In 2012, Toyota launched a new sports car that had been developed together with Subaru. In the US, it was first marketed as a scion fr-s, but in 2017, it was given a Toyota badge and baptized Toyota 86. The first generation of the car combined excellent handling at a friendly price of wallet to make one of the best affordable sports cars in market. Slashgear drove it in 2017 and called it “lessons for supercar,” but at that time, we were not too impressed with the strength and refinement of the engine. Now, ten years after the launch of the first generation of the car, the second generation has arrived, and has a slightly different name: Toyota GR86.
In principle, the basic formula of the car is still the same, focus on driving that is fun and affordable. But, the car in 2022 this year’s car came with a number of improvements and new features that promised to make it better than its predecessor. Toyota has discussed almost every detail of the car with a fine gear comb, re -working on everything from powertrain to aerodynamics. Along with the twin, Subaru Brz, GR86 offers a package unlike the one on the market.
One of the most common complaints about the previous generation is that the chassis can handle more energy than the engine can be given. Toyota took this criticism and developed a new engine for GR86, with more energy and greater transfer. This new unit is 2.4L Flat-Four which produces 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft torque, an increase in 23 horsepower and 28 lb-ft torque above the previous car. It might not look like a big increase, but that makes all the differences when we drive GR86.
The car felt stronger at a lower speed, some thanks to the fact that the peak torque arrived at 2,700 rpm faster than in an old car. It still will not be able to compete with people like Nissan Z or Toyota Supra in terms of all-out speed, but then unnecessary. The excitement of riding GR86 comes by giving a good machine without worrying about violating speed limits.
Manual or automatic transmission
Manual transmission is a landscape that is more rare in modern sports cars, but GR86 is still equipped with a six -speed manual as a standard. The Auto Six Speed Box is also available for an additional $ 1,075, but after reviewing the two options, we think the manual is what must be owned. Although good, automatically not something extraordinary, and of course not as sharp as offers from top -class rivals like Porsche. Stick-shift, on the other hand, feels exactly like a sports car transmission: short, sharp, and easy to master. This is also a small part of the automatic. With a manual transmission that is equipped, Toyota claims GR86 will change from 0 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, but automatically requires half a second longer.
Available in automatic, four transfer modes are available: normal, exercise, snow, and tracks. Track Mode is the loudest settings, but even in sport mode, every lump on the road will be felt. However, the biggest weakness of choosing a car transmission rather than manual is that the buyer will not be able to bring GR86 to redline with legal speed, and with a car like this, it is half pleasure.
Chassis that is re -worked with more stiff
To complete a stronger engine, Toyota redesigned the car chassis for better stiffness. There are new diagonal cross members who strengthen the connection between the front suspension and frame, Toyota shows in a press release, and high strength fasteners are used throughout the car. The frame is now made of a mixture of steel and aluminum, and body panels such as the hood, the front fender, and the roof are now all aluminum.
This is all translated into a car that feels sharper to drive than its predecessor. It is able to corner faster and rise to speed up straight faster than the old model, but never feels less predictable in terms of grip. Body rolls are maintained to be naked