Toyota GR 86
Off to the mountains
Toyota GR 86 2022
© press-inform – the press office
Toyota remains true to its motto and wants to make its own models more emotional. What began with the GT 86 ten years ago was impressively continued with the rally Yaris or the Z4 twin Toyota Supra. If you want puristic driving fun, you should enjoy a winding ride in the new Toyota GR 86.
Almost unthinkable in Europe or the USA, the Japanese are not so faithful to their model names. The second generation of the Toyota GT 86 quickly became the GR 86. Sounds almost the same and should indicate the relationship to the other sports models of the house, because the grandiose rally dwarf of the Yaris and the Supra also bear the name annex GR – for Gazoo Racing, the in-house motorsport department. The second generation of 86 has become visually more mature. The front and rear with the LED light units are no longer so nice and lovely, but have become bigger and more self-confident after the success of the boxer’s debut. However, the basic package has remained. With a length of 4.27 meters, the successor to the Toyota GT 86 has remained a compact fun-maker with a long hood and short overhangs. The predecessor celebrated its premiere in 2012 and attracted attention less because of its impressive driving performance, but rather because of its emphatically dynamic driving behavior. That should not change with the second generation and yet the developers at Toyota and development partner Subaru listened carefully to what should be improved.
The well-known coupé package is not only its recipe for success visually, because the four-cylinder boxer engine, which still lacks turbocharging, is hidden under the long hood, flat and built far to the rear. After all, the two-seater, which is only 1.31 meters high, had a boost in performance to 173 kW / 235 PS. The engine sound of the now 2.4-liter vacuum cleaner remains familiar and robust and the customer can choose between a six-speed manual gearbox and a significantly less sporty automatic transmission. The package consisting of a suction motor at the front, drive at the rear and the manageable weight of just under 1.3 tonnes literally forces you into the variant with a manual switch. The standard consumption: an impressive 11.2 liters of premium fuel per 100 kilometers.
Get in, start the engine and off you go. The slightly bony manual gearbox goes well with the Japanese sports coupé, which is still available in its second generation as Subaru BRZ. From below, it remains a bit tough at first, because 255 Nm torque at 3,700 tours are manageable and impressive in view of the widely used turbo engines and also late. However, this does not detract from the fun of driving; on the contrary, because in the new GR 86, at least in terms of drive, you have the feeling of driving a modern classic. The individual gears are turned out a touch too long, even in urban areas, before moving up one speed step. Down is just as slightly decelerated before it goes from fourth to third or from third to second gear.
The fact that the clutch clicks nervously at slow speeds seems to be due to the individual model. Even if the turbo engine is missing, the compact Toyota GR 86 has a lot of bite. Smaller than a VW Golf, lighter than the mass-produced model from the compact class and then still driven rear wheels that crave grip at the limit – oh yes – that’s fun – that’s hot. And not only when you send traction control on the wide center tunnel into a relaxed weekend. Toyota also makes boring boxes like Prius and Co.? Nonsense! They are real motorsport enthusiasts through and through. On an empty runway, it goes from zero to 100 km / h in less than six seconds – hum-hum! On the somewhat loveless instruments, which are somewhat reminiscent of its big brother, the Toyota Supra GR, you can press the individual gears up to over the 7,000-tour mark until the clutch is kicked and the third gear slips into it. Braking – next bend and on.
As before, the small Toyota Coupé shines at a brisk gallop and messes up inside. The well-fitting partial leather seats offer good lateral support and a comfortable thigh rest. The adjustment via a cheap plastic arm is not worthy of Toyota, however, and the arrangement of the eight-inch touch screen in the style of the early 2000s or the silver buttons in the Fisher Price design should shake heads even with outspoken Nippon fans. As with other coupés, the two seat hollows in the rear are only suitable for transporting luggage and items of clothing. After all, the back seat can be folded down for the transport of longer items. But who cares when it’s up to the San Bernadino Mountains with their curvy slopes and rough asphalt? Here, the grippy steering wheel mutates the GR 86 into an agile driving machine that could only use one thing in itself – even more power and wider slippers that interlock even more skilfully with the ground, because the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 in the 215/40 R format 18 reach their limit faster than desired.
However, not only is the driving fun a real show, but the overall package and especially the price are right. In the USA, where the Toyota GR 86 is now starting, it starts at 30,300 US dollars, which is the equivalent of under 27,000 euros. And even if there will be a lot more in Europe in the coming year, as with all models, the new Toyota GR 86 still offers a lot of cars and even more driving fun for its money. Even one or the other customer of the Toyota Supra base model with the supercharged BMW four-cylinder should peek over, because the GR 86 is one thing in particular: a real Toyota that has hardly any competitor in this class.