Newgirl Danni is reminded what REALLY driving a car is like with The Management Fleet Toyota 86 TRD
[Not a valid template]| Driver's Log | |
|---|---|
| Date acquired: | October 2015 |
| Total kilometres: | 9,781 |
| Kilometres this month: | 1702 |
| Costs this month: | $0 |
| L/100km this month: | 8.9 |
We’ve had the TRD 86 Toyota for just over one month now and I’ve been running it for the past three weeks, more than enough to give my thoughts on a few things.
Firstly, the bucket seats that editor James was moaning about in our last write-up are actually pretty comfy. While I couldn’t be further away from a Vogue cover model, I am however a little more svelte than my male colleagues in the evo office, so I personally find the bucket seats a nice fit. It’s the getting into it that poses a problem. I am 5’ 6” and sit pretty close to the steering wheel (no gangsta tilt here, I’m afraid), meaning I have to move the seat every time I get in and out of the car. Maybe James did have a point after all…
We’ve had long termers on The Management Fleet in recently such as the Audi TT, and while that is fun, I love the TRD 86 for completely different reasons. I’m the sort of person that likes to be kept on their toes when driving. For me, the art of driving can get tedious if on long jaunts in a boring car. I like to feel the car underneath me, in my hands and at my feet. The TRD brings back all the feelings of driving a car, and I mean REALLY driving a car.
You can go round a relatively normal corner at a pretty sensible speed and the TRD could kick out its rear at any moment. That buzz of correcting is what makes the drive, and the experience. The steering is pretty direct and even though it can be a little skittish, it does handle well. The brakes are also good, offering a lot of feel and no sponginess. However, that auto-box is pretty dire: it’s so slow, you can put your foot down and wait a good couple of seconds before it wakes up thinking “oops, she wants to go faster.” The interface is also a problem; the satnav freezes on me regularly, and bearing in mind I’m still pretty new to the Middle East, it can get a bit stressy.
The real question is though, would I buy one? And honestly, I would have to say yes. If it had manual transmission.
Technical specifications available on page 2
