2020 Toyota 86 Hakone Edition Is a Mean, Green Touge Machine
This special edition Toyota 86 makes us want to crank up the Eurobeat and attack some mountain roads. Named after the famous Hakone Turnpike southwest of Tokyo, the Toyota 86 Hakone Edition pays tribute to what is considered one of the best driving roads in the world.
The 86 Hakone Edition boasts an exclusive paint color called Hakone green, which is set off by 17-inch “twisted spoke” bronze wheels and a black spoiler. Inside, the Hakone Edition receives a fetching set of black and tan Alcantara front seats. The dashboard is embroidered with the 86 logo in tan, and the steering wheel, shift boot, parking brake cover each receive tan stitching. Meanwhile, a black sliding armrest features tan trim and black stitching. Each Toyota 86 Hakone Edition will come with a pair of tan key fob gloves.
Based on the 86 GT trim, the Hakone Edition will make the same 205 hp and 156 lb-ft of torque as a standard 86, and can be had in six-speed manual or six-speed automatic guise (at a cost of 5 hp and 5 lb-ft). LED headlights come standard, as do LED fog lamps, dual-zone climate control, heated seats, and hands-free keyless entry with push-button start. The Toyota 86 Hakone Edition arrives this year as a 2020 model.
We’ve heard that a next-gen Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ is in the works, but until it gets here you can likely expect to see more special editions like this pop up every once in a while to remind customers that the boxer-engine sports cars still exist. Here’s hoping the next ones are this tastefully done.
Source: Toyota
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How Alfa Romeo Can Improve the Giulia With 6 Simple Changes
The whole reason we have long-term test cars is because you learn a lot of things about a car in 12 months you might not notice during the standard two weeks of testing. After 11 months with the Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Sport Q2, I’ve got a list of easy fixes Alfa can employ when it refreshes the car in another few years that’ll really knock it out of the park.
Automatic Engine Stop/Start Programming
Eager to save gas, the Giulia’s engine stop/start software is tied to engine oil temperature. As soon as the oil is up to operating temperature, the computer engages the stop/start feature to save gas at stoplights. The problem is, the engine oil gets up to temperature a lot faster than the cabin does. In the summer, that means the cabin hasn’t cooled off yet when the engine shuts down, and in the winter, it hasn’t warmed up yet. Adding a line or two of code that connects the engine stop/start programming to the climate control system would go a long way toward customer satisfaction with the system.
Parking Sensor Programming
It’s nice that Alfa doesn’t want to bother you with a lot of beeping, but a little more wouldn’t hurt. The parking sensors only activate when the car’s in reverse and shut off almost as soon as you start moving forward. There’s a button to turn them on manually, but they still shut themselves off whenever they feel like it. With the Giulia’s low-hanging nose, it would be a lot more useful if the sensors just came on at low speeds.
Screen Reflections
The Giulia’s infotainment screen doesn’t have borders; it’s behind a larger transparent cover that’s part of the greater dash design. That’s great, except the cover has a matte finish that reflects everything no matter which way you look at it, making the screen hard to read.
ESC OFF
This is an Alfa Romeo. It’s a sport sedan. It’s meant for spirited driving. It also may occasionally need to get unstuck from snow or mud, yet there’s no way to disable the electronic stability control.
More Information
The great thing about screens is you can put anything you want on them. The Giulia has a screen in the instrument cluster, but it doesn’t show you everything you might want to know when you’re driving a sport sedan. Water temperature, boost pressure, and battery voltage are just a few possible additions.
More Extension
The Giulia’s sun visors extend to help cover more of the front side windows, but not far enough. They don’t quite cover the back corner, which is annoying when that’s where the sun is coming in. Another inch or two of extension is all it would take.
Read more on our long-term Alfa Romeo Giulia here:
- Arrival
- Update 1: The Personal Connection
- Update 2: The Italian Scallion
- Update 3: Changes We’d Like
- Update 4: Pit Stop
- Update 5: The Winter-Weather Test
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