Overview

LET me tell you a story about a car that was never intended to be made that found approval against the wishes of bean counters by a managing director who saw dwindling youth sales and realised that a sportscar was the only salvation.

Toyota – rather, Japan – had a problem. Its youth had lost interest in cars as rising ownership costs (predominantly registration, insurance and parking) coupled with crushing traffic made other things more interesting. Like culture and social clubs, sports (golf), fitness, electronic games and the ever-present academic studies.

For car-makers, young adults had long been their ‘rivers of gold’ that would habitually buy cars and keep production flowing for decades, if not generations. So to ignite interest, Toyota presented a Future Toyota (FT) concept coupe in 2009, which led to a handshake with Subaru (of which Toyota is a major shareholder) and both brands unveiled their coupes at the 2011 Tokyo motor show before production commenced the following year as the Toyota 86 and the Subaru BRZ.

It was styled to suit the global youth market and designed to fit their price point, opening in Australia in June 2012 at the very attractive $29,990 plus on-road costs for the manual transmission. Back then, a manual transmission version of the Mazda MX-5 soft-top was $42,460 + ORC so the 86 – although not a roadster – was a bargain.

The measure of its success was sales of 2047 units in the half year of 2012 and 6706 in the full 12 months of 2013. That success has not been numerically repeated but the 86 remains ubiquitous – a frequent campaigner in amateur track days and club events, as well as a common commuter.

Fast-forward a decade and the latest model tested here is all that the initial 86 was and more. In fact, $13,250 more with the latest, second-gen GR86 opening at $43,240 + ORC for the manual. By comparison, Mazda opens its MX-5 at $37,990 + ORC.

As a sweetener, Toyota is charging the same price for the manual and automatic, in contrast to the Subaru BRZ that looks like better value for those who select the three-pedal option. 

Price comparisons aside, the latest GR86 has a different focus than its predecessor. It may look very similar but lots of things differ with the path moving slightly away from a budget coupe to a well-specced and very capable sportscar.

The underpinnings are new, picking up the taut ‘Subaru Global Platform’ chassis that is claimed to be 50 per cent stiffer than the old one. 

Toyota has also revamped the suspension – adding new springs and tuning and tightening it for more precise handling – and tuning the electric power steering to improve feel. 

A Torsen rear differential remains, as do 17-inch alloy wheels on the entry GT variant. Suggested is an upgrade (about $2000) to the GTS version for 18-inch wheels and a more upmarket interior.

Externally, the previous car had an aluminium bonnet but the latest generation adds aluminium for the front fenders and roof. Despite this, the manual GR86 now weighs about 80kg more than the old one, much of this attributed to extra cabin gear, the 5mm-longer wheelbase and 25mm increase in body length.

The biggest change is the 2.4-litre Subaru engine, ousting the 2.0-litre unit used for the past decade and picking up more oomph but probably more importantly, an engine that sounds less stressed and with a more linear torque delivery.

All this improves driveability and, particularly, is better suited to the optional six-speed automatic transmission that civilises the coupe when used as a commuter. Both the manual and auto were tested here, with the sunset opinion that for urban owners the auto is a sweeter ride in traffic.

The bigger engine pumps out 174kW at 7000rpm (because that’s where the fun is) and 250Nm at 3700rpm. The outputs are higher than Gen-1’s 152kW (at 7000rpm) and 212Nm (at a steep 6400rpm) but you can see where the benefits of the increased cubes come into play in the torque delivery, and that’s replicated directly to the driving experience. 

Extra capacity comes from a bigger bore, now 94mm with the same 86mm stroke. Previously the engine was 86mm x 86mm which clearly shows a strong link to the ‘86’ badge. While we’re here, the old car had an 86mm tailpipe diameter.

All that aside, the new unit sounds a lot meatier than before. The 2.0-litre engine sounded too much like an Impreza (funny about that) while the new one has a deeper note more in keeping with the sportscar silhouette.

