GR86 Test Drives Email!

[SRGardening]

Yes, I think if I can do that it will do for me too.

Same here too!

 

[KobayashiMaru86]

Good write up. MPG will improve I'm sure. Last new car I had was quite tight and was bad on fuel, to the point I thought there was something wrong with it. But after 5k it really loosened up and got faster and once the first oil change was out of the way it was as expected.

 

[AndyRC]

Thanks for taking the time to post that up, very informative. That mpg though! That's big engined v8/12 territory. Hope it's just because it's not run in.
Non dimming mirror seems a bit of a cheap cop out and if the parking camera is poor resolution during the day it's going to be useless at night, I'm already on ebay looking at parking sensors that don't need holes drilling

@v8s Look on the brightside the GR86 is at least letting you scratch part of the V8 itch , if that MPG is correct that is C63 territory in Sport + AKA Warp Drive

 

[v8s]

@v8s Look on the brightside the GR86 is at least letting you scratch part of the V8 itch , if that MPG is correct that is C63 territory in Sport + AKA Warp Drive

V8 fuel consumption I could probably live with if I had the V8 performance to go along side it.

 

[GR86GRY]

When I jumped in the front with the chair in the position needed for a rear passenger the worst bit seemed to be the shape of the glove box getting in the way.

Definitely worth playing around with that if you're going to have people back / front regularly.

 

[Silver Fox]

I know I put myself on sabbatical until the cars started arriving, but consider me gently easing myself back in now that real cars are being delivered at real dealers and are being really driven by real GR-ZOO contributors.

"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in" etc.

I would like to express my gratitude to all those taking the time to post their reflections (and photos) having driven or seen the demos - I very much appreciate it.

While I'm here, I do have a question.

The recent 'learning day' that Toyota staff had hooning around on track in GR products - I've read/heard that this is to help provide us waiting customers with a "better experience".

Is this not like me visiting a 'gentlemen's club ', and perhaps taking advantage of, er, an 'enhanced service ' (which I've *cough* heard you can do), and then going home to explain to my partner that it's to help make me a more attentive companion?

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

 

[Stardus.]

Can also confirm we do get the puddle lights at the doors. But it's not LED, only the number plate light is

 

[v8s]

Can also confirm we do get the puddle lights at the doors. But it's not LED, only the number plate light is
View attachment 9793

Here's a post I put up about puddle lights.

GR86 - GR puddle lights

I'm not really one for modding but I am quite drawn to these, only seen then them on amazon Japan though.

www.gr-zoo.com

 

[Silver Fox]

OK: Sensible question alert.

I may have missed this in the reflections and photos above, so apologies if I have.

Does the GR86 have those little hooks in the rear for hanging apparel?

I do wear suits and formal jackets for work and sometimes socialising, and it would be terrible for one's Boglioli or Corneliani to get creased and all scrunched up on the back seat.

 

[PVGR]

OK: Sensible question alert.

I may have missed this in the reflections and photos above, so apologies if I have.

Does the GR86 have those little hooks in the rear for hanging apparel?

I do wear suits and formal jackets for work and sometimes socialising, and it would be terrible for one's Boglioli or Corneliani to get creased and all scrunched up on the back seat.

Well if it doesn't I'm not buying it

Can't have my off the rack poorly fitting M&S suit I wear twice a year getting creased.

 

[Silver Fox]

Well if it doesn't I'm not buying it

Can't have my off the rack poorly fitting M&S suit I wear twice a year getting creased.

Nowt wrong with M&S suits! Good construction and materials for the money.

