So, 12 months of ownership for my GR86 have passed. I thought I’d put metaphorical “pen to paper” to note down my thoughts.
My particular car is somewhat famous as I purchased the exact press car that featured in EVO Car of the Year 2022 – yes, the car that almost took the top spot and came in 2nd overall to the Maserati MC20. Whilst press cars get a bit of a thrashing, they also get regular maintenance and refreshed pads/tyres to keep them in top condition – and touch wood, I’ve had no issues with my car.
In many ways, I’ve really enjoyed the car, and think it is superb value for the fun overall package you get, however, it hasn’t quite made it to be my all time favourite car I’ve owned. More on that later.
So, let’s look at the different elements of the car:
Looks:
Obviously, this is subjective, but to my eyes, this is a great looking car for this price/class of car. Yes, it can look a little generic from directly front on or looking straight at the rear, but I think the lines from the side vents to the side skirts and the muscular rear haunches look great.
Handling:
The car has a very playful chassis – and if driven in Track mode – you need to be aware that the car will step out on you very easily. This is super fun for those experienced with rear drive and power oversteer, but could catch out the unwary/inexperienced. If you leave all the traction aids on, be aware that in the wet the car will still oversteer to a mild degree before the traction control cuts in (rather abruptly it has to be said).
The great thing about the handling balance and the chassis setup in general is that you have options with the car in terms of how you want to drive it. Want to be fast and smooth? – no problem, the car is with you. Want to be lairy? – absolutely sir – very happy to oblige. Want to just relax and carve through the turns? sure thing, the car is a willing partner with you.
The steering is also excellent in my view, and the steering wheel is a great size and thickness. It gives you enough feedback, not too much, and allows you to guide the car with accuracy and confidence.
Engine & Exhaust note:
Compared to the previous GT86 (which I test drove a few years back), the engine is now much more befitting of the car, is “fizzy” at high revs, and now has the torque now to feel like a proper sporting car. When you are “on it” – it really is good fun. When you are just pootling about in town or in traffic, it goes about its business without any drama. In fact, zero drama whatsoever – and this is a bit of a problem in my view. Even though it is powered by “only a 4-pot” – it should still sound better than this….
Alpine’s A110 sounds purposeful and sporting for instance, this doesn’t.
If only it sounded like an Impreza … with a proper Flat four offbeat burble…..It is a Subaru engine after all!
Which brings me on to the exhaust note – which is a disappointment. Start it up from cold and the exhaust note is almost apologetic. It’s quiet, with zero “bite/bark”, and to be honest, is probably one of the aspects of the car that a lot of owners will probably look to modify.
The problem is that a lot of the after-market exhaust options only end up in making you sound like a “Max Power” boy racer. What I’d ideally like is a purposeful sounding car, without the chav factor..
The “piped in sound” I really don’t mind. At least this gives you some aural drama that is patently missing when hearing the car from the outside.
Gearbox & Clutch:
Direct, and snickety between the ratios, this is a nice gearbox to use, no doubt, however – it could still be improved to be truly top class. For a start, the clutch biting point is very high I think for a sporting car – making it sometimes tricky to pull away smoothly. The change from 1st-2nd gear is also clunkier than it should be – especially when the car is warming up from cold. This jerkiness seems to improve once the car is fully warmed up, but it can result in lumpy progress when moving off from standstill. This is an issue multiple owners have noticed and something that could be better for sure.
The other issue with the transmission is that the revs seem to “hang” and sometimes take an age to die away when you are heeling and toeing. Chris Harris commented on this in his youtube review – citing the flywheel as the perpetrator. You learn to drive around this of course, but this lethargy in the drivetrain could certainly be improved.
Having mentioned those points, the positive aspect of the clutch is that it is relatively light and won’t make your left leg ache like some “heavy” sports car clutches do. This is great for use in stop-start traffic.
Limited Slip Differential:
Having this on a ~£30k sports car is very rare these days. Only the MX5 can lay the same claim to fame I believe.
