Toyota GT86 – Anyone got one/driven one?

Mrs FD mentioned that we may get rid of our ‘people carrier’ in the next year, so my response was imediately, well time for a 2 seater sports car again 🙂 (bearing in mind 3 year old Jnr FD)

It was a definate no.

So was thinking of the laternatives ie remotely sporty, more than 2 seat cars, and my list stopped a BM 1 series or 3 series.

However the GT86 looks a good.

RWD, low kerb weight, LSD, low grip, flat 4 engine! Great reviews in the handling stakes.

So anyone got one or driven one?

Are the rear seats big enough for Jnr FD, bearing in mind the car will have to be in the family about 3 years…

The GT86 is the new AE86, great car for drifting! Looks like a baby LF-A.

This review tells you about it all.. 5+ mins for the rear leg room, or lack of it. 😉

I had the Toyota AE86 about 15 years ago; RWD, LSD, lightweight. Brilliant car. That probably doesn’t help 🙂

I can’t understand why Toyota has made a car “lively” to drive. It has narrower than usual tyres making it “fun” Considering the majority of buyers probably can’t drive on the edge will the GT86 be a common site upside down in a ditch when the drivers loose control?

Not been a killjoy but there’s a time and a place for spirited driving. I’ve had a selection of sports cars in the past and have done a fair few track days. Maybe most owners will take it to a track but doubt it.

I was watching this youtube review last week and was surprised how much the it seems to move around on the road.

I haven’t driven one, but our local dealer has one in black and it looks fantastic in the flesh.

I have been thinking about one of those to replace my Focus. The wife has a C Max now so I can get something a bit fun. I want RWD and the ability to put a bike in the boot, at the moment its between a GT86, a 1 series coupe and a 3 series coupe. The 1 series is edging it this week.

They’ve made it lively so it’s fun.
On paper a 3 series BMW should be fun, front engine, rear drive etc…in reality (M3 excepted) they are dull, dead, leaden, turgid etc etc….if Toyota can take the same formula but do it right then I’ll happily buy one.
The typical BMW driver seems to be my friend who has owned a succession of them. I remember him arriving at mine with a shiny new 330 and taking me for a drive, fast car but something was lacking in the bends….I said he should turn the traction control off, he refused and the drive ended up being a very dull affair, I’d suggest most drivers are like my mate rather than sliding, drifting hooligans….I don’t think you need to worry too much.

I had one for a few days, they’re great fun and can be used every day (ave 40 mpg), just go for a test drive you won’t regret it!!

The rear seats are near useless for adults, not a clue about the space for Jrn’s however with the seat down I got a road bike in the back, 2 mtb would be a squeeze.

If I had the cash, it would be the only car on my list.

I think there’s an issue with them arriving with less bhp than claimed. But this can be fixed…… 😉

Drove one recently. It’s a nice car and hats off to Toyota for making it. The tyres are off a Prius by the way, not a car known for excitement. Not entirely convinced it’s any good for more than two people though, even if one of them is very, very small. Should imagine a child being in the back for any length of time would result in lots of vomit?

Current std Subaru / Toyota cars are underpowered to have any real fun, according to most reviews I’ve read.

Anyone see the ‘shooting brake’ rendering doing the rounds this week?

http://www.carthrottle.com/toyota-gt86-shooting-brake-the-86-youll-never-admit-to-wanting/

Looks pretty good, even better if the rear seats actually would fit people with legs.

3 series dull? Have you ever driven one? If you have and you think they’re dull handling you must be a driving god.

I reckon that tourer version looks nicer the the coupe.

Must be getting old!!!

Where’s surfmatt when you need him? He was AWESOME in his BMW.

I don’t know why but it just leaves me stone cold. I’ve not driven one but its looks, space inside, where it sits?

Weirdly the thought of a Nissan GT-R makes me as hard as a ships mast.

I think they look great, and its a brilliant idea to restrict the width of the rear tyres to make them a bit more lively

Power output isn’t massive though. My Leon FR is quicker in a straight line and its not exactly a rocketship.

If you are going to release a coupe into a market place crowded with pretty powerful hatches and one or two coupes then you should be able to compete in terms speed as well as boasting good looks and interesting handling

richmtb – Member

I think they look great, and its a brilliant idea to restrict the width of the rear tyres to make them a bit more lively

From Autocar:
“That 215/45 R17 Michelin Primacys leave the GT86 looking under-tyred is a sign of the times. Yet at the track, the GT86 was still capable of holding 0.99g through corners on the dry handling circuit, on a steady throttle”

Maybe many other cars are OVER-tyred these days?

I would suggest that it is not too slow for anything in particular.

