GR86 Test Drives Email!

It's this kit - https://toyotadirectparts.co.uk/par...ota-1080p-front-and-rear-integrated-dash-cam/

Sold for £278 with everything required for the installation. So that's an extra £100 to have it fitted at the dealer.

There aren't many reviews for the Nextbase 380GW online, mostly marketing information, however I would be conscious of the relatively low spec of the dashcam for the money. Even Nextbase sells more competitive units directly through their website.

Of course you may lose the discreet look this model gives you and convenience of having it fitted at the dealer, but it begs the question of whether it's worth spending money on something that may not be very useful when you actually needed it.

EDIT: Existing dash cam thread - https://www.gr-zoo.com/threads/dash-cam.1232/
What’s the deal with these dash cams are you not incriminating yourself if you accidentally go sideways on a roundabout etc and plod stops you. Would they be able to take you footage. Sorry if this is a bit dim I have never used one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BOOSTFAN
I fitted the module because the GT86 was the first time I had a car with keyless entry, and I was always a bit distrusting of it at first - so as I walked away from the car, seeing the mirrors had folded was a quick yes-it-has-definitely-locked check.


View attachment 10271
It just goes from bad to worse :mad:

Who cares that I haven't worn a suit in decades, that's not the point, SHUT UP.
Would this do?

Car Back Seat Headrest Hanger for Coat Jacket Suit Clothes,Multi-Purpose Storage Holder - Black https://amzn.eu/d/3ruLzl8
 
What’s the deal with these dash cams are you not incriminating yourself if you accidentally go sideways on a roundabout etc and plod stops you. Would they be able to take you footage. Sorry if this is a bit dim I have never used one.
I suppose there is always the risk you spend money on a dashcam and it ends up incriminating you after an accident. Even careful drivers have accidents. It looks like all the demonstrators have cameras, like the service loan cars - it must be an insurance requirement.
I don't think the police could insist on taking it unless there was damage to a 3rd party.
 
I suppose there is always the risk you spend money on a dashcam and it ends up incriminating you after an accident. Even careful drivers have accidents. It looks like all the demonstrators have cameras, like the service loan cars - it must be an insurance requirement.
I don't think the police could insist on taking it unless there was damage to a 3rd party.
Under the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act 1984 the police CAN take your Dash Cam if they believe footage on it can be used as evidence of, or in relation to an offence.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FRAJ
I suppose there is always the risk you spend money on a dashcam and it ends up incriminating you after an accident. Even careful drivers have accidents. It looks like all the demonstrators have cameras, like the service loan cars - it must be an insurance requirement.
I don't think the police could insist on taking it unless there was damage to a 3rd party.
Certainly can see some benefit in a dash cam maybe I will look into it further.
 
Under the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act 1984 the police CAN take your Dash Cam if they believe footage on it can be used as evidence of, or in relation to an offence.
Thanks that’s very interesting it not that I go around line a lunatic but I don’t fancy having evidence available on all my driving as it could tell the wrong story viewed out of context.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FRAJ
It looks like all the demonstrators have cameras
Yeah the Jemca Bracknell demo has a Nextbase 380GW dash cam. Interestingly, that model is not available for direct sale on the Nextbase site. They say to contact them. It seems to be model for the professional driver.

https://nextbase.co.uk/series-1-dash-cams/380gw-dash-cam/

I think it is available on amazon. If I recall its £280 there, which is pretty steep for the features it has. It does look really smart hidden behind the rear-view mirror though.
 
When I went in April to the dealer to get info and try and order one they quoted me £290+ VAT for front and rear dash cams but didn't state a make or model. When I said if I wanted a cam I would probably buy and fit myself to which he replied it "might" invalidate the warranty, yeah sure OK. :rolleyes:
 
Yeah the Jemca Bracknell demo has a Nextbase 380GW dash cam. Interestingly, that model is not available for direct sale on the Nextbase site. They say to contact them. It seems to be model for the professional driver.

https://nextbase.co.uk/series-1-dash-cams/380gw-dash-cam/

I think it is available on amazon. If I recall its £280 there, which is pretty steep for the features it has. It does look really smart hidden behind the rear-view mirror though.
It's made specifically for Toyota
 
