A few years ago, and within the automotive sector, the word sports He was talking about a very specific type of car. It was a simple concept. There was not so much talk about power, or maximum speed, or the fashionable 0 to 100 km/h. just needed one coupé body, a gasoline engine and a manual transmission. It didn't even have to be rear-wheel drive, but if it was, all the better. In our days, seeking the greatest possible versatility, the concept has changed quite a bit.
The fact is that there are still some old-school sports cars without having to be rich to be able to acquire and maintain them. One of the representatives of this concept, and one of the few present, is the Toyota GT86. Any similarly priced sport compact, like a Seat León Cupra or a Hyundai i30 N, will be much quicker; but not that much fun to drive. And so we begin the test a car as exciting as little recognized.
Sporty body, compact dimensions
This is a totally passionate car created to enjoy driving, so I don't want to dwell too much on sections that, in this case, remain in the background, such as exterior design.
The Toyota GT86 is easily recognizable as a Japanese model. Straight lines, angular shapes and torn look. But the most interesting thing is the silhouette of him. A silhouette which suggests that we are dealing with a car with a front engine and rear propulsion, with a slightly elongated hood and a driving position close to the rear axle.
And since we're looking at the car from the side, the 17-inch blacked-out wheels now house a Brembo brake system with calipers (4 pistons in the front wheels and 2 pistons in the rear) in red that bite on 326 mm discs at the front and 316 at the rear.
I like the shoulders that are born in your wheel arch, because from the driving position they serve to have the front wheels perfectly located. Also his rearguard, with a fine and interesting spoiler, marked LED pilot lights and a notable rear diffuser that houses an exhaust outlet on each side. By the way, do you know the diameter of each tube? 86 millimeters. Chance? I do not think so.
Interior designed to focus on driving
The interior design of the Toyota GT86 will please any lover of traditional sports cars. It is oriented so that the driver can focus on the road and the pure driving. Your infotainment system is fair, with a browser, audio equipment and little else. The dashboard buttons are simple and with controls that once again are as spartan as they are correct for a car of these characteristics. Of course, on an aesthetic level, they have won me over.
Su instrument panel It is quite a declaration of intentions. In the center a gigantic traditional revolution counter whose red zone starts at 7.500 rpm, an analog speedometer on the left which, personally, I think could have been dispensed with -we have the speed data in digital next to the tachometer- and a small screen on the right in which we will see torque and power curve, trip data, autonomy and stopwatch for the circuit.
According to the habitability, the GT86 is not the roomiest or most comfortable car on the market. It is a 2+2, with a second row of seats that is good for little more than to leave the jacket. We have ridden four adults of approximately 1,75, but luckily I was driving. Of course, being forced to move my driving position much forward if I didn't want to leave anyone on the ground. Since then, the companions who were in the rear seats have not spoken to me again.
The front seats They hold well in the curves and, together with the adjustment of the steering wheel, allow a very sporty driving position to be obtained, staying very close to the ground, but I recognize that I didn't find them very comfortable. It is not the first time that I drive a GT86, and I remember that on the previous occasion my lower back did not complain so much.
Su trunk, considering that we are dealing with a sports coupe of 4,24 meters, not bad at all. cube 243 liters, which will be enough to carry a couple of medium-sized suitcases and a few more gym bags. Therefore, for a trip of two people it is enough.
And given the above, I think it's time to go to the really interesting.
Facts about the paper
In the engine compartment there is a unique propeller of its kind. It's about a 2 liter boxer atmospheric intake that sends its energy to the rear, using a differential Torsen self-locking to improve behavior. His cover letters are not particularly impressive, developing 200 hp at 7.000 rpm and 205 Nm of torque at 6.400.
It is a very sharp motor, which requires taking it to the top of the tachometer if we want to have fun. Our unit comes with a 6-speed manual gearbox, and can be associated with an automatic transmission with the same number of ratios. Honestly, I think that this car deserves much more the manual transmission, because its touch is delicious.
Among its performance data we find a 0 to 100 km/h in 7,6 seconds and a maximum speed of 226 km/h, but as I had mentioned at the beginning, they are only details that we should not take into account when talking about looking for fun. If you are wondering about its consumption, homologate a mixed of 7,8 l/100 km.
And now yes, we start
Let's leave aside details and figures that are worthless. first and gas. The Toyota GT86 is a car with compact dimensions, so not too difficult to maneuver with the. Of course, rear visibility prevents us from parking with precision, since this model does not come with rear parking sensors or a reversing camera. In any case, the advantage is that your address is not excessively heavy and its turning radius is not very wide.