 

[GR86DG1987]

A great review, but that economy eeek , think my dad's old cayenne used to get that sort of MPG with 4.5 V8 even his old Skoda Superb 3.6 used to do 35 MPG+. Will have to pay attention on a test drive had hoped for 30ish MPG maybe a tad more on a smooth motorway run. Good job it won't be a daily driver.
A few random questions, does the GR86 have that small panel with the numbers in the glovebox like the GT86's had for extra functions like anti-hijack locking, another trivial but curious to know feature do the exterior lights come on when you lock/ unlock the car, lastly does it look like there is space still to have a spare wheel under the boot floor?
A bit disappointed that there is no auto-dimming mirror may have to investigate options when car arrives (sometime in 2024... )

 

[86GR]

@drz252 did you reset the mpg trip at the start of the drive. Maybe that 17.7mpg included the first 12miles loading on/off transporters, boats etc.

 

[Conscript]

@drz252 did you reset the mpg trip at the start of the drive. Maybe that 17.7mpg included the first 12miles loading on/off transporters, boats etc.

That's a very good point. 12 miles of being shunted around or revved up on the dyno at the factory for calibration wouldn't be very efficient at all, and you wouldn't improve that average much adding just s couple more miles on a test drive.

 

[churchie]

I'm sure a GR86 would better 18 mpg in normal use. My Subaru Forester XT 2.0 averages 19 mpg ... despite being 18 years old; on 140K miles and mostly used for short trips (often driven briskly).

 

[sim61]

A great review, but that economy eeek , think my dad's old cayenne used to get that sort of MPG with 4.5 V8 even his old Skoda Superb 3.6 used to do 35 MPG+. Will have to pay attention on a test drive had hoped for 30ish MPG maybe a tad more on a smooth motorway run. Good job it won't be a daily driver.
A few random questions, does the GR86 have that small panel with the numbers in the glovebox like the GT86's had for extra functions like anti-hijack locking, another trivial but curious to know feature do the exterior lights come on when you lock/ unlock the car, lastly does it look like there is space still to have a spare wheel under the boot floor?
A bit disappointed that there is no auto-dimming mirror may have to investigate options when car arrives (sometime in 2024... )

I can answer one question, yes there is a space for a spare wheel under the boot floor.

I visited Jemca Bracknell today and had a good look around the car. Overall pretty impressed with build and materials used. Engine is very free revving and has a great induction sound of air being sucked in.

 

[Ersakus]

@drz252
Thanks for great write up first of all.
The GT86 (57k miles on odo ) does 30mpg in town and 47 on motorway speeds. 63mpg at 58mph speeds. So it is surprising good for a non hybrid car.
I am really surprised how bad the gr86 scored in your test drive as you say it included 60mph roads as well. As others said may be idle engine runs before yours contributed to the poor average value

 

[drz252]

Hello again everyone.

Firstly, thank you all for your kind words - it is gratifying to know that some of my waffling was useful or entertaining.

Secondly, I hope it will be helpful to address some of your questions and comments. So here goes...

Fuel Consumption

Oh dear - have I unwittingly started the next 'RTV sealant' debate? That certainly was not my intention, but perhaps some further discussion is warranted before I'm forced into seppuku for dishonouring the good name of the GR86.

I did not reset the trip computer before my test drive, and cannot say whether the 12 pre-delivery miles on the clock played a significant role in the indicated average consumption. But I covered 65 miles myself which would more than balance any time spent on the factory dyno, and I doubt that the car is being thrashed on and off ferries (or around the Derby airstrip).

I drove the car for about two hours on empty, winding B-roads with plenty of tight corners, changes in elevation and open straights to test the credentials of the vehicle. While I will confess to driving with a little more enthusiasm than a reluctant pensioner heading to Dignitas, I was absolutely not hooning around at the red line or drifting sideways around corners.

The "17.7mpg" photograph was taken when stopped at a petrol station about half-way through my drive, as there was no better opportunity. While live consumption could go over 80mpg when lifting and coasting, I think it was seldom much higher than 23mpg in typical driving. Obviously, any extended periods with bursts of acceleration will slaughter the average consumption. I had an SL55 which would manage 15-16mpg downhill with a breeze behind it, so I have clearly learned nothing from the frequent anxiety attacks while limping from one rural petrol station to the next (although that was in those halcyon days of petrol for a quid a litre).