Topping the engine again is Toyota’s direct fuel injection system, D-4S, that is claimed to be further tweaked for better throttle response.

All this heads to the back of the car through either a Toyota-developed six-speed manual or an Aisin-Warner six-speed auto that has much of its internals borrowed from the Lexus IS250 ’box.

Extra weight mentioned above is attributed to the stronger body and also a more comprehensive safety inventory. Well, that’s the case if you buy the automatic because the manual gets the bare minimum.

You get anti-lock braking, hill-start assist, stability control and seven airbags. That’s it. 

Opt for the auto and standard kit advances to autonomous emergency braking, rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise and lane-departure warning. 

The more upmarket GTS adds rear cross-traffic alert (really handy for the iffy visibility from the driver’s seat) and blind-spot monitor.

Basically, the entry GR86 doesn’t come close to the safety spec of a Kia Rio Sport ($21,990 + ORC) and the lack of AEB in the manual model slaps in the face of Toyota’s heavily-promoted safety mandate. ADRs change from March 2023 to include AEB so best you wait.

Cabin features include a 7.0-inch driver’s screen with a change in graphics when the Track driving mode is selected. There’s also an 8.0-inch touchscreen and wired connection to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The infotainment package works well enough but doesn’t look anything like a Toyota product.

On the upside, you don’t have to do too much finger-tapping on the screen as many functions – HVAC, for example – have manual controls.

Driving Impressions

By the first corner, the GR86 feels better glued to the road and more potent under the right foot than its predecessor, backed by a more purposeful exhaust note that no longer has a sad overtone of constraint.

Much of the car, however, is as before. The dashboard, the seats, the driving position and the location of gear shifter and pedals all feel familiar. That’s not a bad thing. Why change what’s worked before?

The driving experience is, however, so much better. Funny that it doesn’t feel much faster than before but it just moves with a lot less effort and with a clean set of lungs going up to the 7000rpm power peak.

Unlike before, there’s none of the sense that the engine needs an extra gasp around 3000rpm. So it’s easier to drive as a manual, allowing the slick manual to be snicked enjoyably between cogs. 

In the auto, there’s a bit of softness between gears but overall, it’s a good transmission with nicely spaced ratios and a paddle-shifter manual override than can hold onto the cog towards the redline (for those who like conceptually playing Russian Roulette, it won’t hold the gear to the death knock but will bail out at the last second and pick up the next ratio, thus alleviating the fear of an engine/gearbox rebuild).

Against what sportscars are all about, I actually preferred the automatic for its ease of driving in traffic, the footwell’s extra space, the added safety equipment and the same purchase price compared with the manual.

In manual guide it liked tight country roads where engine compression braking juxtaposed with the  healthy push of mid-range torque allowed the 86 to be driven substantially on the throttle, backing off for an approaching corner and then pushing it at the apex and to complete the arc.

The more you find corners like this and allow the car to get into you, the more fun the 86 becomes and the more addictive it gets.

Fuel consumption from the GR86 manual is quoted at 9.4 litres per 100km (on test, 9.2L/100km) and the automatic is stated to get 8.7L/100km (8.8L/100km on test) which are both more than acceptable.

All this comes from a 50-litre tank (so a potential range of 530km and 575km respectively) but it has to be premium fuel.

Above all, its simplicity makes it a sensible car for a single person and a pleasurable second car for the buyer who understands the fun of driving.

There are also some no-brainer aspects. It’s a Toyota, so it’s not too bad on ownership costs. The capped-price service program will cost $280 a year for five years or 75,000km.

There’s no free roadside assistance but Toyota will charge from $99 a year for cover.

Conclusion: In terms of a driver’s car, this is a much better deal than before. But it’s unexpectedly more expensive and difficult to justify on the parts list alone; the Subaru BRZ is better value.

However, the GR86 is the automotive equivalent of chocolate. It’s an addictive package that asks nothing, delivers in spades. And if you think I’m going soft by preferring the automatic, have a drive of the two-pedal version and see how it makes sense.