BMW, Honda, Renault and Toyota: pure class - Sports Cars
Strength (or, in this case, potency) wears out those who have it. Therefore, the quartet must be as clear as snow. According to the team responsible for Toyota GT86, with less power and less weight, the doors of motor nirvana open, and we agree with them. While we've been accused of not fully understanding the GT86 / BRZ's twin soul philosophy (and only because we assumed it would be more fun with a little turbo aid), we love what the GT86 stands for. To show that we value a car like this, and to welcome the newcomer, we lined up three of our favorite cars, all playing by the same rules. They all have similar operating parameters to those of Toyota, with 200 hp. or less with a mass from 1.100 to 1.300 kg (more precisely, 1.279).
The first contender is the best M in history, BMW M3 E30... This variant without Evolution with 197 hp. at 7.000 rpm it has almost the same power as the Toyota, but weighs 74 kg less and has 34 Nm more to its advantage.
The second contender is no less iconic Honda Integra Type R (DC2), which was voted Best front-wheel drive always" from us at EVO. Having 10 hp and 27 Nm less than the Toyota, it is the least powerful of the group, but it is also the lightest (together with the M3) at 1.166 kg.
Rounding out the quartet is the car that on paper is closest to the GT86. Not only Clio RS Light It has a lower specific power - only 3 hp. (158,7 versus 161,4) and the same displacement as the four-cylinder, but it has exactly the same tire size (215/45 R17).
Today I am heading to the smallest county in England, Rutland. It's a leisurely drive through the countryside, and the view from the GT86 - so low it looks like you're in a supercar - is gorgeous. You sit at the bottom, it seems, inside the chassis, a bit like on the Elise, with legs more extended than usual, and a small steering wheel in front. IN Speed The six-speed manual transmission is delightful, the lever is close at hand and the gear changes are smooth and concise. The GT86 is very compact and easy to move around in such narrow streets or in traffic jams.
The first stop of the day is a huge reservoir in the center of Rutland County. Ironically, when four cars are parked side by side, the biggest one is the green Clio. The M3 looks perfect with its boxy wheel arches, and there's something about the Integra's low, elongated line that makes it look like a GT86, although it's front-wheel drive rather than rear-wheel drive.
The Clio's license plate is shiny or silly depending on the point of view, but we all agree on the quality of the car it is sporting in. The driver's position is high, especially when compared to the GT86, and you have to lower the lever to shift gears instead of just moving it to the side like on the Toyota. But just leave it to forget everything and start having fun. Red hand tachometer yellow likes to move further and further to the right, and the gearbox encourages gear changes at record speeds. With a pedal with excellent sensitivity, already at the start of stroke i Brembo brakes they have almost disproportionate power compared to the engine, and their ability to instantly block Renault it's phenomenal.
With this frame super-responsiveness, bumps and potholes are immediately felt, and on a classic country road, hard (though not exaggerated) driving makes the car bounce like a hyperactive kid that Red Bull is smoking. IN steering it gets heavier with each press, forcing you to apply some force to the steering wheel to handle it. With a sharp turn, the weight is shifted to the side at the level of the front suspension. If it then turns in the opposite direction, the weight shifts to the other side. At this point, you take your foot off the gas pedal, and the outer rear tire clings to the asphalt, and if you quickly enter corners, you can hear the inner rear wheel brighten momentarily and remain suspended in the air.
Mainly thanks to his bus with more performance, the Clio looks more impressive and sharper than the Toyota when it travels through the countryside, and forces you to use every millimeter of asphalt around corners. It also has more grip and to the limit where Michelin Primacy HP Toyota raises white flag, French woman can fully rely on her ContiSportContact3 who refuse to let go completely.
Our target is the Welland Viaduct: it is too impressive not to be used as a backdrop for photographs. When I get on the M3 E30, I go back twenty years. As with the Clio, the driving position is taller and straighter than the Toyota, and you immediately notice that the pedals don't line up with the seat and steering wheel. The Getrag gearbox takes time to get used to (apart from the first-reverse-left configuration) and is handled with more care, more carefully followed through the final inches of travel in each gear. Also brakes a certain age require respect (even when it comes to BMW).
We've talked about this before, but it's worth repeating: often the E30 looks more like a front-wheel drive car with great tuning than a rear-wheel drive one. Like the GT86, the E30 lacks the power to overcome rear grip using only the throttle and tends to focus on the front grip rather than the rear. But even if some might find it a disadvantage, the best part about the E30 is that you don't have to throw it into exaggerated traverses to have fun.
Take, for example, the two curves we used to photograph this service. Compared to the Clio or Toyota, BMW seems to have roll corner entry troublesome and steering seems to be very slow. So the next time you get a better measurement and decide to enter, use a roller to transfer the weight and allow the vehicle to enter the support. When you load the weight, the steering wheel appears to be telepathically linked to the heaviest front wheel, at which point you can do whatever you want because you know exactly what the car is doing and the effect of each small correction. driving or accelerating. While maintaining constant speed and concentration, you can feel the lateral force acting on the frame and flowing from front to back. It's a great feeling.