A lot of cars now have an excess of straight-line performance, and most people don’t drive cars quickly -Most people people tootle about (and many of the others confuse “erratically”/”Furiously” with “quick”). Image is all.

I was invited (yes really) to test drive one when the first demonstrator was in the network. I own a Celica and MR2 so Toyota must consider me a fanboii. I really liked it, comparing it against a hot hatch is way off the mark yes there may be plenty of hatches on paper quicker in a line but that rather misses the point, RWD, boxer. There will be more powerful variations coming but worldwide demand has been high enough to keep things as they are. I drove another one a few weeks ago (mate works at Toyota) and the engine was really nice with its burble and delivered power when you asked it too. It will no doubt suffer the fate of its original owners being in a mid-life crisis to becoming a chav car park warrior in a decade or so. But it’s a really nice bit if kit.

Not even seen a BRZ on the roads.

Failedengineer, I’ve been lucky enough to drive loads of cars. Fortunate to have owned a few and in our younger days my group of friends all enjoyed ‘fun’ cars…more recently my sisters boyfriend worked as an instructor at Thruxton and I had some access to some very nice cars on days out with him.

Fun cars tend to have more power than grip, a fun car should take you to the edge of grip in a predictable manner and at low enough speeds that you won’t die if you cock things up….in my experience the BMWs I’ve driven don’t do this, they are competent cars loaded with electronic aids that have to be pushed into 3 figure speeds before they feel alive…M3 excepted as it has enough power to overwhelm the tyres at modest speeds.

To this day a mk1 MX5 will feel better to drive than most BMWs, it won’t be faster (sub 100bhp 1.6 litre engine) but the chassis is sublime, there is no electronic interference between the wheels and the driver and the skinny (by modern standards) tyres will allow much hilarity at sane speeds.

Think Caterham/Westfield ‘7’ type vehicles as for what the ideal should be for having fun….the further a manufacturer moves away from this ideal then generally the more dull a car becomes….modest engines, electronic aids and wide tyres ruin the experience.

I’m being deliberately extreme with my examples but nothing grates like some Dullard with a 318 BMW who proclaims it a great drive….no, this person has no idea.

Which brings me back to why I like the Aygo/C1 to drive soo much. Very light, modest power yet a very rev-eager engine, skinny tyres and boy does it make you smile.

I always said I learned to drive 2yrs after my test pass…when I bought a MX5.

Indeed, the car I still hanker after is a 205 gti for similar reasons, it’s not RWD but at 900kgs with that gloriously rough 1.9 engine it was as much fun as I’ve had in a car…owned 2 and moved on thinking I would always be able to get another….how wrong I was, they now fetch properly daft money!

Maybe many other cars are OVER-tyred these days?

I wouldn’t disagree with that, my warm hatch wears 225 section tyres.

And I’m sure the Toyota has a lot to recommend it to serious drivers like the boxer burble and RWD. But in a market place dominated by 0-60 and BHP one-upmanship it might not get the recognition it maybe deserves. (How else can Vauxhall manage to sell so many Astra VXR’s?)

I think it will be a slow burner in the UK until they release more powerful versions

I was looking at them as well. Not going to go for it because it is underpowered. Much rather spend the same money on a used P*****E cayman, 370z or a BMW e46 M3.

No idea if its better or worse experience to drive. It has more presence..

And I’m sure the Toyota has a lot to recommend it to serious drivers like the boxer burble and RWD. But in a market place dominated by 0-60 and BHP one-upmanship it might not get the recognition it maybe deserves.

Indeed.

0-60 and bhp do not tell the whole story, but can be easily quantified. Reeling off stats requires no skill or understanding.

In the old days people would talk about these things in the pub, but nowadays www forums (like this) are the “pub” discussions, with everybody an expert.

The www view of the GT86 is:
It rides on Prius tyres (whether they are adequate and fit for purpose doesn’t seem to matter), needs a turbocharger, has a funny clock and needs to cost less.

looks like a great choice for the more descerning driver who appreciates handling finesse over huge power. And as such I expect it’ll be a flop, because most people like to feel that kick up the backside that turbo diesels deliver so well.

I’d have one, if I was in the market for something cheap to run , decent handling.

I’m eyeing one as a replacement for the wifes civic type R in a couple of years when they’ve depreciated a bit.

No idea if its better or worse experience to drive. It has more presence..

And a much bigger price tag/power output/running costs. Surely a 370 is a better comparison?

Fantombiker – Member

I was looking at them as well. Not going to go for it because it is underpowered.

Do you need/use more power or is it just a case of “because I can”?

