With so many different marques and models these days, cars are beginning to look and feel the same. Particularly electric vehicles with their minimalist interiors and gargantuan screens, almost all of them use the same design language. 

But occasionally a brand will introduce a treasure of properly built cars. No, we are not talking about electric vehicles, we are talking about pure petrol-guzzling masterpieces which we enjoy driving.

Let’s take Toyota for instance. They have been known to make reliable and fun cars since the beginning of time. One of the most popular models that any car enthusiast will know is the Toyota Supra. However, one other model is as iconic or maybe even more iconic than the Supra, the Toyota AE86. 

This car will always have a special place in our hearts, and it has become a unicorn of sorts. The AE86, especially with the Initial D livery, which is from a Japanese street racing manga series, will always turn heads anywhere it goes. 

But after it was discontinued, fans and enthusiasts were left wondering if Toyota would ever bring back the 86 nameplate with a modern twist. In 2011, the Toyota made many dreams come true when the 86 made a comeback with its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show and the fans went wild! The 2+2 sports car is the product of a joint development between Toyota and Subaru which named their car, the BRZ. 

There are subtle differences between the two which help differentiate them such as the bumper, wheels and light designs. But that is a topic for another day. We are here to talk about the current generation Toyota GR86, which is the sportier and more refined version of the GT86. 

For starters, this is an entry-level sports car and if you are in the market for a fun car on a budget, this would be the ideal one. 

Under the hood, it runs a 2.4L horizontally opposed four-cylinder boxer engine that produces 237PS and 250Nm of torque. Now that does not sound like a lot for a sports car but it is good enough. Not a lot of people get that this car was not built for speed but rather for pure driving pleasure. 

It has sufficient power to slingshot you out of corners and some quick overtaking on highways. It does 0-100km/h in 6.3 seconds with the manual transmission and 6.8 seconds with the automatic transmission. The version we tested was the automatic with paddle shifters. Now I know fanboys are going to say that the manual variant is much more fun compared to the auto one and I would agree.

However, the automatic transmission can be fun as well. It is still a GR86 after all. 

As fun as this sports car can be, it can also double as a daily driver. For starters, the GR86 does not have a loud exhaust which means there is no droning noise inside the cabin that can annoy you on long drives or when idling. 

Toyota added a neat little feature to still give you the thrill of flooring it. As you reach certain RPMs a symphony of engine sounds is fed to the insides of the cabin through the speakers. It is augmented and though it may be fake, we liked it. However, if you’re not a fan of it, you can simply take the car to a mechanic and unplug the wiring that enables those sounds to come through. 

There are a few different drive modes available which are normal, sport, snow and track mode. The snow mode is basically an off-road mode if you ever happen to drive on dirt or mud, it reduces wheel spin which keeps the wheels from slipping and sliding. Turn it to sports mode and the throttle mapping changes a little bit which sharpens the throttle and allows you to keep it at high revs. This is best used when you’re on an open highway and have an itch to go a little faster.

Track mode is a whole different level. Switching it to track mode will change the  digital instrument cluster to a progressive visual rev counter to get you into that racing mentality. But, you should really just use this on a track or a controlled environment. This mode allows you to do what the car is meant to do. You can throw it around corners and let the rear end kick out which allows you to drift into and out of corners. 

The 18-inch matte black alloy rims are wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres as standard which are not bad but most people who buy a GR86 usually swap them out. The road noise on the Pilot Sport 4 can be very noticeable at times but not to a point where it becomes annoying. Performance-wise, it is acceptable as it keeps the car planted in corners and does not skid during hard acceleration.

The suspension set-up on the front has a MacPherson Strut with stabiliser bar and the rear is made up of a Double Wishbone stabiliser which is a solid setup for the GR86 because of how much the car can handle during extreme conditions. Let’s just say, this car took the corners of Ulu Yam like a champ! However, the only complaint about this is that you can feel every bump on the road. 

But thankfully, the seats are comfortable enough that this did not bother us. We can guarantee that the Ultrasuede leather seats are comfortable because this writer got stuck in a 10-hour traffic jam on the way to Penang! Now the rest of the interior is what I love about this car. There are no unnecessary screens and functions that you find in most cars nowadays and there are physical buttons for all the necessities. The touchpoints feel solid, are of good quality and nothing feels cheap or flimsy.

You get an eight-inch display audio system with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and dual-zone automatic climate control system with dual LCD toggle displays which is more than enough technology needed in a sports car. Everything is straightforward and easily accessible.

The USB ports are located inside the centre armrest for some reason. My thoughts are that if they had placed the drive mode buttons somewhere below the air conditioning controls, they could have freed up some space for the USB ports to go there. But it is not a big issue, it still works. 

Now the big question is, can you fit rear passengers? The short answer is no. There is barely enough space to fit a kid at the back let alone grown adults. The only way to utilise the rear seats is to either use them for baby seats because it does have ISOFIX points, put small bags, and items or fold them down to get more boot space. 

Speaking of boot space, it has 226 litres of it, which is decent enough for a small sized sports car. We managed to fit two luggage, a laptop bag a few other grocery-sized bags. But as mentioned before, if you need more space, you can always fold the rear seats. 

With all that weight that the car is carrying, us included, was the fuel efficiency good or bad? We can say that this car is perfect for long drives and daily use around the city. It has a 50-litre tank and we travelled from Subang Jaya to Penang to Ipoh and back to Subang with only three fuel stops. We got an average of 11.7L/km which was not that bad given the fact that we were stuck in traffic most of the time, and boxer engines are not exactly known to be fuel efficient.

As for safety, Toyota never lacks in this because even for sports cars, all the essential safety features are there. You get blind spot monitoring, lane departure alert, pre-crash system which helps you stop the car before, well, crashing into anything. You even get adaptive cruise control and seven airbags. 

So, if you happen to be looking to get into some sports car action, this may very well be a good car to start with, that is, if your pockets are deep enough. Because with all these amazing features and just the car being an icon of the automotive world, it does not come cheap. The manual transmission variant is priced at RM295,000 and if you opt for the automatic transmission, it will cost you RM305,000. 

Will we pay this much for a GR86? Well, as a kid, I dreamt of owning a red sports car and if I get the chance, yes, I will buy a Toyota GR86.

Specifications

Engine: 2.4L horizontally opposed 4-cylinder boxer

Power: 237PS

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 6-speed Automatic with Paddle Shifters

Price (as tested): RM305,000.

We like: Performance, Comfort, Exterior and Interior Looks

We don’t like: Not parked in our garage.