Toyota 86 GT 2012 Review

The Toyota 86 and its doppelganger the Subaru BRZ have proven emphatically that a great looking sports car with dynamic handling doesn’t have to cost the earth.

While we've covered the 86 (or Hachi Roku in Japanese) extensively already, this is the first time we've put the lauded rear-drive coupe through a regular seven day test.

There were still plenty of corners traced (hey, we’re only human!), but this particular base-model auto in ‘Mount Fuji Red’ spent most of its time commuting to and from the office, cruising freeways and running domestic errands.

The optional six-speed automatic adds $2500 to the car's $29,990 price, but is one of the better examples we’ve driven, changing gears smoothly and rapidly.

The horizontally-opposed flat-four or ‘boxer’ engine is smooth and naturally tractable, so you don't need a lot of revs or fancy footwork to keep the 86 moving smoothly in heavy traffic.

The ergonomics are sound, so it's relatively easy to find a comfortable driving position despite minimal steering wheel adjustment.

Unfortunately, the cabin ambience is somewhat uninspiring. The fundamentals are sound and the leather steering wheel, cloth bucket seats and soft-touch dashboard are all of a good quality, but the stereo and HVAC controls look like they've been lifted from a 10-year-old Corolla.

At least the stereo can be cranked up fairly loud before it begins distorting, and pairing an iPhone via Bluetooth for music streaming and hands-free telephony is straightforward.

Fore and aft vision out of the low-slung cockpit is good, but stealing a peek over your shoulder is virtually pointless, thanks to chunky B and C pillars that obscure the car’s flanks.

On the flipside, the 86’s compact external dimensions –  4240mm long, 1775mm wide – makes tasks such as changing lanes, reverse and parallel parking uncomplicated.

The quick 13.1:1 steering ratio means you don't need much steering input to get the car turning sharply.

Cruising at 100km/h in sixth gear, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder ticks over at 2000rpm, sipping fuel at a miserly 5.5L/100km in flat conditions. The overall average at the end of this test stood at an impressive 7.5L/100km.

The lack of steering wheel controls and one-touch indicators are regrettable but not deal breakers. The same can be said for the low seating position, which together with heavily bolstered sports seats makes getting in and out tricky. Similarly, the coupe’s long doors make avoiding tight parking spots a practical imperative.

There is something to be said, however, for sitting low and snug in the surprisingly supportive sports seats, which can make mundane commuting and trivial trips feel just a little bit special.

Rear seat accommodation is woeful, but that's to be expected in a two-door sports coupe. The twin rear pews can be folded down to extend boot space, which is a good thing given the latter is also space challenged. I managed to fit a boogie board, flippers and wetsuit in there – just.

Ride quality is not too bad for a ‘proper’ driver's car. It's not WRX STi firm but there's still enough stiffness in the suspension to want to avoid pot holes and most road ructions.

Dynamically the car is hard to fault. It tips into corners with the kind of balance normally only found in Zuffenhausen's finest; the steering has excellent feel and the chassis telegraphs exactly what's happening; or, perhaps more importantly, what's about to happen.

The 86 traces its way cleanly through bends, though high speed corners will incite body roll. Having some compliance in the suspension is not a bad thing, however, as the Toyota coupe has a predictability about it that lets you explore its limits without risking everything.

In fact, the 86 almost always feels composed when pushing through corners, the suspension and tyres having just enough give to soak up mild mid-corner bumps without throwing the car off line.

It could do with more grip though, the standard 16-inch alloys with 205/55-section tyres barely wider than the rubber on much more pedestrian models.

The GT automatic variant is also the only model in the range to do without a Torsen limited-slip differential (despite the fact it'll probably be the most popular model).

It's hard to fault the chassis, but if there is a weak link it's the brakes. While the car decelerated staunchly whenever we asked it to, the pedal feel was flaccid and hardly confidence-inspiring.

The 2.0-litre flat four punches out 147kW at 7000rpm and 205Nm at 6400rpm, moving the 86's 1222kg mass in a spirited manner. That said, I didn't think much of the engine, which sounds raspy, despite the addition of a sound generator piping noise into the cabin, and doesn't have the peaky top-end excitement you get from a Honda four-pot of similar output.

Acceleration is brisk but far from arresting, though I imagine the manual versions would be more involving to drive enthusiastically.

In hindsight I must confess my first impression of the Toyota 86 was not good. Some of the interior accoutrements felt cheap and raw, the droning monotonous engine note proved intrusive.  Frankly, I was expecting something a more substantial, more exciting.

But as the days rolled by and I spent more time in the car its raw qualities began to add to the experience. Call it character if you like.

There's no denying the Toyota 86's innate nimbleness - it handles brilliantly and with a couple of tweaks to the suspension and a bit more power it would be unbeatable. It does have a handful of shortcomings but the pros far outweigh the cons and as an everyday drive it does a remarkably good job.

Most sports cars are expensive, emotional purchases riddled with compromises. That the Toyota 86 is priced at around $30k, has fixed priced servicing, a strong warranty yet is still a hoot to drive no matter the speed or scenario is astonishing. Ten years ago we would have said it couldn't be done at this price, yet here we are...