.::sports and home: Toyota FT-86 Open Concept’s Interior is Shockingly Good

Toyota FT-86 Open Concept’s Interior is Shockingly Good – 2013 Geneva Not surprisingly, the GT-86 looks even better without a roof than as a coupe. The prospect of working on my tan and drifting at the same time is certainly attractive, and that’s what the Toyota FT-86 Open concept offers at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. Since the Scion FR-S is one of the Miata’s only real competitors even with a roof, this would put the two in a more even fight.

Toyota FT-86 Open Concept’s Interior is Shockingly Good – 2013 Geneva

Toyota FT-86 Open Concept’s Interior is Shockingly Good – 2013 Geneva

Toyota FT-86 Open Concept’s Interior is Shockingly Good – 2013 Geneva

Toyota FT86 Open Concept interior2 300x221 imageWe’ve all been expecting to see a convertible version of the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ for quite some time, but when seen at the Geneva show, the quality of the interior work is the real shock . From the dash to the seats to the door panels, everything is covered in thick leather that would be more at home in an Aston than a Toyota. Stitching follows the contours of the dash and the plushness actually makes the already tight cockpit seem smaller.

Hopefully this hints at Toyota taking a serious look at the car’s interior. The problem I see is this hand-assembled interior is a step above anything Toyota appears to offer on Lexus. Financially, this could never happen on an affordable sports car like the Scion FR-S.

Toyota FT86 Open Concept rear three quarter 300x187 imageWe know a convertible is coming—it’s a matter of when, not if. So far, Toyota won’t say how a convertible body style will affect the car’s weight or chassis rigidity, but these are almost unavoidable downsides with convertible versions of anything. Toyota points to the fact that this is just a concept, which helps explain an interior that might account for half the cost of the entire car. As the car edges closer to production, we will hopefully see a more realistic interior and, who knows, maybe a bump in power to handle the extra weight.

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