What we have here is a difference in opinion which you are rather crankily confusing with someone else having a bias because they don't subscribe to your views!

Anyway, not all engineering solutions are equal. OHC V12s tend to sound better than push-rod inline fours. This isn't bias, it's reality.

Prefering RWD because of the dynamics it allows doesn't make someone biased, ya' plonker!

Grrr too tired to think of argument as to why I'm right.

But I am. Ok?

I read it more as only rwd cars are any good. If I am mistaken, then yeah, my bad.

For the record I think they are cracking cars.

autocar have also done a group test.. not against any hot hatch though.. (BRZ v 370Z & MX5), they seemed to like it.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48...

Articles about this car last year mentioned that the manufacturers sought feedback from potential customers at the feasibility/development stage - a key outcome of that was there was clearly demand for a spiritual successor to cars like the original AE86 and the Nissan 180/200SX, which have a huge following in the modifying and drifting scenes.

Regardless of whether you think it's a good idea or not, the BRZ/GT86 has been very intentionally designed to be the spec that it is. It is a relatively cheap (to buy and run) RWD performance car with an emphasis on driving fun rather than outright performance. The modifying industry/'scene' that will spring up to support this car will be absolutely huge and the manufacturers will be a part of that as well as time goes on.

Firstly, I'd say a car like the Toyobaru absolutely opens out the chance of using oversteer at sane speeds on public roads, that's part of the attraction. Also, plod is idiotic and generally is only interested in how fast you are going. Thus he usually sits eating his donuts at places where you are likely to be breaking the limit, not - say- hairpins where you might be larking in your Toyobaru.

Secondly, the point about FWD isn't that you can't have a good FWD driver's car - plenty of cars that prove that to be wrong. The point is that you're fighting to overcome FWD characteristics to achieve a good driver's car - given freedom of choice and budget, you'd never start off with FWD if your main aim was a good driver's car.

Dunno, will find out as as drive it fairly soon. There's enough video content on the web that says other wise.

Suggest you start here at around 5:15:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=romf-G6CZ7g

Although you could watch this too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsPS3cVcRiI

Of course that's a fair point of view but it does not have a ridiculous driving position at all. A Megane coupe is lowish by hatch standards and the brilliant Recaros are mounted quite low compared to say a Focus RS.
But some like being very low in a car, some like reclining when they're driving and that's entirely understandable. I know I like to drive with a more upright angle for my back than some mates do.

I know exactly what you mean. Loved the fixed buckets in my GT3s and that conformed to that view. But I find I also like to be a little higher on the road (As opposed to a track ) because it often allows you to see whats coming better.

I was left feeling a little confused by the evo article, I really thought they were going to love it. They seemed to play down the fact that they were stuck with the automatic car, as if it wouldn't have made any difference to the feel of the car. Anyway, I imagine they were just relaying their feelings. I just find it odd that there are so many videos of the car drifting beautifully around corners and they reported it to be a bit of an ugly pig beyond the grip limits, on track.

I like the fact that evo, unlike a vast number of pistonhead members, don't have RWD blonkers. They get accused of Porsche and Renaultsport bias all the time, then when they don't rate the 991 or 197 Clio, they get criticised for it.