Toyota 86 GT TRD 2017 Review

The Toyota 86 has been a game-changer for Toyota with fun rear-wheel drive handling antics offered at an affordable price. But if you want more, then Toyota Racing Development can help

If there is one thing which has always looked a little underwhelming about the Toyota 86 it’s the wheel and tyre package.

Note I said look, not feel, because the slide-happy 86 is a genuinely responsive and enjoyable rear-wheel driver, very much because of the way it is set up.

But if you feel like you need more – both in terms of looks and handling - then Toyota has a solution courtesy of a clutch of accessories developed by its Toyota Racing Development division (TRD).

What’s it all about?
The package of parts we’ve got on trial here can be bought together or separately.

There are four wheels, worth $462 each; 18 x 7.0-inch up-front and 18.0 x 7.5-inch at the rear. These replace 16s on the 86 GT we’re testing and 17-inch wheels on the GTS. In the case of our test car, they were fitted with Continental SportContact2 tyres.

Backing-up the wheel and tyre package are four stiffer springs worth $409, which reduce the ride height by 20mm and provide a claimed improvement in turn-in.

Completing the package are front and rear sway bars, worth $731.73.

Note, all these costs are before installation.

What you get out of this is a more aggressive looking Toyota 86, sitting lower and more purposeful, and with a real intent about it on 5x2 spoke black wheels.

You don’t get any change to driveline performance – we shook the box and, dangit, no turbo fell - or safety and comfort equipment.

Which means, just like any other six-speed manual 86, this one makes 152kW/212Nm (147kW/205Nm for the six-speed auto) from its 2.0-litre Subaru-sourced FA20 boxer four-cylinder engine. It provides adequate rather than spellbinding oomph.

Standard Toyota 86 GT equipment includes seven airbags, a reversing camera, cruise control, a limited slip diff, LED headlamps, a central tacho with a digital speedo set into it and a temporary-use spare tyre.

Significantly, there’s no sport or dynamic button, so the settings for suspension, steering and throttle are what you get. And to go completely old school, the steering wheel is round, not flat-bottomed.

How much will it cost?
The GT manual costs $30,790 before on-road costs. The upper-spec GTS is $36,490 (before on-road costs). Add about $3000 to either for the TRD chassis changes.

The obvious 86 competition is its almost identical twin, the Subaru BRZ. Then there’s the Mazda MX-5, which nowadays comes as the sexy RF folding hardtop as well as the traditional rag-top.

Other stuff? Maybe the Hyundai Veloster, although it’s front-wheel drive.

Why should/shouldn’t I buy it?
You should buy the Toyota 86 GT TRD if you love the look and spend your life driving on smooth roads.

Then it retains the 86’s lovable fetish for drifts and has a genuine eagerness for cornering. Electric-assist power steering is pinpoint and feel-some, body control is absolute. There is real connection and communication with the road surface.

You should not buy it if you have to contend with anything worse than pebbles on your local road. Honestly, this car is set up so stiff it makes the rock-hard Audi TT RS tested recently feel like a Rolls Royce.

Over significant bumps, this car has so little travel, and is so harsh, the tyres lose contact with the ground. The rear-end is especially severe. On coarse surfaces the tyres also turn up the volume in the cabin.

Nor should you buy it if spellbinding straight-line performance is your thing. The 86 is not fast.

However, it is enthusiastic once you get over 3000rpm and it will gleefully rev all the way to the 7500rpm redline, developing a spritely exhaust note and crunching through mechanical shifts in the short-throw gearbox. The joy of which is accentuated by pedals clearly set-up for heel-and-toe downshifts.

We’ll say this, but it’s probably superfluous; don’t buy this car if you are after something practical. The 86 is simply a two-door 2+2 coupe with extremely limited rear-seat space and a tiny boot (although the rear seat will fold down).

When is it available in Australia?
These TRD genuine accessories can be purchased now.

Who will it appeal to?
Toyota’s 86 GT TRD could be a great car for club racing, lap sprints and the like. It probably wouldn’t be especially fast, but it would be great fun on a smooth race circuit and is deeply involving to drive.

It’s also a real budget sports experience, not only because of the purchase price but also low running costs. We averaged 8.5L/100km on 98 RON during our week with the car. That’s a lot of bang for your buck.

The downside of a cheap price is a cheap interior. This is a workmanlike cabin at best and unimpressive at worst… in fact the plug-in infotainment screen looks like it came from last decade’s parts bin. The entrails of the USB connector actually fell out of the fascia when I yanked on the cable to disconnect my smartphone.

Where does it fit?
Automotive industry statisticians VFACTS have the 86 classified in the ‘sports car under $80,000 category’, where it is the number three seller behind the dominant Ford Mustang and the Veloster.

It didn’t make the motoring.com.au 2016 best performance cars under $100K list.

So, what do we think?
These TRD suspension components tune up the 86’s looks and handling at the expense of its civilized ride.

Think carefully before you invest, because the standard Toyota 86 already qualifies as a driver’s car.

Toyota 86 GT TRD
Price: $30,790 (plus TRD accessory and on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder
Outputs: 152kW/212Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 8.4L/100km (ADR combined)
CO2: 194g/km (Estimated)
Safety Rating: TBC