My test drive review

[Varvs]

So I drove a silver 86 gts manual.

It's nice. The steering is heavier than I expected but very direct. Suspension is firm but not uncomfortably so. There was very little body roll at all, though I was only driving bendy suburban roads at 60km/h. Turning circle is good

the clutch is very light and engages odd but I'm pretty used to my car so I'd get used to it I guess. The shifter is short, almost too short, and it makes gear selection a bit vague to me.

Interior even in the premium model feels a little shitty. The leather accented seats are nice but it's give or take really. The driving position is very adjustable, and the tachometer is great. The speedo gauge is basically pointless under 100km/h due to the angle it starts at. Didn't play with sat Nav or radio, as I'd probably switch to a decent aftermarket single din deck anyway. Dashboard is the weak point of the car, it just looks and feels cheap. The hvac stuff is nice and I noticed little to no performance difference between AC on and off. Steering wheel is boring, but that's airbags for you. In comparison to a Silvia, you sit about the same height in the car, just there is more shit up around you (doors, dash) and it artificially makes it feel like you're sitting Deep in it. The view of the front of the car from inside is really gorgeous.

Engine is where I couldn't make up my mind. The exhaust note is ok but not super sporty, and the resonator that pipes it to the cabin sounds poppy or farty. It definitely did not feel quicker than my s13 but i tested 0-60 on both and while mine feels quicker its probably due to being an older car, the turbo and the Bride recliner seat stiffening up the ride. First thing I would change is the exhaust.

I don't think it feels as playful/chuckable as a Silvia does, but that might be due to it being a 40 grand car I don't actually own and being less confident to drive it as assertively.

They are much nicer to look at in person, tho the wheels are still dogshit. The gt model wheels are nicer albeit smaller.

In comparison to the GT on display, the GTS felt more complete thanks to the upgraded interior. The white tacho is nicer too.

All in all I had a good (if short) driving experience and it's definitely something I'm interested in, though I would want another 30min or so behind the wheel before I could make up my mind.

[nix]

To be fair it has better power to weight than an s15, just no waste gate to put a bleed valve on.

[Varvs]

I have a 180 with all the bolt on stuff so I'm a little lighter than a s15 with more than the factory 150kw. Not sure on actual power figures though.

[sticky]

Originally Posted by Varvs

The speedo gauge is basically pointless under 100km/h due to the angle it starts at.

Good point - those getting the GT are going to be pretty annoyed when checking their speed since they won't have a digital display. Maybe it just takes a while getting used to.

[Varvs]

well the needle lights up very nicely, but i still found it a little annoying that it goes to 260 (i think?) when they could easily have done it to 220 (because lets face it, you need a long-ass straight to get 260 in this car) and spaced things out a little nicer. the fuel and temp gauges get way too much real estate IMO.

[JiB]

Im getting the GT and i dont think it will take much getting use too.
when i drove it it didnt feel that fast, it wasnt slow by any means, i really want to 0-100 but test drives dont allow for that kind of thing.

After getting back into my mazda3 it felt like i was driving a range rover! so lowww

[JDM-dono]

Looks like I'm not the only one feeling a bit disappointed by the 86. You can definitely notice that the manufacturer cheaped out in certain areas of the car. Interior wise, it felt like I was driving any other car or maybe I just felt at home in the 86 ;P, I'm not so sure haha.

Since this is test drive review, I might as well give my opinion on what I experienced in mine:

Car: 86 GTS Auto

Engine:
- Definitely noticed the torque dip. That kinda annoyed me a bit but easily remedied with aftermarket parts.
- Engine was extremely smooth.
- Engine sound was fairly average, didn't expect much from it any way. It could've had a more sporty burble to it but not complaining, it's good enough for me.
- Is it fast? Well it does its job. I rather have a slightly underpowered car from factory as from experience, slightly underpowered cars are more fun. (some may disagree)
- Also, one of the highlights was how fast the auto-transmission shifts in manual mode.

Suspension & Chassis:
- Absorbs the bumps surprisingly well on suburban roads despite having sport suspension. Yes you do really feel the bumps on those nasty potholes and really bad surfaces on the road. Yes the bumps travel up your spine lol. But the general road surface bumps are absorbed extremely well.
- I felt like I could live with this car on a daily basis. Very comfortable.
- The suspension is very well tuned, and you can tell it's a pretty agile car.
- As per above review, little body roll.