I think we all agree that interior design doesn't matter much in this test. None of the four have a dashboard or doorway worthy of Victoria Beckham to faint Armani. But even in this mediocre interior, Honda's black plastic living space is depressing. And yet Integra manages to look perfect. The black leather of the steering wheel has been smoothed and polished by the hands of those who have ridden it over the years, and now it shines like the boots of a soldier in a national parade. Even the outer shoulder of the driver's seat, with leather slightly cracked and damaged when entering and exiting the car, shows the years and kilometers that Integra has on its shoulders. The slightly nauseous scent of Arbre Magique stings our nose. But the hands are completely free on the rim of the Momo steering wheel, and the body allows itself to be held in the supportive embrace (too much, at the hips) of the Recaro bass. Completes the interior with a lever handle Speed, made of gray and monotonous metal. But this is not just metal, this is it Titanium. The Integra's cab is the automotive equivalent of a modest student apartment, where everything is exactly as you'd expect it to be, save for a Chippendale sofa or a Rubens painting on the wall.
The VTEC soundtrack is mesmerizing, but the Integra itself doesn't force you to hit full power right away, not least because the gear changes are more fluid and less explosive than Toyota's. IN suspensions then they have very little sporty softness, and they share it more with the old M3 than with the two modern cars. Type-R is great, but at first there is a little voice in your head that makes you question it. But then the pace increases, breaking through an invisible barrier, and suddenly springs and shock absorbers they compress a little harder and the steering becomes more lively in your hands. At first, since the steering is so communicative, it's easy to think you've hit the limit of traction with the small 15-inch front wheels. Nothing else is wrong. If you get into corners faster, the Integra responds admirably, flooding you with information through the steering wheel. The pedals are also communicative, and the brakes are incredibly strong (despite the rusty calipers).
At first, the focus is on the front end in the corners, but as the pace increases, the rear comes into play to help the car stay up and running. IN limited slip differential it is not as aggressive as the modern Mégane, it just holds the front wheels in place and prevents them from rolling. If you overdo it with the throttle, you can even extend the rear when you take your foot off the accelerator, but the Integra's oversteer is just as controllable as possible. This car is truly magical and makes you drive until you run out of gas.
Even after trying everyone else, the GT86 definitely doesn't feel slow, and since you're trying to use all available revs in every gear, it's a constant heel movement upside down. boxer who always has the necessary determination to jump out of the curves. But it is in the corners that Toyota does not shine like the others. It has fantastic balance and can be corrected, but because of the tires, the frame is less sensitive to the limit (while still very sensitive than other contenders, thanks to the shiny frame), so you can rely more on instinct, which however goes down ... the limit beyond which no one else can bother her.
You enter a corner at high speed, raise the accelerator just enough to hold the front end and lose it in the back, open the throttle again, hold the drift at will, and enjoy the moment. It's fun, but the opportunity to perform in a good cross country is rare.
So how does the GT86 fit into all of this? Well, it has nothing to be ashamed of in this company in terms of power and performance, and while its quad isn't particularly flashy, none of the other engines outshine it too much (not even the Honda, which is a real surprise). However, in this test, we are not interested in pure performance, so that's okay. Power aside, the only real criticisms we can make of Toyota are two: the chassis is too bright for a car like this, and the steering wheel has little feedback.
The inevitable consequence - and even more so when confronted with such gifted cars - is that Toyota doesn't inspire and really starts to amaze you only when you're close to the edge. You sit so low and there is so little roll thanks to barycenter at ankle height that seems determined and glued to the asphalt until the tires beg for mercy.
Thus, steering not supported by these weak tires does not give you enough information about what is going on between the rubber and the asphalt. With others, you can work on balancing the frame long before the grip drops to zero, and with the GT86, you have to guess what's going on. It's a bit like climbing a mountain on a day of thick fog: all of a sudden, you reach the top without even realizing it, and enjoy a breathtaking view from above the clouds, while with other cars you climb the same mountain, but on a sunny day, and you enjoy the view and the rise. In fact, with the other three, it doesn't matter if you don't make it to the top.
I like the GT86, especially on a track or slippery road, but I think it has a lot more potential than it shows. Perhaps with better performance tires and a bit more grip, he could get some of the Clio's liveliness. Or maybe all it needs is a little extra power to give the frame something to work on. We'll see... Let's not forget that even the 197bhp Clio didn't convince us when it debuted, but a few simple changes, like the first three shorter gears, were enough to turn it into the 203bhp Clio we love so much.
Unfortunately, the huge difference in price between the Clio and the GT86 is quite difficult to justify when it turns out that their dynamic qualities do not differ much. Toyota is saved only by the coupe line, which is more glamorous and somewhat more mature than the French sporty compact look. Not to mention, Toyota is great on wet roundabouts.
Considering the four applicants from a cost standpoint alone, there will be only one winner: the Type-R, which can be purchased for less than € 5.000. And the fact that he is tempted to give her the crown, no matter the price, makes it all the more attractive. But it's not that simple: how to choose between the M3 E30 and the Integra Type-R DC2? It's like they asked me to argue who will win between Superman and Iron Man: choice is impossible and almost irreverent.
After all, none of these cars will allow you to experience the subtle thrill of a big V8 or a 500-horsepower turbocharged race car. Here you always have to work hard to enjoy it. And since it’s not a matter of power for them, it’s obvious that the frame can only be perfect. But when the manufacturer guesses all the ingredients of the magic recipe, and the machine in question finds the right path, then you are speechless. The Toyota GT86 makes you experience some flashes of these emotions, but does not always and in no way convey them. We hope that over time he will get into the club of the best.
