RE: Toyota GT86: PH Fleet

RE: Toyota GT86: PH Fleet

Tuesday 28th July 2015

Toyota GT86: PH Fleet

Another red car that the Internet loves to argue about joins the fleet - welcome the GT86 Primo!



Full disclosure from the off: I like Toyota GT86s. And Subaru BRZs. Really like them. They are cars that divide opinion like few others but, while far from perfect, the ethos they represent and the things they do well - for me at least - far outweigh the bad bits. Don't worry, we'll come to those...

No spoiler for the win!
No spoiler for the win!
So to say I've been rather keen to run a GT86 long-termer would be rather underselling the excitement. But why now, with the car a few years old and with apparently every Internet argument made? Well you may have noticed recently a little range refresh for the '86, which included the introduction of the GT86 Primo. No spoiler, 16-inch wheels, less equipment and, most importantly, a price £2,500 under a regular car. The £22K GT86 becomes a reality!

GY15 VFZ is a GT86 Primo. Furthermore, it is a £22,495 Primo, deliberately specified without a single option. Not only does this mean the car can be assessed in its most basic form, it also opens up a whole load of new comparison possibilities. See the Clio Trophy for example, which starts at £21,780. So it's painted in the only no-cost colour - GT Pure Red - with the normal stereo, seats and everything else. Which is quite refreshing actually.

TT owners avert your gaze now!
TT owners avert your gaze now!
It arrived yesterday and, yes, it's certainly basic. It locks and starts with a key (!), the lights are on a stalk, the infotainment screen feels tiny and even the digital speedo has gone. The latter is quite annoying in fact but there's already a lot to like. I think the GT86 look is vastly improved by deleting the spoiler, even if the 16-inch wheels aren't quite so appealing. It feels very much like a my first Gran Turismo car, ready to do battle with Civics and Silvias in the Sunday Cup. No bad thing given I'm quite a fan of that too. The tyres - because what's a GT86 story without mention of those? - are Yokohama DB E70s; I've not heard heard of them but will report back after some, er, more comprehensive testing...

It arrived box-fresh yesterday with 81 miles and is currently on 126. A running-in period isn't advised (we've checked with Toyota, honest!) so the full fury of 200hp and 151lb ft can be unleashed from the off. For the first evening I just mooched home and there are no plans to be flat out just yet; it just seems like the right thing to do with a brand new car. Famous last words...

Remember these?
Remember these?
Still, we have lots of activities planned for it. With Beaulieu hosting Simply Japanese this weekend it would be rude not to pop down and there's a Scottish road trip planned too - more on that over the coming weeks. It will be heading on track as soon as possible to see how those tyres stack up and I quite fancy another 'ring trip. Don't forget there's an AE86 on Toyota's heritage fleet as well... So plenty to look forward to over the next six months or so, particularly for a self-confessed fanboy. How deep-seated is the appeal? Would you really buy one over a turbocharged hot hatch? Can it do boring journeys as well as the fun ones? Answers to follow in due course. For now feel free to discuss how it's too expensive and not fast enough...


FACT SHEET
Car
: 2015 Toyota GT86 Primo
Run by: Matt 
On fleet since: July 2015
Mileage: 126
List price new: £22,495 (and £22,495 as tested! List price £22,700, GT86 Primo currently available with £205 dealer discount until September 30)
Last month at a glance: First day in what promises to be a blissful six months!





[Photos: Ben Lowden]

Author
Discussion

dirty_dog

Original Poster:

676 posts

175 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
The wheels and tyres do look shocking but I can see the appeal of a base spec. It even looks OK without the spoiler.

3yardy3

270 posts

113 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Great to see a basic car being tested! if it was my money basic with at least a little bit spent on wheels, the wheels on that are too small and make the car look like it sits really high. (Big Arch Gap)

adriman

325 posts

209 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Digital speedo delete sounds like a terrible idea! The dial is really difficult to read. Be interested to hear what the tyres are like, the Michelins are reasonable in the warm / dry but awful in the wet. Are they still 215 section?

em177

3,127 posts

163 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Sounds good. £2500 saved to go towards your own choice of aftermarket suspension and wheels clap

RenesisEvo

3,602 posts

218 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
I will stick my neck out and say I actually prefer those 16" wheels to the regular fit 17s; they need a darker paint colour to work however, plus I'm not keen on the flat red.

The biggest question for me though is, would it be worth spending the extra? If it was me, I'd be looking for every excuse to step up. I think the price gap needs to be larger - if you can afford a £22.5k car new, a £25k one isn't going to be that that much further away. And in the latter, you won't be constantly reminded of cost-cutting. Make the Primo 20/21k and it would appear better value in my eyes.

TristPerrin

135 posts

177 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
dirty_dog said:
The wheels and tyres do look shocking but I can see the appeal of a base spec. It even looks OK without the spoiler.
I actually really like the new/different wheels. Certainly much nicer than the tacky silver/black affair on the standard car. irked

I have to agree with the removed spoiler though.

battered

4,088 posts

146 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Want one. Want one, want one. Don't care about the deleted bits, simpler is nicer. The GT86 is one of the few cars that have made me sit up in the last 2 years. The other one is the F type. Both of them make me drool.

