normfor me, and whileI have a fairly lightfoot on the
road, the fact the very worst tank (a full half of which
was consumed on the trackday) was an indicated
34mpgwas deeply impressive. Given thatthe tyres
and brakes had oodles of life left in themsuggested
the GT86 would not be an expensive car to run.
And so it came down to the engine– one of the
86’s stickingpoints since it first arrived, withmany
claimingit’s underpowered or, more pertinently,
under-torqued. For me, most of the time,it felt
plenty quickenough– 197bhpin a 1240kg car is
hardly puny. I enjoyed the growling induction note
too, and the naturally aspirated throttle response.
But thatsame enginealso proved to be the car’s
greatest frustration.A few monthsbefore it left I
took the 86 to the Yorkshire Dales to assist witha
group test, and on the undulatingButtertubs Pass I
found myself changingdown gears not to enjoy the
engineand ’box but simplyto maintain progress.
I relish opportunities to thrash small,lightand
underpowered cars, but I’ve no doubtat all thatthe
86 would have been better on thatroad withboth
a little more torque and, once again, better, more
confidence-inspiringtyres. I know this because only
a monthor two earlier I’d had a hooton thatsame
road in the nippier, grippier, but no less adjustable
AlpineA110. Granted, the Alpineis more than50 per
cent more expensive thanthe Toyota, but on this
occasion it absolutely justified thatprice difference.
You shouldprobably thensee the 86 as more of
a blankcanvas, like so many Japanese performance
cars before it. With decent tyres, a remapped ECU,
perhaps a filter and exhaust and a muchbetter
infotainmentsystem, it would be a hell of a car.
One more thing:Just a day before the GT86 was
whisked away by the manfrom Toyota, I’d returned
from the launchof the new Supra out in Spain. The
GT86 is, for me, still the best sports car Toyota sells.
AntonyIngram(@evoAntony)
Date acquiredOctober 2018Duration
of test7 monthsTotal test mileage 6251
Costs£0Overall mpg40.7Purchase price
£30,440Value today£22,000-27,000
‘Itfeltplentyquick
enough,buttheengine
provedtobethecar’s
greatestfrustration’