GR86 Test Drives Email!

v8s said:
Re the indicators, I don't if it is true but the sales person told me that no other Toyota has indicators like that so why on earth did they go to the trouble/cost of developing them the way they did:confused: Bizarre.
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Could it be because of the lane departure feature in the auto version. Just a thought…
 
I had it on a rental car and got used to it after a week. Then coming back to my gt86, the turn signal control there felt like hard work! I hope we will all get used to it.
 
Ersakus said:
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).
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Paul is great and a car enthusiast. He wanted to order one for himself too. It's interesting to see so many bracknell / reading reviews and purchases. Pawel used to work at Reading too and helped me with a GRYaris test drive.
Now I need to go and try my luck for a test drive. I don't have a confirmed booking, just a place on waiting list. Need to experience it compares to my Cosworth SCd older cousin.

Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk
 
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I finally got around to booking a test drive last week. Have it at Hendy Bournemouth on Thursday. Will need to get it on some country roads the other side of Wimborne to get a good feel of it, as Bournemouth roads are too busy.

To anyone who has test driven from them, where did you drive / how long did they give you?
 
OPC100 said:
I finally got around to booking a test drive last week. Have it at Hendy Bournemouth on Thursday. Will need to get it on some country roads the other side of Wimborne to get a good feel of it, as Bournemouth roads are too busy.

To anyone who has test driven from them, where did you drive / how long did they give you?
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Hi OPC
I had 3 hours. I used to live down that way and I would recommend the wimborne to cranborne road. My test drive was from hedge dealers but I got out to the South Downs around Goodwood. You could could head up the A338 and then pick up to B3081 out to the cranborne road. Hope that’s some help
 
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GRpirate said:
Hi OPC
I had 3 hours. I used to live down that way and I would recommend the wimborne to cranborne road. My test drive was from hedge dealers but I got out to the South Downs around Goodwood. You could could head up the A338 and then pick up to B3081 out to the cranborne road. Hope that’s some help
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Thanks. Hedge End is Snows isn't it, but if Hendy are that flexible I'll be happy. But yes, the B3081 was the plan and if I have time (they give me time), I'll be all over the Cranborne Chase taking a loop that includes Zig Zag Hill, Stepleton Bends and the roads below Tarrant Rushton Airfield. Let's see what Thursday brings. 👍
 
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I finally got to test drive it today. Went with high expectations having read the glaring reviews by the ECOTY team.. constantly reminding myself to be realistic as I really wanted to like the car. Here are my honest thoughts:

1. The first thing that caught my attention was the perfect combination stiffness and comfort - couldn't ask for better from a sports car.
2. Loved the stick feel nice short and slick - needed to get used to picking it up in the first gear lol.. having driven only autos for almost 6 years now.
3. I was a bit concerned about the interior quality - but it didn't put me off - and I am a very fussy person (unfortunately!)
4. Was let down by the rear seats.. Even my 6 year old could'nt fit his legs in behind me - which means I wont be able to enjoy the car with family at all. A 911 was no problem for us in this regard.
5. The biggest let down for me was that there was no drama (read soundtrack) at all. I've learnt over time that for me that is a big part of sports car experience. I was reminded today of how I hated driving a 718 2.0 few years ago that was praised by everyone and made me wonder if I am getting too old for sports cars. But then jumped into a 981 and loved every moment of the glorious flat 6 sound.
6. One thing (and a very important one) I couldn't test properly was the steering feel and handling, thanks to a bit wet weather + lots of traffic all around the dealership. Whatever little I could try, I did, and that wasn't strikingly impressed by that much. But I am giving it benefit of doubt for now, as I really want to like it and keep it :). Will try and book another test drive to take the car out on B roads on a sunny day.
7. A minor thing that bothered me was the not so ideal placement of armrest for the right hand for me when driving - the alcantara was too high and the actual arm rest was too low for me.

Please do share your experiences when it comes to steering feel and handling. Did you find it as good as hyped in that department?
 
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I finally got around to my own test drive yesterday morning (from Marshalls in Bristol) - some thoughts below.

At the moment I'm using an Elise as my everyday driver, because my (slightly) more sensible car is broken. It's always interesting to get out of the Elise and into a more normal car - it can take a little while to adapt, and of course you're getting out of a vehicle which is optimised for enthusiastic driving above all else. A more relevant point of comparison is probably my partner's RX8, which is rather more in the same category of vehicle and which I drove a bit over the Christmas break.

First observation is that the ergonomics of the GR86 are very good. Good seating position, everything within easy reach, comfortable, easy to see out. Better place to be than the RX8.

