GR86 Goodwood review

danp

danp

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A well written review:

www.goodwood.com

First Drive: 2022 Toyota GR86 Review | GRR

The world is going electric but the GR86 offers a final blast of petrol-fuelled, rear-wheel-drive fun...
www.goodwood.com www.goodwood.com

Verdict

Another 34PS (25kW) and a slightly flatter torque curve aren’t going to silence those who thought the original GT86 too wimpy to count as a proper sports car, as vocalised by one indignant attendee of the launch event who demanded to know why the engineers hadn’t doubled the power output through turbocharging or an engine transplant. Despite the fact Toyota now offers exactly this with the GR Supra. “This sounds like a question from 10 years ago,” sighed the PR, harking back to sentiments expressed by the original development boss of the GT86 who said, bluntly, those saying it wasn’t powerful enough simply didn’t get it. Bravo to Toyota for sticking to its guns and offering a lifeline to those left cold by machinery that’s got too quick, too blunt and too high-tech for its own good. The GR86 harks back to a simpler age, where driver skill and application mattered more than raw power or clever chassis gizmos. If you thought they didn’t build cars like this anymore, they still do. Just not for long. Let’s just hope Toyota’s UK operation is successful in its hope of securing a few more cars to satisfy demand.
 
Thanks for posting @danp , I didn't even realise that Goodwood did car reviews!

Agree it's a decent review, enjoyed reading it
 
The comments about the power or lack of are funny. I see it all the time on PH, every car review the car has too much or too little power. A German mega saloon comes out with 600+bhp, it's got too much power, where can you use it in the UK, you will lose your licence in 4 seconds, can't use it on a track as it's too heavy, then you get cars like the 86, MX5 and the like and they moan because it hasn't got a turbo and 300+bhp. Is there a goldilocks point where there is unanimous agreement on power levels?
 
v8s said:
The comments about the power or lack of are funny. I see it all the time on PH, every car review the car has too much or too little power. A German mega saloon comes out with 600+bhp, it's got too much power, where can you use it in the UK, you will lose your licence in 4 seconds, can't use it on a track as it's too heavy, then you get cars like the 86, MX5 and the like and they moan because it hasn't got a turbo and 300+bhp. Is there a goldilocks point where there is unanimous agreement on power levels?
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Goldilocks was a fairytale...
 
v8s said:
The comments about the power or lack of are funny. I see it all the time on PH, every car review the car has too much or too little power. A German mega saloon comes out with 600+bhp, it's got too much power, where can you use it in the UK, you will lose your licence in 4 seconds, can't use it on a track as it's too heavy, then you get cars like the 86, MX5 and the like and they moan because it hasn't got a turbo and 300+bhp. Is there a goldilocks point where there is unanimous agreement on power levels?
Click to expand...

As we are all aware the U.K. national speed limit is 60mph on single carriageways and 70mph on duel/ MWays , currently running around in a Fiesta 1litre 100 bhp EcoBoost which is enough to keep up with traffic at legal speeds and more than adequate to loose your licence. Looking at the average speed the CEO has done in her C-HR over 10,000 miles , many of which were on the motorway it’s just over 30mph. The GR86 has more than enough power for public roads 👍😎
 
I feel the same, I don’t know when 231bhp and a 0-62 of 6.3 became achingly slow, I mean a pfl i30N does it in 6.1, current Fiesta ST in 6.5, i20N in 6.2, BMW 128ti in 6.1, it equals the Golf GTI at 6.3..

It’s in the ballpark of some quick motors but I can guarantee you’ll be buzzing your tits off on your favourite road way more in the GR86 than any of the above. If the yanks are to be believed too then it’s putting out slightly more power than the headlines, one of the reviews that came out today mentioned the car feeling slightly more spritely and urgent than the numbers suggested.
 