Back to the test drive, and I refuelled with exactly £10.00 of super-unleaded (at £1.69/litre), which - as mentioned before - bought me another 31 miles of indicated range. So let's do some maths...

• £10.00 / £1.69 = 5.92 litres of petrol purchased
• 5.92 / 4.55 = 1.3 gallons of petrol purchased
• 31 miles / 1.3 gallons = 23.9mpg expected consumption

If we therefore assume an average 24mpg, and super-unleaded at today's £1.69/litre, here are your likely annual fuel costs for the GR86:

Annual Mileage	Gallons per Year	Litres per Year	Annual Cost
1000	42	190	320
2000	83	379	641
3000	125	569	961
4000	167	758	1282
5000	208	948	1602
6000	250	1138	1922
7000	292	1327	2243
8000	333	1517	2563
9000	375	1706	2884
10000	417	1896	3204

Right, on to some other topics:

Headrests

I believe @Sprotacus is right to say that the headrests can be removed, but I could not find a way to change the angle of the headrest. Pages 120-121 of the User Manual show that you can adjust height or remove them, but that you should not drive without the head restraints (for obvious safety reasons). They are damned uncomfortable, though.

Front Passenger Legroom

@doogle83 correctly states that the wedge-shaped protrusion of the glovebox can make front passenger ingress a rather uncomfortable process. Since the car is already so low, your passenger may want to 'fall backwards' into the car and then swing their legs into the footwell, but the sticky-out glovebox doesn't make this any easier. I had no such difficulty getting into the driver's seat.

Steering Wheel Adjustment

@jb1750 asks about the steering wheel...

There is limited scope for adjustment of the reach and rake of the steering wheel, but no more is really needed in such a cosy cabin. I could adjust the wheel to a comfortable position, through which the various displays were all clearly visible.

Power Delivery

As @Bathroom_Security suggests, there is no 'fireworks display' as you head towards the rev limiter, only the growing urgency to shift up. Especially for those who have never driven a car with a naturally-aspirated engine, I think it would be fair to describe the power delivery as 'linear', as there is no sudden (and often unwelcome) surge of power as a turbo kicks in. This might come as a disappointment to those raised on modern hot hatches, and we must remember that we are talking about a GR86 with a fairly modest 230-ish brake horsepower. But - for the price - I thought the power delivery was one of the greatest pleasures of driving the GR86 on the open road.

Spare Wheel

Yes, @GR86DG1987, you could take up the boot carpet and find space for a spare wheel. In fact, you could remove the boot carpet and all of the foam inserts and double the available height and capacity of the boot, should you so wish. The foam inserts only hold a tyre inflation kit and a couple of tools.

Kids

Finally, @Swizzle announces that:

my only hope is that i plan to have 2 kids on the passenger side, fingers still crossed

You can recline the seat on the passenger side, but - as an alternative - I would probably suggest a romantic weekend in Paris. A meal in a nice restaurant and a good hotel probably sets the mood better than a drive-thru KFC before heading to that quiet lay-by on the way to the industrial estate.

Either way, we wish you well.

 

[AndyRC]

@drz252 , don’t worry about starting another debate , the RTV one has gone quiet and we need something new to hit the keyboard over .

My thoughts , onboard computers can be wildly inaccurate particularly at the start of journeys and with lots of short runs. As we know the only way to know the actual consumption is to brim the tank , set the trip and calculate after a refill, several times.

Consumption is massively affected by conditions and the person driving , one persons “steady” is another’s “please stop , I’ll walk home” etc. Keep up the reporting you may have missed your vocation

It will be interesting to see what folk get when they get their cars and are brimming the tank and doing the calculations, anyone fancy managing an MPG List , I’ve already got one list to look after

 

[Ersakus]

@drz252
I was thinking of 15 percent larger engine size means 15 percent worse mpg. 30 mpg with the gr86 becomes 25. So your estimation 23.9mpg in city sounds right.