Toyota GT86 - you sit down and ... you are in the center of events

Hot hatches have virtually eliminated smaller, cheaper sports cars from the market. Most likely, it was a matter of design and production costs. However, the last bastion did not fall. After all, there is a Toyota GT86!

Let's play in 5 seconds. Name three cheap new sports cars... Mazda MX-5, Toyota GT86... so what? That's all.

In the 90s, we could choose between offers. Now we are not able to replace even three cars. And for a long time we only had the MX-5. Of course, there are hot hatches, but these are sports family cars - no matter how fast they are, they are not able to give the same experience as a sports car designed as a sports car from scratch. Low-cut, rider-hugging, snug yet pleasant to the touch.

And there is such a machine. Toyota GT86.

Sports coupe

Toyota GT86 went on sale in 2012 and thanks to the facelift, those years are not visible. Yes, the uniform might have been worn or tired, but the car certainly doesn't look old.

Toyota coupe it is very short, only 132 cm high. The wheelbase is relatively long at 257 cm. This is 12 cm longer than the Porsche 911. However, the 911 is 28 cm longer. The differences are due to the length of the overhangs and are a consequence of the concept and design of both vehicles.

The GT86 is a go-kart driving experience.so the wheels are placed at the corners. The overhangs are almost flat and very short, 84,5 cm in front and 82,5 cm in the back. A fairly high ground clearance of 13 cm for a sports car may come as a surprise.

On cars with boxer motors however, this is a fairly common occurrence. With a flat engine, the center of gravity is so low that the vehicle can be hung slightly higher without losing lateral rigidity. Thanks to this center of gravity, the shocks can also have a longer stroke, so they do not touch the bumps and pick up the bumps quite comfortably.

By lowering this car, one could probably improve cornering behavior, although it seems to me that this can be done mainly for visual reasons. With standard suspension, you can say GT86 "Stands like a goat."

The two tailpipes of the exhaust system look specific, but that's because they have a diameter of ... 86 mm.

There are no cars like the Toyota GT86...

Hot hatches are great. They are practical, roomy enough and fast. Even very fast. And yet, sitting in them, we will not feel like in a sports car.

We won't feel this tightness, we won't look around through long side windows, we won't squeeze through long doors in parking lots, we won't humiliate someone by putting them in these imitation rear seats.

Everything about the GT86 feels like a thoroughbred sports car. Short lever manual transmission, aluminum pedals or bucket seats. The decor on the Alcantara dashboard also looks good.

The trunk holds only 243 liters, but coupe body can be quite practical. My friend has a Toyota and a set of tires in the back - of course, after folding the sofa.

We have everything in a hot hatch, but we do not feel such a connection with the car, as in Toyota GT86. Here we are completely in the center of events.

Should be faster?

200 HP by today's standards, not so much. That's what the average D-segment car has. Peak torque is 205 Nm at 6400 rpm, which looks pretty good for a naturally aspirated 2-litre but sounds ridiculous compared to turbo engines.

Likewise with acceleration. Many criticize Toyota GT86 for being a sports car that accelerates from 100 to 7,5 km/h in XNUMX seconds. It's guaranteed to lose the race against the easy majority of B-segment hot hatches and probably every C-segment hot-hat, as well as plenty of limos, station wagons and SUVs.

What is it about sports? It's hard for me to describe in words. The GT86 has a front engine, rear wheel drive, manual transmission and narrow tires. at a size 215. With 200 naturally aspirated horsepower, that doesn't make it a drift car.

We can go really fast on dry pavement and the rear axle stays relatively in place. The car is very maneuverable, weighing only 1,2 tons. The very direct steering makes the car feel great. Helps in this and a very low-mounted chair. The smile never left the driver's face!

In addition, the naturally aspirated engine gradually picks up emotion, releasing full power at only 7000 rpm. This requires more frequent shifts, intergases, downshifts, and all the things we get from a manual transmission in a sufficiently powerful car.

Having the keys to Toyota GT86however, every morning you look out the window behind dark clouds. Only in the rain your smile is revealed in all its glory. Firstly, the rear end very willingly goes out, and secondly, the steering system allows you to control it very precisely.

And don't underestimate it the capabilities of the 200 hp engine. with TorSen differential on the rear axle. If you turn traction control off, you should already be focusing on driving, otherwise you might be surprised. Or even swerve in the middle of the road, which can be extremely dangerous.

Let's wait for a successor

Is the Toyota GT86 fast? From a driver's point of view, yes. The sense of speed is excellent. Besides The GT86 is the perfect machine for learning how to drive fast - we feel every movement, over time we will begin to feel the limit, to which we approach very smoothly, until we finally learn how to squeeze out GT86 latest juices. And at every stage of this training, we will have a lot of fun. Later you can transfer to more powerful cars and this is a fact - the Supra is even better, but also twice as expensive.

All hope for a successor. It is said to have a larger engine, still naturally aspirated but 2,4 in displacement and closer to 260 hp. It might be interesting. think after driving GT86 And, knowing the Supra already, you can be confident in the next Toyota sports car.

This is good. It will be even better.