Once we leave the parking lot, we start our journey towards a mountain pass or, as in this case, towards the Jarama Circuit, where we do most of the photo shoot. Meanwhile, on the highway, the Toyota GT86 is not a tough car. His suspensions are not extreme - what's more, I dare say they are somewhat soft - so potholes will not be a problem. Of course, as I mentioned before, I have not finished adapting to their seats.
In sixth, at 120 km/h, the GT86 easily maintains speed even on inclines, turning at around 3.000 rpm. However, we cannot ask you to accelerate forcefully. Their lack of torque in the lower and middle zone of the tachometer forces us to reduce a couple of gears and to stretch the engine in additions or overtaking, since the recoveries in high gears are not good. It is what it has to do without the turbo.
Anyway, it's not something that matters too much. Your gearbox is fantastic., feeling in the palm of the hand the insertions of the gears. He has great precision when changing gears and his touch is delicious and somewhat hard. Personally, I think it is something that I like very much and encourages you to use the transmission again and again.
During our photo session at the Madrid circuit we were able to check the behavior of the Toyota GT86 to the limit. The direction is precise, direct and communicates well where the limit is front end grip. After a few turns, we realize that It's not a car to fetch times on a track-day, but to have a great time linking curves, playing with inertia and making the rear slide at the exit of the slowest curves.
Disconnecting -totally or partially- electronic aids we can skid with relative ease, being "simple" to measure the angle and moment of the slide as long as we do it in slow curves, in second gear, for example. In any case, you should never practice this type of driving on the open road, however simple it may seem.
If we want to trace effectively, the Japanese sports car does not complain at all as long as it is a twisty circuit or mountain pass. In slow curves it gives a lot of precision and fun, but its compact dimensions and suspension settings do not give the same sense of confidence in fast corners.
This detail has made it clear to us that the Toyota GT86 is a sports coupe oriented to enjoy more by stretches of mountain buzzards and not so much on roads where very high speeds are reached. In fact, it is not a car that encourages you to "run" on wide roads. And that's one of the things I liked most about him.
we are concluding
The Toyota GT86 is an "affordable" sports car that transmits pure driving sensations. It is not a practical car, because its rear seats are almost unusable by an adult and its low torque will not please any driver. Therefore, it is a car designed for those who really like to drive sport vehicles even knowing that they are not the most versatile on the market.
One of the aspects where this coupé has surprised me the most is in the best before date. It's true; It is a short car, with small dimensions and low weight, but it is a sports car and normally we directly relate this concept to high fuel consumption. Despite having a naturally aspirated 200 hp engine and homologating a mixed consumption of 7,8 l/100 km, the Toyota GT86 spend very little.
And it is that, during our test, we obtained a 8 liter mixed combining all kinds of use. What has caught my attention the most is its low energy consumption. dual carriageway at legal rates, because with the speed regulator set at 120 km/h, we will be spending between 6 and 6,3 liters every 100 kilometers traveled, which seems to me to be a very good figure.
Equipment of the Toyota GT86
- Rear spoiler in matt black
- Shark fin radio antenna
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- LED headlights, taillights and fog lights
- Power mirrors, heated and electrically folding
- Black fabric upholstery
- Pedals and left foot rest in aluminum
- Leather-wrapped sports steering wheel
- Dual zone air conditioning
- Cruise control
- Keyless entry and start
- light sensing
- Hill start assist
- Torsen self-locking differential
- Track driving mode (less intrusion of electronic aids)
- Toyota Touch 2 audio system with 6,1-inch screen, USB and Bluetooth
- 4,2-inch color TFT screen (in instrument panel)
- Six speakers
Toyota GT86 Price
The Toyota GT86 currently part of the 34.490 euros (2.000 euros more if we want automatic transmission), now being much more expensive than before. The reason for this increase is the incorporation of the Brembo brake kit, which forces the price to rise to the mark. It's still not a particularly expensive car, but has a problem, and it's called Nissan 370Z.
The Nissan 370Z is a heavier car, which consumes more, which has less day-to-day comfort and is more expensive to maintain, but in its favor it is more effective in curves and, in addition, it is equipped with a naturally aspirated V6 engine. The access variant develops 328 hp and its price is 34.330 euros, that is, 160 euros cheaper than the Toyota. Now, the decision is yours.
Editor's opinion
- Editor's rating
- 4 star rating
- Excellent
- Toyota GT86
- Review of: Diego Avila
- Posted on:
- Last modification:
- Exterior design
- interior design
- front seats
- rear seats
- Trunk
- Spring Suspension
- Consumption
- Comfort
- Price
Pros
- sports sensations
- Compact dimensions and low weight
- Low fuel consumption
Cons
- Lack of torque in the middle zone
- almost useless rear seats
- Purchase price compared to a rival
More information about this model
- Plazas 4
- Power 200 cv
- Consumer goods 8,5 - 8,6l/100km
- Assessment 4