The gearshift is good. It felt rather notchy while sitting in the car switched off, but better while moving. You also get some opportunity to actually use the gearbox, unlike something like a Cayman where second gear will take you north of 80mph . . .

The clutch wasn't that big a deal, however the engine was very quiet at idle. I'm used to being able to hear the revs very clearly to manage the revs coming up from idle; I'll have to find a new way to do that! At higher revs the engine grows an (enhanced) voice that isn't particularly special, but lets you know what it's doing and is entertaining enough. I didn't find it unpleasant, though there's no boxer character to it.

The brake pedal is set too high for heel and toe. Think I'll have to figure something out about that. Maybe the accelerator pedal extension, if the brake pedal cannot be adjusted lower.

On first setting off, I was alarmed to find that the steering was very light and rubbery compared to what I'm used to, and I worried that the worst sins of electric power steering would be present. Fortunately this seems to be a deliberate choice for easy one-handed parking and manoeuvring, with the overassistance quickly dialling out on the move. The steering is very direct and responsive, and weights up nicely in line with enthusiasm applied. There is not direct feedback of the road surface in the same way as the Elise, but very few cars manage that, and there is such a thing as too much steering feedback in everyday use. I hope it's not damning with faint praise to say that on getting out of the Elise and into the GR86, I didn't think about the steering, I just got on with enjoying the drive.

The power was plenty adequate for the type of roads I enjoy. It was wet for my drive and I don't think I got the pedal all the way to the floor, but the performance was there. It did feel like there was a bit of a torque flat spot circa 5000rpm that I had to work through before things picked up again, but acceleration was strong both before and after that interruption.

I did not plan to break traction during the drive, and was surprised to find how easily the tyres slipped. The inside tyre chirped a couple of times accelerating away from T-junctions, which I'll chalk up to the locking differential, well, locking, and full throttle in first gear broke traction on wet tarmac where the Elise would not. Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised - the GR86 has more power than the Elise, narrower tyres, and a less favourable weight distribution. Managing traction will be another new skill to learn.

In the end, I would say that the GR86 is not quite as much fun to throw down a B-road as the Elise (which obviously it would have taken a rocket scientist to predict), but it is several orders of magnitude more civilised and comfortable. I'm very happy with the balance that it strikes, and am looking forward to my car arriving :)
 
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Lovely. I was booked in for a test drive with Gatwick. Waited 15 mins for someone to see me to finally be told that nobody told them and the car isn’t on site as someone took it home.

Oh, not to mention I don’t have a car so had to take taxis as i didn’t fancy waiting for a bus in the rain.

Are they taking the absolute p🤬? Any awards for worst dealership?
 
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Tushki said:
I finally got to test drive it today. Went with high expectations having read the glaring reviews by the ECOTY team.. constantly reminding myself to be realistic as I really wanted to like the car. Here are my honest thoughts:

1. The first thing that caught my attention was the perfect combination stiffness and comfort - couldn't ask for better from a sports car.
2. Loved the stick feel nice short and slick - needed to get used to picking it up in the first gear lol.. having driven only autos for almost 6 years now.
3. I was a bit concerned about the interior quality - but it didn't put me off - and I am a very fussy person (unfortunately!)
4. Was let down by the rear seats.. Even my 6 year old could'nt fit his legs in behind me - which means I wont be able to enjoy the car with family at all. A 911 was no problem for us in this regard.
5. The biggest let down for me was that there was no drama (read soundtrack) at all. I've learnt over time that for me that is a big part of sports car experience. I was reminded today of how I hated driving a 718 2.0 few years ago that was praised by everyone and made me wonder if I am getting too old for sports cars. But then jumped into a 981 and loved every moment of the glorious flat 6 sound.
6. One thing (and a very important one) I couldn't test properly was the steering feel and handling, thanks to a bit wet weather + lots of traffic all around the dealership. Whatever little I could try, I did, and that wasn't strikingly impressed by that much. But I am giving it benefit of doubt for now, as I really want to like it and keep it :). Will try and book another test drive to take the car out on B roads on a sunny day.
7. A minor thing that bothered me was the not so ideal placement of armrest for the right hand for me when driving - the alcantara was too high and the actual arm rest was too low for me.

