Lovely photo.
Alistair31
Totally Hooked
Test drove the Mk2 GRY today and left convinced that my GR86 is the better car (for me). If I was offered a straight swap (and couldn’t sell it) I genuinely wouldn’t swap.
This one was an auto and even in sport mode, noticeably laggy. Throttle response terrible when compared back to back with the 86. Suspension also pretty stiff by comparison. The speed limit warning, hmm, no such nonsense with the 86.
No doubt a good car in its own right, particularly on the right road/track but for a low-use daily, the 86 gets my vote - maybe I’d feel differently about a manual, possibly even just a Mk1.
Shout out to the guys at Western Toyota, however.
This one was an auto and even in sport mode, noticeably laggy. Throttle response terrible when compared back to back with the 86. Suspension also pretty stiff by comparison. The speed limit warning, hmm, no such nonsense with the 86.
No doubt a good car in its own right, particularly on the right road/track but for a low-use daily, the 86 gets my vote - maybe I’d feel differently about a manual, possibly even just a Mk1.
Shout out to the guys at Western Toyota, however.
Adding my two cents for anyone else interested in the topic, since I had to make a similar decision lately:
I'm the (soon-to-be ex) owner of a Gen 1 Yaris Rallye, or the Circuit Pack known in the UK (and maybe elsewhere?). Toyota reached out to me and enquired whether I was interested in getting the new GR86 Hakone Edition here in Aus, and since only 86 are allocated in Australia I had slight FOMO, and figured I'd at least test-drive the new GR86 before committing to switching.
Fortunately, I was given one of their showroom GR86 models for a day, and the experience was amazing. Even pulling out of the dealership, the difference in handling was immediately apparent - the GR86 was much more responsive, and nimble. In my opinion, this is mainly due to the drivetrain difference RWD vs. AWD, and how much lower you are in the GR86 vs the Yaris. However, once I turned track mode on (with the traction control off), it came alive - just taking corners on public roads and changing lanes were a much more engaging experience, as you felt more connected to the car and to the road due to the car's agility and how well balanced it is. The roads during my test drive were slightly damp from the morning rain, but never did I feel like I'd lose the rear-end of the car, even while driving somewhat less-than-responsibly. Comparing the ride quality, I'd say that the GR86 was relatively softer than the Circuit Pack Yaris, but not too much of a difference.
Going onto my main concern regarding the GR86 - the power. I'd like to echo what people have said earlier in the thread - it's perfect for public roads. Both the power and the gearing. This is coming from someone who has modded the Yaris with everything bar a bigger turbo - so there was definitely a large difference in *potential* power. Similar to what people have said earlier, the Yaris is a 10/10th's car, which you can't really experience too much on public roads (trust me on this, I have a few speeding tickets to back me up
). My only (small) negative is the noticeably lower torque, which is mainly prevalent in the bottom end. However once you get going, I didn't notice much of a difference between the platforms.
All-in-all, I'll be trading in my Yaris for the GR86 since my experience with the car was amazing.
I'd again like to echo what others have said - both the Yaris and the 86 are amazing cars *in what they do*. If you're after a small car punching well above its weight class in terms of power and grip, then the Yaris is amazing. However, the driver engagement and overall "smiles per miles" of the 86 is something not to be dismissed.
I'm the (soon-to-be ex) owner of a Gen 1 Yaris Rallye, or the Circuit Pack known in the UK (and maybe elsewhere?). Toyota reached out to me and enquired whether I was interested in getting the new GR86 Hakone Edition here in Aus, and since only 86 are allocated in Australia I had slight FOMO, and figured I'd at least test-drive the new GR86 before committing to switching.
Fortunately, I was given one of their showroom GR86 models for a day, and the experience was amazing. Even pulling out of the dealership, the difference in handling was immediately apparent - the GR86 was much more responsive, and nimble. In my opinion, this is mainly due to the drivetrain difference RWD vs. AWD, and how much lower you are in the GR86 vs the Yaris. However, once I turned track mode on (with the traction control off), it came alive - just taking corners on public roads and changing lanes were a much more engaging experience, as you felt more connected to the car and to the road due to the car's agility and how well balanced it is. The roads during my test drive were slightly damp from the morning rain, but never did I feel like I'd lose the rear-end of the car, even while driving somewhat less-than-responsibly. Comparing the ride quality, I'd say that the GR86 was relatively softer than the Circuit Pack Yaris, but not too much of a difference.
Going onto my main concern regarding the GR86 - the power. I'd like to echo what people have said earlier in the thread - it's perfect for public roads. Both the power and the gearing. This is coming from someone who has modded the Yaris with everything bar a bigger turbo - so there was definitely a large difference in *potential* power. Similar to what people have said earlier, the Yaris is a 10/10th's car, which you can't really experience too much on public roads (trust me on this, I have a few speeding tickets to back me up
). My only (small) negative is the noticeably lower torque, which is mainly prevalent in the bottom end. However once you get going, I didn't notice much of a difference between the platforms.All-in-all, I'll be trading in my Yaris for the GR86 since my experience with the car was amazing.
I'd again like to echo what others have said - both the Yaris and the 86 are amazing cars *in what they do*. If you're after a small car punching well above its weight class in terms of power and grip, then the Yaris is amazing. However, the driver engagement and overall "smiles per miles" of the 86 is something not to be dismissed.
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