Think i’ve done about 200 miles now, would like to have done more but lacking free time at the moThe collision avoidance “stuff” can be unpredictable on any makes , not something I’m a fan of How many miles have you done so far
GR86 GR86 - The “Auto Zone”
- Thread starter AndyRC
- Start date
AndyRC
Totally Hooked
- Thread starter
- #142
Just watched another You Tube GR86 review (Petrol Ped) whilst exercising and Ive come to the conclusion everyone with a Go Pro and a You Tube channel reviewing cars are the motoring equivalent of the Taliban , “YOU MUST HAVE A MANUAL“ well “NO I DON’T” , funny how every review is down a bit of deserted road with hardly a car insight 
Even with his fancy driving boots (BTW he will look a right 
t turning up at a car meet in those 
) can’t heal and toe.
Even with his fancy driving boots (BTW he will look a right t turning up at a car meet in those ) can’t heal and toe. I tested the manual GR86, having driven the auto GT86 for 9 years, auto is the right one for me. I think what they are trying to say is what an enthusiast would want to think. GR86 being one of the last manual lightweight cars ever, they have to say what they have to say and I understand where they are coming from. I would like to see them stuck in Reading traffic with this car every morning, every evening, cursing their fate and hating their lives a little more every day! If one has only one car and has to live in traffic jams 80 percent of the time, then the auto is the best transmission for them. Auto still is the same car, lightweight, rear wheel drive, same handling, more creature comforts. Still beats a 2+ tone electric car no matter how fast they go.
AndyRC
Totally Hooked
- Thread starter
- #144
It irks me that the “Manual Taliban” appear To think that unless you have a “blue badge” you are not a car enthusiast, TBH if I could only had a GR86 in manual I wouldnt be here at all , I get no end of amusement reading how in six years time I will have mastered the clutch, heel and toe, the GR86 will have taught me to be a better driver, and celebrate the anniversary of the perfect gear change I did once
sorry but I could be but on a headstone by then 
long live the auto with three options of a perfect shift when ever I want them , other than once a blue moon 
I agree the manual is about engagement, but it is a type of engagement I prefer not to have. Been there, done that may be I am now old enough to admit that a life has been lived and I will not go back there.
It was the same type of debate when SLR cameras became more automated. The SLR cameras with auto exposure were seen as expensive, degenerate, amateur toys in the 80ties. Our photography tutor at the uni (1993) claimed that a real artist man (read man's disease) used only manual Leica cameras, and fixed focus lenses. Now I can't imagine owning an SLR camera without automatic exposure and aperture control. I have the manual mode if I need to set the exposure myself using and external exposure meter. We men are obsessed with machines and engaging and tinkering with them as much as possible, blessing and a curse I guess. We declare anyone who is not in this tribe outcasts.
The auto is a good transmission, yes slower than dual clutch but much faster than I can shift manually consistently. It shifts and accelerates consistently. It is a brilliant Lexus system. There is a toyota mechanic from US who says the auto is the premium unit (lexus) and is brilliant but manual could have been engineered better. I can post his youtube review of the car if I can find it. Obviously he looks at the transmission from engineering point of view.
Auto GT86 has never failed to shift in the 9 years I used it. When I used to drive manual cars, I remember failing to shift and almost getting killed at a junction with a manual Yaris and I used manual cars for 20+ years. I can't say that for my GT86 auto transmission. So Andy, I'd not listen to anyone else on this topic. I expect the GR86 to be even better without the torque dip and plenty of power, brilliant rev matching, so good you will not feel the car shifting, adaptive cruise control in urban traffic. Looking forward to first week of January when I will finally get mine and hopefully I will give some feedback, comparing to the GT86 auto.
It was the same type of debate when SLR cameras became more automated. The SLR cameras with auto exposure were seen as expensive, degenerate, amateur toys in the 80ties. Our photography tutor at the uni (1993) claimed that a real artist man (read man's disease) used only manual Leica cameras, and fixed focus lenses. Now I can't imagine owning an SLR camera without automatic exposure and aperture control. I have the manual mode if I need to set the exposure myself using and external exposure meter. We men are obsessed with machines and engaging and tinkering with them as much as possible, blessing and a curse I guess. We declare anyone who is not in this tribe outcasts.
The auto is a good transmission, yes slower than dual clutch but much faster than I can shift manually consistently. It shifts and accelerates consistently. It is a brilliant Lexus system. There is a toyota mechanic from US who says the auto is the premium unit (lexus) and is brilliant but manual could have been engineered better. I can post his youtube review of the car if I can find it. Obviously he looks at the transmission from engineering point of view.
Auto GT86 has never failed to shift in the 9 years I used it. When I used to drive manual cars, I remember failing to shift and almost getting killed at a junction with a manual Yaris and I used manual cars for 20+ years. I can't say that for my GT86 auto transmission. So Andy, I'd not listen to anyone else on this topic. I expect the GR86 to be even better without the torque dip and plenty of power, brilliant rev matching, so good you will not feel the car shifting, adaptive cruise control in urban traffic. Looking forward to first week of January when I will finally get mine and hopefully I will give some feedback, comparing to the GT86 auto.
GT86 vs GR86 tech mechanics comparison
Transmission discussion at 15:08-17:35
Transmission discussion at 15:08-17:35
Having had the manual BRZ coming to 6 yrs, I now am an auto convert. The traffic situation has changed so much in and around Reading and in winters the manual is a right pain to go down from 3 to 2 which needs to be done at most round abouts or junctions. The manual gearbox is agricultural in its feel when it's cold. When it warms up it is nice but the city/ town conditions and traffic change so frequently that its not worth a manual anymore.