Please do share your experiences when it comes to steering feel and handling. Did you find it as good as hyped in that department?
Click to expand...
I have received my car and steering feel and damping are very good. I have a good car CV including e30m3 evo2 .968 sport m030. And 964rs . I would say only the RS is better. You need to test these cars on undulating roads to appreciate them. And it worth bearing in mind that the steering feel of modern cars is no longer great. Evo said the steering was at least a match for any car at ECOTY so it’s as good as your going to get on a new car.
Regarding the engine noise I don’t mind it it better than expected but clearly nothing like a 6 cylinder Porsche etc. But also nothing like the purchase and running costs. There is a lot of bull out there regarding older cars. It is better as a drivers cars than an e30m3 and sounds better. The closest car I have owned that I can think of was a 944S2 and that was one of the few I regret selling
 
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I finally got my test drive today in a nice white one with the ducktail spoiler. It did look nice, white was one of the colours that I was thinking about, but still happy with my choice of silver.

Anyway, what a day to pick, 50mph+ winds and very wet, some flooded roads and heavy rain for probably half of the 28 mile route. The route was from Hendy Bournemouth, out to Wimborne, then on the B3082 through Badbury Rings, then turned onto some country roads up to Tarrant Rushton Airfield, Witchampton, B3078, then back to Wimborne and Bournemouth. So a combination of quiet country roads across the Cranborne Chase and busier roads around the towns with some roundabouts for a bit of fun! Track mode on probably half of the route including some tail out roundabout and pulling out of junction moments. 😁

I loved it. Brilliant driving position, suspension / damping felt just right for the roads that I drove on. All the other controls were great, I note the high brake pedal that others have mentioned, although not too much of a problem and felt the clutch was fine. It's a really controllable car and that was on a first drive, so I'm really looking forward to getting to know it better when I pick mine up. And this was all in the rain!

Also really nice to drive when just going with the flow and the indicators don't bother me, so all in all, I think it will work great for me as a daily.

And at 6ft, I fitted in the back behind someone 5ft6 in the front passenger seat and then they went behind me when I sat in the drivers seat. A little bit less room than my ideal driving position, but we were fine and whilst I wouldn't want to go 4 up on a 100+ mile trips, I think that this is more than doable for local pick-ups, or even for the odd longer drive.

Now I'm really looking forward to my car, hopefully Wednesday next week. 🤞
 
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--Rage-- said:
Lovely. I was booked in for a test drive with Gatwick. Waited 15 mins for someone to see me to finally be told that nobody told them and the car isn’t on site as someone took it home.

Oh, not to mention I don’t have a car so had to take taxis as i didn’t fancy waiting for a bus in the rain.

Are they taking the absolute p🤬? Any awards for worst dealership?
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Oh no. Similar, but worse experience to my first failed test drive. At least I had my car and stopped off for a McDonald's breakfast to drown my sorrows.🙄
 
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GRpirate said:
I have received my car and steering feel and damping are very good. I have a good car CV including e30m3 evo2 .968 sport m030. And 964rs . I would say only the RS is better. You need to test these cars on undulating roads to appreciate them. And it worth bearing in mind that the steering feel of modern cars is no longer great. Evo said the steering was at least a match for any car at ECOTY so it’s as good as your going to get on a new car.
Regarding the engine noise I don’t mind it it better than expected but clearly nothing like a 6 cylinder Porsche etc. But also nothing like the purchase and running costs. There is a lot of bull out there regarding older cars. It is better as a drivers cars than an e30m3 and sounds better. The closest car I have owned that I can think of was a 944S2 and that was one of the few I regret selling
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Really interesting comparison, thanks!
I’m getting quite bored waiting for my 86 and was just looking at the v late 944 S2 currently for sale by old colonel. Looks really tempting except it’s iris blue which doesn’t do it for me 🤷‍♂️. They’re still a lovely looking and great driving car…
 
--Rage-- said:
Lovely. I was booked in for a test drive with Gatwick. Waited 15 mins for someone to see me to finally be told that nobody told them and the car isn’t on site as someone took it home.

Oh, not to mention I don’t have a car so had to take taxis as i didn’t fancy waiting for a bus in the rain.

Are they taking the absolute p🤬? Any awards for worst dealership?
Click to expand...
That's another nail in the coffin for the Gatwick dealer for me. I was giving them the benefit of the doubt.

I called them late November asking about a test drive, was told that they would let me know when it was available, still waiting.. Although, I'm not in a rush as my order is still processing.
 
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jb1750 said:
Really interesting comparison, thanks!
I’m getting quite bored waiting for my 86 and was just looking at the v late 944 S2 currently for sale by old colonel. Looks really tempting except it’s iris blue which doesn’t do it for me 🤷‍♂️. They’re still a lovely looking and great driving car…
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Great cars the 944s2 I guess the problem now is finding a really good one. They are reliable but repairs can get pricey. agree on the blue mine was guards red with black Porsche script cloth.
 
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