Loads of mundane cars will do 0-60 in under 10 seconds nowadays and that was considered the sporting line in the sand eons ago. It's not really about the 1/4 mile drag anyway it's about the fun it provides going round the corners.
 
v8s said:
The comments about the power or lack of are funny. I see it all the time on PH, every car review the car has too much or too little power. A German mega saloon comes out with 600+bhp, it's got too much power, where can you use it in the UK, you will lose your licence in 4 seconds, can't use it on a track as it's too heavy, then you get cars like the 86, MX5 and the like and they moan because it hasn't got a turbo and 300+bhp. Is there a goldilocks point where there is unanimous agreement on power levels?
Click to expand...

For me as long as the car is light, has more than 200bhp and I have total control over it, it's fine for me. As you grow older you realise absolute power corrupts absolutely and lightweight is better for everything. It's all well and good having lots of power, and you always need some to get you out of trouble but you have to think how and where can I use it? More power means more consumables, more regular servicing, more fuel costs, more to tax. Some cars with more than 300bhp stock are horrendous to tax now. Plus once you have a bike, everything else is slow in a straight line.

It's been said 300bhp/per ton is the goldilocks figure. So the GR86 would need 380bhp. I don't fully agree with that as that's more than an E46 M3 (218 bhp/ton but would be nice. Providing it's light (Today that's ~1200kg with all the safety stuff we have to have), around 200-250bhp per ton is ideal. The GR86 is 180bhp/ton so not far off. Plus you can use it all every day. A little bit of weight saving and the same manifold, exhaust, filter and map we did to the old 86 and over 200bhp/ton is in easy reach.
 
I hope if all these reviews keep banging on the same drum on how good it is and how Toyota need to secure more allocations, then there may be more of a concerted effort to do it.

I still struggle with Toyota GB not being able conjure up more cars over a 2 year period. I mean Toyota = Car Manufacture = Sell cars. That's their sole business purpose, they make a brilliant car they can sell but can't make, that is a colossal failure.
 
ZN8 said:
I hope if all these reviews keep banging on the same drum on how good it is and how Toyota need to secure more allocations, then there may be more of a concerted effort to do it.

I still struggle with Toyota GB not being able conjure up more cars over a 2 year period. I mean Toyota = Car Manufacture = Sell cars. That's their sole business purpose, they make a brilliant car they can sell but can't make, that is a colossal failure.
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Probably much more interested in selling the bZ4X and making a success of that after being castigated for being late to the BEV party . If we are honest GR is a more of “hobby” for the boss , 99.9999% of folk worldwide don’t buy a Toyota for its sporting potential, a good number just want to be able to mount a heavy machine gun on the back of their Toyota and carry a dozen mates around with them 🤷🏻‍♂️
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Ask these lads if they’re upset if they missed out on a GR86 😂 Having thought about it maybe they are as they were going to buy a few and flip em to buy a few more pickups 🤔
 
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Its a shame but you are right. The GR brand is niche and I'm sure they don't generate much profit, it probably isn't high up in terms of priority in their business model but they still market it hard.
 
I don’t know the figures but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s less than 0.01% of turnover and much less on profit 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
The only way Toyota UK are getting them is if they poach some of another countries production run, can’t see any regional Toyota bosses being happy with that.
 
v8s said:
The comments about the power or lack of are funny. I see it all the time on PH, every car review the car has too much or too little power. A German mega saloon comes out with 600+bhp, it's got too much power, where can you use it in the UK, you will lose your licence in 4 seconds, can't use it on a track as it's too heavy, then you get cars like the 86, MX5 and the like and they moan because it hasn't got a turbo and 300+bhp. Is there a goldilocks point where there is unanimous agreement on power levels?
Click to expand...
I couldn't agree more, My NC3 MX5 has 158 bhp, weighs 1190 kg and we course our way through 20 miles of B roads and 10 miles of A road daily and we hit high 90's on the B's because it turns in amazingly and just carries the momentum superbly (I do run PS 4's!!).....I have had all sorts of high end machinery get much smaller in the rear view mirror after a series of bends....the extra 70 odd bhp with little extra weight and the talk of the turn in being agile on the GR is going to get me setting the lap timer on my daily commute!!
 
After reading all the reviews, many allude that one journo at the Spain test was still whinging about "not enough power" and "why not turbo?" I wonder who that was.
 
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