I used to be in the “more power!” camp for cars and motorbikes, but I’ve seen the light and realise that ride, handling (and tyre & suspension setup) are more important.

For me its always:
Steering
then..
Handling
then..
Power

Which also means me considering a Saab 95 Aero is probably a dumb idea.

Deviant – so sliding the back end around on public roads is your idea of fun? You know, I drive many many miles on the roads of this country (and ride motorbikes) and I very rarely see anyone using their powerful (or ‘fun’, ie MX5) car to anywhere near it’s potential. On the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria twisties my Mondeo is qick enough and fun enough for 99% of drivers. I’ve come across the odd Elise or Caterham being driven properly quickly, meaning so quickly a bike will struggle to keep up because they are cornering somewhere close to the edge.

I like driving cars and riding motorbikes enthusiastically, but there are limits on the roads -visibility, legality …and discretion. Fast bikes, fast cars (and posh mtbs) won’t make up for a poor operator.

One of the joys of mountain biking is that you often can ride “on the edge” quietly and without running the risk of prosecution or injuring others.

I like the idea of the GT86.

by a second hand celica gt4 or supra TT and enjoy … buy a modded GT86 in about 10 years.

so sliding the back end around on public roads is your idea of fun? You know, I drive many many miles on the roads of this country (and ride motorbikes) and I very rarely see anyone using their powerful (or ‘fun’, ie MX5) car to anywhere near it’s potential. On the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria twisties my Mondeo is qick enough and fun enough for 99% of drivers. I’ve come across the odd Elise or Caterham being driven properly quickly, meaning so quickly a bike will struggle to keep up because they are cornering somewhere close to the edge.

That sounds like my idea of fun, I’ll regularly poke the back end out on a roundabout or other similar lowish speed corners, if I assess it to be safe enough to do so. I did it last night on my way home from work.

I’ve got a caterham 7 , and you cant get anywhere near close to their limit (in terms of high average speed) on the public road without being exceptionally dangerous ,primarily because their corner speed can be so high that if you went round a corner and found you had to stop suddenly, you wouldnt be able to stop in time – ie the principle of only driving at a speed that you can stop from if something appeared at the furthest point you can see.

Most drivers equate fun with fast, as others have said we have become obsessed with 0-60 times, BHP figures etc….my other half has a Mitsubishi L200 pick-up, not a performance vehicle but it has so little weight over the rear axle and rear wheel drive that it can be provoked into sliding the rear on wet roads at little more than walking speeds, that is fun and will teach a driver far more about car control than simply pinning the throttle on something laden with electronic traction aids.
At the risk of sounding like an irresponsible nob, yes I can and sometimes do drive like this on the road. I dont do it when there are other vehicles around, if it goes wrong then it’s only me that has to suffer.
Before my employer came over all sensible we had American ambulances by Chevrolet, they were about 4 tons and had a 5.7 litre V8 engine and no traction control….they could (and often were) drifted around the roundabouts of Surrey…great times, now we have diesel Mercs with half the power and TC…boo, hiss.

I think you probably know that I didn’t mean roundabouts and low speed corners. You could hang the back end of a Cortina out on a roundabout and have fun.

That principle of being able to stop in the distance you can see always makes me smile, especially when applied to bikes in fast blind corners.

Not driven one, but I would rather have more power from the off.

Not sure I agree with this

On paper a 3 series BMW should be fun, front engine, rear drive etc…in reality (M3 excepted) they are dull, dead, leaden, turgid etc etc

They can be lulled into a bit of fun oversteer in relative safety IME, and are otherwise very balanced and predictable when making progress along a moorland A road (for example) Not that I would have the traction control off until the summer though.

A white Mazda Miyata named “Dave” (after my wife’s gay hairdresser friend) is my guilty secret of fun driving.

I’d love a “Dave” with room in the back to bung to a bike… could the GT86 be the answer?

failedengineer – Member

That principle of being able to stop in the distance you can see always makes me smile, especially when applied to bikes in fast blind corners.

It’s certainly something I think about, especially whilst I’m riding a motorbike (I may have been a bit too exuberant on 4 wheels in the past), although some people do seem quite, er, “relaxed” about it.

Hitting a stationary van in the middle of the road around a blind bend wouldn’t be much fun.

Feel and feedback for maintaining momentum across country are more important than overwhelming acceleration and a rock hard ride. In most cars, overtaking the typical columns of traffic is hindered by its size/width. A few more horses don’t make *that* much difference.

They look great, a future classic i reckon. My old Celica GT was great, underpowered and overbuilt, which is exactly why was such a good 2nd hand car, especially compared to the maintenance intensive Impreza.