Steering:
- I felt like I was missing something from the steering. It felt a bit dull and didn't provide me with the sharp and raw feedback I wanted
- Though in saying this, the roads I took the car for the test drive were barely exciting (so my opinion won't count in this respect)
- Should I have taken the car on more curvy roads, I probably would've loved the handling of this car which is what I'm hoping for.

Interior:
- Personally, I didn't feel like I was sitting on the ground as more ppl describe it to be. It still felt a slightly on the high side, but that's probably because I'm a tall guy 189cm. (I did put the seat all the way down mind you)
- Seating position, steering wheel position, seat bolsters are great. Felt like I was fervently hugged by the 86 lol.
- Definitely driver orientated driving position.
- As stated, the interior does feel a bit cheaped out (GTS)
- I expected to be wow-ed by the car but entered the interior with the reaction of: "oh is that it?"
- The interior did feel a bit dark as I anticipated which is why I'm opting for the BRZ which has more silver parts to liven up the interior (personal preference)

Exterior:
- It's a nice car. The cars in the dealership were all the darker shades which hide the aggressive rear quarter panel curves
- So I felt a bit disappointed by the not so aggressive look of the car (this was due to lighting so don't fry me on this)
- I personally prefer the BRZ front end so I'm biased in this respect.

Overall:
- Great car for this price point.
- It provides a very good basis for enthusiasts wishing to modify their cars and personalize it.
- To me the 86 represents a car like a Ferrari (concept wise). It has the muscular curves. It has the sporty tachometer and it has the heritage emblem on the front fenders to remind you that it's one special Toyota 86. It is aesthetically pleasing.
- The BRZ on the other hand, represents along the lines of a Porsche. It has the distinct DRL (which are remotely similar to the Porsches), the interior doesn't have faux carbon fibre dash, it doesn't have the tachometer present in the 86 and it doesn't have a heritage badge. Instead it has a simple tachometer and silver dash. It is all business and a bit more grown up in my opinion. It knows it's special and doesn't feel the need to shout out to let ppl know.

I know I test drove the auto. And yes, I really wanted to drive the manual but the GTS was only in auto. If I drove the manual, it would've been so more exciting and engaging but that's my review.

[nix]

They drive exactly the same so take a gt manual out.

[JDM-dono]

I prefer shifting via clutch, it just feels so much more engaging with the car. Yer, the cars drive the same. If time permits, I'll give the gt manual a go.

[nix]

I actually hate the stock clutch with a passion, might test the auto just to see what the paddles are like.

[JDM-dono]

The paddles are amazing nix! Shifts fasts for an auto box. Though depending on you preferences on the weight of the paddles it's quite light.

Clutch too light?

[nix]

Yeah too light but I could get used to that, it's the lack of feedback via the pedal that is a bit annoying.

[samsung001]

i went for a test drive yesterday too. The dealer has both GT & GTS for demo.

Personally.....if i order one, I will get a GTS for sure coz i really can't live with the shitty GT interior. To me, GT interior is even worse than Corolla.

Anyway.....i went for a quick test drive (abt 15mins). damn....not a gd run at all coz its quite heavy traffic. But I still got a couple of chances to floor it and also tested few quick corners .....hm..cornering is gd (great balance)....but regarding to power-wise......hm. ..honestly..am a bit disappointed! its real underpowered (esp <4000 rpm.) i know ppl might say "if you purchase a 86, u're not after the power and straight line" i totally understand it.
am not sure how many ppl here would buy a 86, purely for track use. am 100% sure its gonna be fun on track. But as for a daily, i think its not quite livable. It really needs a bit more torque (at least).

I still kinda discussed the deal. The guy said if i place the order today, the car might be ready to pickup in NOV (if i'm lucky). I was like "OK.....thx for the info and offer, but am out of this deal"

I talked to another guy at the same dealer. He mentioned something abt the BRZ (how funny is that), he said BRZ will be more expensive coz its got different setting, interior etc......But the car will be abt 10kw more than 86...not sure if its true...lol..10kw i dun think i can notice the difference.

[JDM-dono]

^ 86 and BRZ have exactly the same power. The guy is talking non-sense. Yer the interior is a bit of a disappointment but hey it's a budget sports car.

I intentionally booked a test-drive during times I knew had light traffic. In terms of power, it's pretty hard to pinpoint whether or not this car has enough power unless you get more seat time. I know a lot of passenger cars out there that are underpowered if you test drive it but after you've driven the car a lot, you slowly appreciate the car more and love it.