Best Used Sports Car for 2022

The 2015 Toyota 86 GT has pulled off another win as Australia’s best sports car in carsales Best Used Cars for 2022, proudly presented by Bingle.

A winner in this category in 2020, the Toyota 86 has held at bay its nearest direct competitor, the Mazda MX-5 – itself a former winner in the sports car category of carsales Best Used Cars.

While the MX-5 remains a formidable rival, the Toyota is not to be denied its place in the limelight.

There’s a lot of Subaru engineering under the sleek coupe bodywork, and although the 86 lacks the folding roof of the Mazda, it does offer 2+2 packaging for added practicality.

Then there are the other attributes we’ve come to expect from Toyota as Australia’s most popular brand – the affordability, the resale value and the widespread dealer network for easy servicing.

But the 86 is to be judged foremost as a sports car, not just a functional, economical appliance.

The sports car category is essentially unique in offering products that are more likely to be bought for emotional reasons than for some sort of analytical rationale.

Does the sports car make you feel good when you’re driving it? Do you take pride in just admiring it sitting in your driveway?

Nonetheless, it’s important that a sports car that’s now up to six or seven years old should remain a viable daily driver for another few years at least, which means it needs to be robust enough to shrug off the regular racetrack thrash in its early years.

The Toyota’s (mostly) Subaru mechanicals are up to that challenge.

The Toyota 86 GT earned itself 35.1 points from RedBook and 42 from the judges for a total of 77.1 points out of 100.

Essentially unchanged for 2015, the 86 GT – the entry-level variant in the range, with six-speed manual transmission – was priced $2000 lower than the most affordable MX-5, the 1.5-litre ND model, which was all-new that year but ultimately lacking the Toyota’s performance.

RedBook values this variant of the Toyota 86 for 2015 at $21,492.

For the 2012 media launch of the Toyota 86, carsales managing editor Marton Pettendy arrived at this conclusion: “The 86 isn’t perfect. It runs on a diet of expensive 98 RON premium unleaded, rear-seat and boot space is typically coupe-tight (though rear vision is good), there’s no sign of interior grab handles and Toyota continues to deny its customers the now-common convenience of one-touch lane-change indicators.

“But these are relatively minor quibbles in a car that hits all of its key targets and is so much fun to drive.”

You can read more about the Toyota 86 in our launch review here.

“These are strong little cars with your survival in a crash a high priority in the minds of the engineering team. Looking at video of local ANCAP crash testing, the cabin of a BRZ in a nasty offset impact test stayed completely intact, with airbags popping up from everywhere. No problem at all for the Toyota/Subaru duo to score ANCAP five stars for occupant protection” – Cliff Chambers, carsales used-car buying expert

The Toyota 86 was a sales winner straight out of the box when it was introduced in 2012. Three years on, it remained a real alternative to the then new ND series of Mazda MX-5 for those who prefer a bit more performance than the 1.5-litre Mazda had to offer.

While some reviewers felt that the Mazda was more engaging dynamically, the differences were usually felt rather than recorded on a stopwatch.

At a more affordable price in the used car market, but with attractive styling and better packaging, the Toyota 86 GT is a deserving winner in its category of carsales Best Used Cars for 2022, proudly presented by Bingle.

Find a used 2015 Toyota 86 GT on carsales

Honourable mentions:

The 1.5-litre Mazda MX-5 Roadster scored 34 points from RedBook and 39 points from the judges for a total of 73.
RedBook value: $22,153

“Reliable, value-for-money fun when it comes to wind-in-your-hair motoring” – Ross Booth, RedBook data services director

“Forget cockroaches, Mazda’s extraordinary MX-5 will still be around when all the other cars have dissolved to dust” – Cliff Chambers, carsales used-car buying expert

The BMW 228i scored 27.1 points from RedBook and 39 points from the judges for a total of 66.1
RedBook value: $28,786

“The BMW 2 Series Coupe offers a neat blend of performance, luxury and economy. Okay, it’s not the most affordable rear-drive coupe in Australia (see the Toyota 86) but it has a lot of substance, a sophisticated image and that all-important German badge” – Feann Torr, carsales senior journalist

“Poised between the slightly mundane 220i and 220d variants at the bottom of the range and the higher-performance six-cylinder models, the 228i is the ideal solution for a sports coupe buyer also demanding a prestige badge” – Ken Gratton, carsales technical editor

What makes a car eligible for carsales Best Used Cars?
• Less than six years old
• Standard side curtain airbags
• Standard Bluetooth
• Standard electronic stability control (mandated for 2014)
• Standard reversing camera for SUVs

How did RedBook weight the categories for scoring?
• 10 per cent for resale
• 10 per cent for ANCAP rating
• 20 per cent for cost of ownership
• Five per cent for service intervals
• Five per cent for number of days for vehicle to sell

Read all about carsales Best Used Cars for 2022 here