Review - Toyota GT86

Details: Toyota GT86 Pro

Tested Model Year: 2019

Overview

The Toyota GT86 (and Subaru BRZ sibling) is a car I have wanted to own since before I even learned to drive. I vividly remember spending many hours watching YouTube reviews and staring at that tantalising image of a brand new GT86 on the website of BOTB, knowing it's exactly what I'd go for if I ever won. I didn't. However, I was determined. During my uni years a GT86 was firmly out of reach, both in budget and getting insured. So I went for a Hyundai Coupe TSIII instead, since in my mind at the time it was the next best thing. Great little car that and one I really regret selling, but not why we're here. Fast forward a couple of years and I was now in a hateful E91 330d, complete with a manual gearbox and panoramic sunroof. I despised that car, the heavy-footed handling (it was an SE, not an M-Sport. Critical error there), complete lack of character and the appalling reliability. Eager to get rid after just 7 months of ownership, I hopped on AutoTrader and went sports car hunting. I found a stunning silver 2013 BRZ for sale with just 30,000 miles on the clock (this was in 2021) - and even better, it was sat in a dealership 2 miles away. I went down to test drive it and absolutely fell in love. Primed to part-ex my horrid 330d for it, I spent the next few days counting down the hours - but fate had other plans. Just days before I was due to swap, the timing chain gave up the ghost on the BMW and the deal was toast. Due to my financial situation at the time, I had to yet again delay my plans of owning an 86 / BRZ. Instead, I ended up with a 308 GTi (review of which you can read here: https://www.adam-sewell.com/post/review-peugeot-308-gti).

After a couple of years of extremely entertaining (and unfortunately, extremely expensive) driving with the Peugeot, I had to chop it in for something more reliable. A 10-month stint with a lovely top-spec Mazda 3 left me very comfortable, but ultimately very bored. It was time to finally complete a years-long goal: Own an 86. And here we are, three months on:

My Toyota GT86 Pro on collection day

My particular example is a 2019 Toyota GT86 Pro finished in a stunning pearlescent white. I did originally want to get a Club Series Blue edition with the upgraded Sachs dampers, Brembo brakes and forged alloys, but these are few and far between, and the ones I viewed tended to be a bit neglected and tatty. This car had only done 21k miles and was absolutely pristine - it was love at first sight. I picked it up from Solihull and spent the rest of the day putting it through its paces all the way up the Peak District and back home to Huddersfield. Any misgivings I had about going "backwards" in terms of technology, interior quality and creature comforts were forgotten instantly. So, with the backstory you didn't ask for out of the way, let's get into it.

Driving

Let's start by saying that my car currently sits exactly how it left the factory. It's bone stock, and still on the original (and terrible) Michelin Primacy tyres. But that's the master stroke behind this car on the tight, twisty roads I often find myself on (Perks of living in Huddersfield - you've got the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales and Lake District all within arm's length). You find yourself on roads like that in a Porsche or an Aston and you're spending half your time flinching as traffic comes perilously close in the other direction, or you find yourself running out of road and speed limit before you're even halfway through second gear. In the GT86? You're sat on the 7.5k redline, using all 197hp that 2.0 boxer N/A engine has to offer, giggling like a child as it creeps towards 60mph with a little twitch from the rear to remind you that yes, this is a rear wheel drive sports car. On the roads where this car thrives, you simply don't need more power - or more grip. The revvy Subaru boxer unit wants you to chase the redline - the notorious and well-documented torque dip doesn't really bother me here, as you feel that surge of extra power the closer you get to that magic number and just provides even more entertainment accompanied by a slightly raucous engine note, amplified by a "noise generator" pipe through the firewall from the engine bay. Some people don't like the sound this engine makes, and when you hear one drive past, I understand. But in the cabin, it sounds really quite good and there's a slight hint of EP3 / DC5 era "VTECy-ness" to it.