  • Like
Reactions: beorg
Yeah the Jemca Bracknell demo has a Nextbase 380GW dash cam. Interestingly, that model is not available for direct sale on the Nextbase site. They say to contact them. It seems to be model for the professional driver.

https://nextbase.co.uk/series-1-dash-cams/380gw-dash-cam/

I think it is available on amazon. If I recall its £280 there, which is pretty steep for the features it has. It does look really smart hidden behind the rear-view mirror though.
It's this Nextbase 380GWX kit that costs £280, as per my previous post:

The 522GW bundle seems like a much better buy when it comes to features at under £200:

But I agree, the 380GW looks neat in the demo cars.
 
It's this Nextbase 380GWX kit that costs £280, as per my previous post:

The 522GW bundle seems like a much better buy when it comes to features at under £200:

But I agree, the 380GW looks neat in the demo cars.

It’s a tidy set up , if @Hicko hadn’t mentioned that the JRT demo had it I wouldn’t have known it was there without looking for it. 🤔
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hicko
It’s a tidy set up , if @Hicko hadn’t mentioned that the JRT demo had it I wouldn’t have known it was there without looking for it. 🤔
Indeed. It's a shame they don't offer a more capable set up for a premium, I wouldn't mind a set of dashcams that look like this but are actually usable at night or in low visibility situations.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AndyRC
Had my test drive today, pretty much what I expected and very similar to the GT86 I’d driven earlier in the year. I thought the economy was pretty good, managed 33.5mpg over about 40 miles, but suspect high 30’s might be possible if I was trying.

The low driving position, firm suspension and pumped in sound gives you a heightened sensation of speed, a few times when I put my foot down and glanced down at the speedo it was showing 10-15mph less than I would have guessed.

The radio isn’t the best, but my expectations were already low for that. For the crappy roads local to me I think 17” wheels would be a better option, I might try and get some old GT86 wheels to try once I’ve burnt through the tyres. The standard traction control was fairly strict, but the track mode was easy to select without having to stop the car.

There was a fair bit of tyre noise on some surfaces, but not too bad. The pumped in sound wasn’t really noticeable at lower revs, but got pretty loud as you approached the redline, it would be great if Toyota could add an option in the menu to turn this on/off.

Overall I’m looking forward to mine arriving, whenever that may be!

Edit:- Also the engine felt pretty lumpy at idle, almost like it had a slight misfire, but maybe that’s a feature of the boxer engine?
 
Last edited:
GR86 (Manual) Test Drive


Quite a long read guys, so grab a cup of tea or coffe!

Nice people at Toyota Jemca Reading (Thanks Paul) garage helped arrange a test drive with the electric blue “Bracknell” Gr86.
Unlike the online team, he has been great in every way, always happy to respond quickly and with a big smile whenever I happen to see him. I would say he has eased some of the pain of waiting.

GR86 The Pocket Rocket (If you don’t have time to read the rest, this line sums it up!)

A little background: My -only- car has been a dark blue 2013 GT86 auto for the past 9 years. We also have a family car but funny enough the GT86 has done most of the ‘family’ transportation in the last decade.

Demise of ICE prompted me to look for a replacement and Toyota GR86 was announced…

The “meat and the potatoes” if I may quote the youtuber savagegeese:

This thing is a pocket rocket! I mean there is so much power and torque compared to the old car. Mix this with my unfamiliarity with the very high binary clutch bite point, this thing literally rockets itself forward with immense force. 30 mins into the test drive I got used to the bite point and started managing the power delivery better. I enjoyed the drive into the countryside however in the town I though it was quite a laborious affair. Again I come from a less powerful auto GT86 so some adjustment was needed. If you like manual tranny then I am sure you will get used to it and love this thing.

I will not go into Auto versus Manual debate. Each to their own I think. I live in extremely heavy traffic area and also have left leg nerve injury. So only auto will do for me in the long term, as this will continue to be my only car.

The steering is noticeably softer than the old car but no less precise luckily. I will miss both feeling and quality of the grained leather steering of the old car. Michelin PS4 tyres are really impressive. With all the power and greasy roads I still felt glued to the road.