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I like Ahmed / AMDs reviews. Quite detailed and honest.
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AndyRC
Totally Hooked
- Thread starter
- #149
I feel for Ahmed , I expect a bounty has been placed On his head for those comments.
. I get why some folk enjoy changing gears themselves, I do too , I just prefer to do it a different way. No1 Son has a Fiesta ST Aand the clutch and gear box on it are great , buttery smooth and a nice short throw , still a pain in traffic. I Can spend 20minutes just getting around town (less than 2 miles) if it happens to be the time school finishes or two blokes with a Jack hammer and a set of lights have found a hole to dig, the chance to actually drive on an open road with safe overtaking opportunities is pretty rare. We already have the clutch Pedal thread , Brake /Throttle pedal thread , won’t be much longer until we get the “What GB oil“ thread, the “I’m doing every thing right but it’s mis shifting thread” , “My clutch has gone” etc what are we going to talk about
Ahmed's life may be danger now as he is the only reviewer on internet who says the auto is a good unit and the manual should have been improved. 
He is either too honest or living under a rock
He mentions from mid way point of the video until the end that the manual transmission is half baked (and was for the GT86) for 1,2,3rd gears and not easy to live with and that ToyoBaru should have worked on it a little more. It seems they redesigned the synchro only for 4th gear so it is easy to shift to 4th. In traffic one uses the first three a lot. This is what I felt as well in Reading traffic when I tested the manual last month.
I have test driven Honda crz manual once and that car has he best manual shifter I have ever experienced. Almost and electronic experience, so easy to shift. If the manual GR was so good, with a rev match, I might have gone the manual route.
I used to be on GT86 UK forum and know the 2nd gear failures with the GT86. Knowing that influenced my decision to go with auto one more time.
Ahmed says they did nothing to improve the 2nd gear and the GR86 are expected to have the same issues.
He has nothing bad to say about the auto. He says it has already been a very good system and has been improved further for GR86.
He is either too honest or living under a rock
He mentions from mid way point of the video until the end that the manual transmission is half baked (and was for the GT86) for 1,2,3rd gears and not easy to live with and that ToyoBaru should have worked on it a little more. It seems they redesigned the synchro only for 4th gear so it is easy to shift to 4th. In traffic one uses the first three a lot. This is what I felt as well in Reading traffic when I tested the manual last month.
I have test driven Honda crz manual once and that car has he best manual shifter I have ever experienced. Almost and electronic experience, so easy to shift. If the manual GR was so good, with a rev match, I might have gone the manual route.
I used to be on GT86 UK forum and know the 2nd gear failures with the GT86. Knowing that influenced my decision to go with auto one more time.
Ahmed says they did nothing to improve the 2nd gear and the GR86 are expected to have the same issues.
He has nothing bad to say about the auto. He says it has already been a very good system and has been improved further for GR86.
Silver Fox
Totally Hooked
- May 7, 2022
- 3,626
- 8,351
It's good we have the choice of gearbox with the GR86; no 'right' or 'wrong' decision in my humble opinion - down to personal preference, driving/traffic circumstances and (in some cases) physical requirement.
How many autos do we have delivered now in terms of forum contributors?
How many autos do we have delivered now in terms of forum contributors?
AndyRC
Totally Hooked
- Thread starter
- #153
Three including @Kiwi Greg in NZ
. I’m all for choice , what I find objectionable is the assertion by reviewers (to paraphrase) that “unless you are medically unable to drive a manual you must buy this” All I can say is history is littered by zealots with a point of view , they think if you shout it long enough and loud enough everyone believes it and everyone else is wrong And we know how that usually ends up 13:20 to 14:30. The other reviewers from the Atlantic i love. They have more access to toyota engineers themselves , so have more facts to share. Not that they like the auto themselvesAhmed's life may be danger now as he is the only reviewer on internet who says the auto is a good unit and the manual should have been improved.
He is either too honest or living under a rock
He mentions from mid way point of the video until the end that the manual transmission is half baked (and was for the GT86) for 1,2,3rd gears and not easy to live with and that ToyoBaru should have worked on it a little more. It seems they redesigned the synchro only for 4th gear so it is easy to shift to 4th. In traffic one uses the first three a lot. This is what I felt as well in Reading traffic when I tested the manual last month.
I have test driven Honda crz manual once and that car has he best manual shifter I have ever experienced. Almost and electronic experience, so easy to shift. If the manual GR was so good, with a rev match, I might have gone the manual route.
I used to be on GT86 UK forum and know the 2nd gear failures with the GT86. Knowing that influenced my decision to go with auto one more time.
Ahmed says they did nothing to improve the 2nd gear and the GR86 are expected to have the same issues.
He has nothing bad to say about the auto. He says it has already been a very good system and has been improved further for GR86.
AndyRC
Totally Hooked
- Thread starter
- #155
Time will tell how many autos are coming to the U.K. it’s looking like less than 6% with the split amongst forum members , safe to assume most flippers went for a Manual , all press / demonstrators are manual so out of the still to be confirmed 430 U.K. customer cars there could be less than 25 which will make it a rare beast
My little one is into go karting and really wants to inherit the GR86, I don't think her licence will be a "manual" one. She and the wife are happy that our GR is an auto. Autos will be future proof for the kids of today which is another advantage.
Interesting. I need someone to drop off and then be considered by Toyota Online Sales. Not sure if it will work that way or like the GR Yaris go to the dealership and they call up based on their list.
I will not be the second owner, so need a brand new car and neither do I want to pay over the odds aftermarket.
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