If I had to describe the driving experience of this car in one word, it'd be "balanced". Cliché? Yes. Accurate? Definitely. It's just perfectly poised and incredibly in-tune with the driver. You know exactly what it's going to do at every given moment and you can feel it rotate around you when those skinny tyres do let go. The traction control will let you have a little fun, before kicking in and stopping you careening backwards into a lamppost. If you're braver than me, you can put it into track mode, which lets you get a lot more sideways before stepping in. You can also turn it off fully and it won't intervene. Despite the intentional lack of grip from those tyres, I'm yet to experience any severe understeer. The steering is precise and provides plenty of feedback through the perfectly sized steering wheel. This is a very confidence inspiring car, and you can almost feel it egging you on to throw it into the next bend with the knowledge you'll come out the other side with a huge grin on your face. The suspension is firm yet comfortable, and whilst most people will agree the arch gap and ride height is enormous, this plays to the car's benefit as it'll quite happily soak up and bounce over the UK's terrible bumpy and potholed roads. The gearbox, whilst not the best I've experienced and a bit notchy in the cold, is precise and well weighted. It's an incredibly characterful car, which is something you cannot say of many cars these days. In a lot of ways, it really reminds me of a budget, more practical Lotus Elise. Small(ish), light(ish), cheap interior, supportive seats, driver-oriented and guaranteed enjoyment. In my humble opinion, for the age & money bracket that this car sits in, you're not getting any closer to a Lotus experience. And there's not much higher praise than that.

Styling

The 2017 facelift did much to improve the looks of the GT86 and BRZ siblings. Sharper front ends, updated all-LED headlights and rear lights (no more horrible clear chrome rears, rejoice!), new 17" diamond cut alloys plus a much better looking spoiler make for a modern and aggressive-looking sports car. It gets more attention than I expected, often from people who have no idea what it is. It's always entertaining when people shout "how quick is that mate?" and I can reply "slower than a Fiesta ST!" - their faces drop very quickly. But I don't mind. It's part of the charm of this wonderful little car. A more sculpted rear 'diffuser' gives way to large twin exhausts, which emanate a disappointing lack of noise. The facelifted BRZ arguably looks better than the 86's "angry fish" face, and it definitely gets nicer headlights - the market price reflects that extra appeal. At the time of writing, identical age and mileage BRZs tend to go for a good £1500-3000 more than the equivalent GT86. Sure, that mostly is to do with the fact there's far fewer BRZs available, but I'm sure the looks have something to do with it. Right?

My GT86 at home on Yorkshire roads

Interior & Equipment

If you're on the hunt for an 86 / BRZ, in the UK we were treated well and there's not much to miss out on. As standard, they came with an LSD (that's an option in some markets!), cruise control, electric folding mirrors, dualzone auto climate control, part-leather bucket seats (very comfortable) and Nav. On the 86s, upgrade to the Pro and you get heated seats and that excellent boot spoiler. That's pretty much it. If you're looking for all the tech and toys, this is not the car for you. Driver oriented, remember? Facelift 86s receive a nice swathe of alcantara across the dash (this panel is plastic on earlier cars) and some coloured stitching (some have red, some have white.. there might be more colours out there, but I'm yet to see them). Interior quality is fine and on par with what you'd expect from the Japanese brands. Plastic everywhere, but reasonably well screwed together. Rattles are inevitable, but they're not too bad and usually easily sorted. Watch out for rattles from the shifter assembly above 4k revs - this seems to affect every car to a different level, and Toyota seem pretty useless at sorting it according to most online threads on the issue. However, if you know what you're doing, it's fairly easy to fix. The seats are the highlight - supportive and snug, yet surprisingly comfortable. The seating position is excellent - low slung and with easy reach to all the controls. There's plenty of adjustment in the seats and wheel, so you'll always be able to make it work for you. Headroom is fantastic and you can even spin the headrests around to accomodate a helmet for any track days you might find yourself on.

Running Costs & Reliability

Fingers crossed, I'm yet to encounter any issues aside from squeaky brakes and a rattling gearshifter, which does seem to be a common theme with a lot of these cars. A 50-litre fuel tank coupled with not great fuel economy does mean you'll spend a fair bit of time at the pumps though. I'm averaging a meagre 24mpg on the long-term trip (reset when I picked the car up 3 months ago), though long motorway trips have seen this go up to a completely mediocre 30. Most of my journeys are short commutes or fun all-day runs though, so I'm sure it's possible to do better than me on that front with some careful driving.

Summary

As you can probably tell, I absolutely love this car. It was worth the wait and I have no regrets whatsoever. It's such a dynamic, characterful and brilliant thing. Is it perfect? Far from. Could it do with more power? Probably. But the thought, care and attention to detail when it comes to driving engagement truly shows. It's a sad reality that this, along with its younger GR86 sibling and rival in the MX-5, is one of the last true affordable sports cars. It's a swan song for what driving is all about - and that's something a lot of manufacturers seem to have forgotten amongst ever-stricter regulations, over-designed EVs and the demand for awful crossovers & SUVs. So thank you Toyota and Subaru, for putting a near-permanent smile on the face of so many drivers.