting brake" (Don't call it a station wagon!) is not new to motoring - Several major marques (Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Jaguar etc) already do or have shooting brakes in development. "Shooting brake" actually stems from the early 19th century English past time of hunting parties and the vehicles used to carry the shooting equipment.
IMHO the profile and the concept as a whole works, and there's a nice sense of aggression in that rear end in particular that works well. Ironically, I feel it's the nose of the GT86 that's due for a rework. It just appears 'soft' and slightly dated when compared to the rest of the car.