I'm currently watching values of used GT86s, hopefully the introduction of a cheaper one will make them sink again. It's a real world sports car that isn't going to empty your wallet if you have to do 10-15k miles a year.

Matt Bird

1,450 posts

204 months

PH Reportery Lad

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
adriman said:
Digital speedo delete sounds like a terrible idea! The dial is really difficult to read. Be interested to hear what the tyres are like, the Michelins are reasonable in the warm / dry but awful in the wet. Are they still 215 section?
It is a terrible idea! And the speedo doesn't have 30 on it. Or 70... They're now 205/55 R16. You could throw them out to sea to save a man overboard!

chris333

1,034 posts

238 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Matt Bird said:
adriman said:
Digital speedo delete sounds like a terrible idea! The dial is really difficult to read. Be interested to hear what the tyres are like, the Michelins are reasonable in the warm / dry but awful in the wet. Are they still 215 section?
It is a terrible idea! And the speedo doesn't have 30 on it. Or 70... They're now 205/55 R16. You could throw them out to sea to save a man overboard!
just a hint: 30 is between 20 and 40. 70 is between...oh you get the idea.


Conscript

1,378 posts

120 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
PH said:
A running-in period isn't advised (we've checked with Toyota, honest!) so the full fury of 200hp and 151lb ft can be unleashed from the off.
Really? That advice has changed then. When I bought mine, it had 350 miles on it and the advised running-in period was to keep it under 4K revs for 1000 miles.

Probably the most irritating 650 miles of my life tongue out

Diderot

7,263 posts

191 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
PH said:
so the full fury of 200hp and 151lb ft can be unleashed from the off.
That did make me chuckle. smile

OTOH, very nice to drive these and looks good in red.

mrpushrod

68 posts

137 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
I just had a week with the IMSA liveried Goodwood GT86 and was completely smitten with it. It had just enough power to be interesting and was one of the most enjoyable cars I've driven for years. I was gunning to borrow a Primo from Toyota but they didn't have one to lend, now I know why!

burningdinos

122 posts

120 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
I quite like the wheels and the tall sidewall (for current standards) tyres boxedin

Could use a clearer speedo though

RichwiththeS2000

443 posts

133 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Arch gap at the rear looks somewhat mad with these wheels..!

exceed

454 posts

175 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Conscript said:
PH said:
A running-in period isn't advised (we've checked with Toyota, honest!) so the full fury of 200hp and 151lb ft can be unleashed from the off.
Really? That advice has changed then. When I bought mine, it had 350 miles on it and the advised running-in period was to keep it under 4K revs for 1000 miles.

Probably the most irritating 650 miles of my life tongue out
Every car you buy from new, get in it and drive it how you want.

Nearly all performance manufacturers engines are fine, it's the gearboxes that need some nannying (with autos - manuals can drop the clutch and drift out the showroom if you like).

Running in period is a legacy from yesteryear! Although I imagine manufacturers like the fact you're looking after the car for them within the warranty period...

Guvernator

13,104 posts

164 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
I'll be the first to say it, NEEDS MORE POWER.

BUT I'm not talking about strapping a turbo onto it and making it 300bhp+ as that would defeat the whole purpose of a cheap sportscar. What I am talking about is another 30bhp and 15lb and some breathing\exhaust mods to make it sound nicer and give it some much needed zing.

It's been out for a few years now, I really thought they'd do a mild facelift and give the engine a going over to give it a bit more character.

TartanPaint

2,981 posts

138 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Guvernator said:
I'll be the first to say it, NEEDS MORE POWER.

BUT I'm not talking about strapping a turbo onto it and making it 300bhp+ as that would defeat the whole purpose of a cheap sportscar. What I am talking about is another 30bhp and 15lb and some breathing\exhaust mods to make it sound nicer and give it some much needed zing.

It's been out for a few years now, I really thought they'd do a mild facelift and give the engine a going over to give it a bit more character.
Cosworth Stage 1.3?

Squadrone Rosso

2,740 posts

146 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
My wife gets her new 86 on Friday.

Polar opposite to this on as every option ticked (over £4k worth).

It's been in Blighty for a few weeks as all options are added at Portbury Docks!

Heated seat pads have caused a delay.

She's moving from an Alfa GT V6 so this will be vastly different.

someday

161 posts

158 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
£22K new but £15K for a three year old one. Can we talk the used price down a bit? I've heard they're quite slow wink


MadDog1962

890 posts

161 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Deleting the digital speedo seems like going a bit far. It was much easier to read than the analog dial. In the UK with aggressive enforcement of speed limits this will be a pain.

No rear spoiler seems like a good way to go. They don't do much at road speeds anyway, and just spoil the lines.

The higher profile tyres won't hurt the handling all that much, but it will probably ride a lot better, especially in the UK.

I miss mine a bit. I had the Scion FR-S version. It was a lot of fun at the weekends on the open road, but no good for city driving. Ride was horrid on potholed streets and the low clearance required slowing almost to a crawl over kind of ramp or traffic bump.