I feel like most people don't realize how much this car would have to change if Toyota/Subaru gave it the power bump people want while still keeping it a viable retail product. The structure would have to be stiffer, the wheels and tires would have to be fatter, more understeer would have to be dialed in, the brakes and much of the powertrain would have to be beefed up, and a lot of stuff would have to be relocated within the car to keep the weight distribution sane. It'd be much heavier, less playful, less communicative, less telepathically responsive, and its limits would be less approachable (higher and less forgiving) -- and it'd be more expensive to boot. And that'd make it pointless, because it'd be largely indistinguishable from virtually every other sporty car on sale today.
This car is an antidote to the mindless horsepower war that has made cars so silly. It owes most of its advantages to the fact that it doesn't have a lot of power. I can see wanting to squeeze a few more out of it, and I can certainly see wanting to get rid of its insufferable torque dip in the midrange. But a big bump? No, thanks.
This car is an antidote to the mindless horsepower war that has made cars so silly. It owes most of its advantages to the fact that it doesn't have a lot of power. I can see wanting to squeeze a few more out of it, and I can certainly see wanting to get rid of its insufferable torque dip in the midrange. But a big bump? No, thanks.