Handling is quite similar to the old car but it feels more solid (rigid is the word I think). It eats ups the curved country roads even with newfound acceleration I felt safe and secure in terms of under/over steer.

Sounds sensations and the audio:
What greets you as you set off is that good old-charming sewing machine like boxer engine sound albeit much more muffled than in GT86.
As the car goes over broken roads there is lack of upset and road noise compared to the old car.

As soon as I hit countryside I managed to find somewhere to park and take photos and connect my iPhone with ease to apple car play. The sound quality of the audio seems to be better than the one in the old car, or slight lack of road noise enhances the experience from the stereo.

DAB radio channels I tried were crisp however reception was patchy so I turned the radio off quickly. You an play the radio while navigating using the apple car play which is neat.

The engine note: One of the biggest let down for me, compared to the old, car was lack of real acoustic sound pumped to the cabin. I am sorry but the fake sound is horrible! I will be looking to cancel it once I receive mine. I missed the pumped in Subaru burble which was authentic in the GT86. I really wish they kept that.

I like the new car smell but the dash felt more plasticky (read cheap untextured) than the old car it replaces. However the feel and finish of the new HVAC system and the stereo unit are better here. No more Maplin quality dials here. The seats are nicer in texture, you feel hugged and loved (is that weird) by the heated seats while it is only 6C outside.

The dimensions and fit for the family transportation:

I am a 5 feet 7 dad, pretty much a dwarf at that and managed to fit family of 4 who are shorter than me in my old car for the past decade. To my surprise the new car felt lower and more cramped. I think the driver side dimensions are pretty much identical to GT86 but lower.

As this car was a manual and have quite a clutch travel, I had to push my seat back a few cms further than I normally would with the GT86 auto. This left only 19cm between the rear of my seat and the back seat. Sitting behind myself on the driver side was near painful experience! My head was almost touching the glass which is not the case with the gt86 (I attribute this to lowered GR).

However the passenger side suffers from the new protruding glove box and an even more lowered passenger seat. I tried to sit behind myself (front seat to rear distance was 23cm) and I had to enter bottom first and then pull my legs inside. My feet were relatively happy however there was not much space under the front seat.

Other stuff:
They have improved so many aspects of the old car that I can’t list them all here.

Better stereo, many safety features (many more in the auto), you can drop your rear seat from the boot now. No more annoying rear brake light cluster in your rear vision. Arguably the car looks more mature and expensive. I think It will have less storage space than the old car. No rear seat pocket, door bottle holders have less space. Cup holders in the middle are fixed permanently. I am aware the auto version has one more cup holder behind heated seat buttons.


Mpg:
The car only had 40 miles on the ODO and it was showing 32mpg when I picked up. I brought it down to 30mpg by simply going through city traffic followed by some spirited driving in the countryside. On the way back to the garage (6 miles in town) I reset the mpg and did a city hypermile test. With some gentle attitude to the throttle and gearing I could see 39mpg at the end. I think it is quite impressive. Not that you would do this on daily basis but it is possible if you can resist opening up the direct injector!

Few photos from the test drive attached. Leg shots show what happens if I sit behind myself (5feet 7 inch person). If you are getting the auto then driver side will have more space (no clutch work).
 

Attachments

  • 3CB0BA28-1510-4948-9A31-CC38E76968BA.webp
  • 82E55135-22F0-4C2A-A193-083F751B02EF.webp
  • 7F6C088B-8F35-4EA7-A402-59F5726599AF.webp
  • 75771396-59C5-4630-BD9D-0F31E2C4F8BA.webp
Johnsons Toyota Southport who are borrowing the Car from Johnsons Liverpool just let me know that if I now want an unaccompanied test drive I'll have to wait for a tracker to be fitted.

I have the choice to go as planned this saturday but a sales guy will need to be present (squished in the back) or to wait till later in december. My partner will be with me for the drive.

Pretty annoyed considering how others in the branch down the road had no problems.
 
So…. anyone else have to pay a 1k holding deposit when test driving to cover their insurance excess? Returnable once finished if no accidents .. seems strange..