The LSD will lock up quickly when you give it the beans, allowing you to maximise delivery of power to the road without spinning up an inside wheel (as happens on cars with an open differential). We should be very thankful that the GR86 has a diff, as it gives you those many handling options I mentioned earlier, and improves traction delivery.
Paintwork:
The paint seems very thin and prone to damage easily. I have had some “passive damage” to the paint around the rear brake light cluster which seems to have been caused purely by small movement/rubbing of the cluster against the paint during day-to-day driving. The quality of the paint isn’t brilliant either, with orange peel effect very visible in bright sunlight.
Practicality:
For a sports vehicle, I think the car is superbly practical. I’ve been able to get my (Large Frame) 29”er mountain bike into the car (with both wheels off), and of course, with the seats down, the load area is pretty big. You can also carry more than just one passenger – with those rear seats being useful if you need to employ them to carry a 2nd, or even 3rd passenger. Of course, I would only say this is possible for short journeys – and you have to drive with your seat pushed forward to allow your passengers some rear legroom.
Build Quality & Interior:
The car seems to be constructed solidly and seems well screwed together. The materials in the interior certainly aren’t “premium”, but they do the job well enough. There are some nice touches, like the alcantara on the driver’s binnacle, and the alcantara effect on the seats, but the overwhelming impression is of dark, cheap plastics.
I have noticed that there can be an intermittent rattle where the speaker grills on the top of the dashboard and the A-pillar meet. To be honest, this can probably be eliminated with some felt/anti rattle material. I just haven’t got around to doing it yet.
Road Noise is pretty loud when cruising – there is obviously not much sound deadening. You will hear road roar/drone when cruising at 70mph. This isn’t terrible, but reminds you that the car is both optimized for weight saving and cost saving!
Comfort has been hugely improved by a small armrest pad that I installed not long after taking ownership as I felt the centre armrest was hard and painful on your elbow.
Infotainment/Stereo:
The screen on this car looks like it has come from the 90’s, not the 2020’s.
Yes it works, but it’s not super crisp, or high end looking in any way. It does have the capability for Apple Carplay/Android Auto – but asks you to plug into the USB located in the pop up compartment next to the driver arm rest. You can easily make this much more straight-forward by purchasing a wireless “Airplay/Bluetooth” USB dongle/receiver for £30-40. This means you can stream your audio without having to plug in every time.
I have found that the connection quality when plugged in is intermittent. Sometimes it “forgets” you are plugged in/won’t recognize the phone.
The stereo itself is only “adequate”. It does the job, but the audio quality is not great, and any sort of bass – well – it struggles, and you will hear speaker distortion/trim rattles. Quite a few owners have ripped out the original speakers and replaced with punchier options.
MPG:
I mainly use the car for pretty short “fun/spirited” drives (~30 mins) so I’m averaging 27.7mpg, but >30 mpg is very realistic on a motorway journey.
If you do a mix of motorway and B-roads, then roughly 29-30mpg is the likely average.
Overall Conclusion:
So where does the GR86 rank in the pantheon of cars I have owned. Well, overall, it places 2nd in my ownership history scorecard:
My personal Top 3:
1. BMW M2 (OG)
2. GR86
3. Porsche Boxster (987)
The M2 was a fantastic all-rounder. Fast, looked and sounded great (leagues better than the GR), well built, had a great interior and a superb Harmon Kardon Hi-Fi, 4 proper seats and a muscular, six cylinder engine.
The GR feels more scalpel sharp on B-roads than the M2, and has a handling balance that is just as fun (probably more so than the M2 at slower speeds) but it doesn’t quite raise the hairs on the back of your neck as much as the sonorous six cylinder in the M2.
The Boxster had superb handling and sounded great, but the cost of Porsche ownership (parts/maintenance) was just too rich for me. This soured the long term ownership experience.
So, overall, I rate the GR86 as a great car – and will definitely keep it a good few years – I only really wish it sounded better
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