Toyota GT86

Author
Discussion

lyonspride

2,978 posts

154 months

Monday 19th November 2012
quotequote all
Have had a GT86 for 2 days, in fact its on my drive now, about to go back to it's owner......

My impressions???

Brilliant effort from Toyota!
Handles well, feels great, driving position is perfect.

BUT it's an impracticable everyday car, no boot, no leg room, too wide for parking at the shops. You'd need another car to run around in.

Very few are going to buy it as a 2nd car, it doesn't have enough power for a weekend/toy/trackday car, it needs AT LEAST 50bhp more. Otherwise it's going to get squashed by every Audi/BMW/Merc diesel estate on the market. At 197bhp and 1200kg, It's only got some 170 BHP per tonne, which id frankly pittyful when you think that my old Westfield has over 250bhp per tonne on a 40 year old Ford engine. A Lotus Elise would be a better choice for a factory built weekend/trackday car.

They should have just gone for a balls out 280bhp trackday monster, instead they've created a compromise that doesn't fit into any useful category.
It's like they built this great car and then some fool said "hey it's too fast".

On the upside here, there are rumours of a Subaru BZR STI, so perhaps Toyota might eventually get in on that too?? IF they did then I would stand up and call it one of the best sportscars of the decade!!!


GravelBen

15,641 posts

229 months

Monday 19th November 2012
quotequote all
lyonspride said:
too wide for parking at the shops.
Er, its narrower than a Focus and only 53mm wider than a Fiesta.

LordGrover

Original Poster:

33,528 posts

211 months

Monday 19th November 2012
quotequote all
lyonspride said:
Have had a GT86 for 2 days, in fact its on my drive now, about to go back to it's owner......

My impressions???

Brilliant effort from Toyota!
Handles well, feels great, driving position is perfect.

BUT it's an impracticable everyday car, no boot, no leg room, too wide for parking at the shops. You'd need another car to run around in.

Very few are going to buy it as a 2nd car, it doesn't have enough power for a weekend/toy/trackday car, it needs AT LEAST 50bhp more. Otherwise it's going to get squashed by every Audi/BMW/Merc diesel estate on the market. At 197bhp and 1200kg, It's only got some 170 BHP per tonne, which id frankly pittyful when you think that my old Westfield has over 250bhp per tonne on a 40 year old Ford engine. A Lotus Elise would be a better choice for a factory built weekend/trackday car.

They should have just gone for a balls out 280bhp trackday monster, instead they've created a compromise that doesn't fit into any useful category.
It's like they built this great car and then some fool said "hey it's too fast".

On the upside here, there are rumours of a Subaru BZR STI, so perhaps Toyota might eventually get in on that too?? IF they did then I would stand up and call it one of the best sportscars of the decade!!!
Just rofl

lyonspride

2,978 posts

154 months

Monday 19th November 2012
quotequote all
GravelBen said:
Er, its narrower than a Focus and only 53mm wider than a Fiesta.
If you count wing mirrors width.....

The GT86 wing mirrors are barely wider than the body, parking it up against my garage door, the rear is much wider than the back of my Vectra and that isn't a small car. Parking up at work, it was really tight squeeze just getting out of it, in fact I had to abandon my usual space because I wouldn't have gotten out of the car.

Wadeski

8,129 posts

212 months

Monday 19th November 2012
quotequote all
lyonspride said:
Have had a GT86 for 2 days, in fact its on my drive now, about to go back to it's owner......

My impressions???

Brilliant effort from Toyota!
Handles well, feels great, driving position is perfect.

BUT it's an impracticable everyday car, no boot, no leg room, too wide for parking at the shops. You'd need another car to run around in.

Very few are going to buy it as a 2nd car, it doesn't have enough power for a weekend/toy/trackday car, it needs AT LEAST 50bhp more. Otherwise it's going to get squashed by every Audi/BMW/Merc diesel estate on the market. At 197bhp and 1200kg, It's only got some 170 BHP per tonne, which id frankly pittyful when you think that my old Westfield has over 250bhp per tonne on a 40 year old Ford engine. A Lotus Elise would be a better choice for a factory built weekend/trackday car.

They should have just gone for a balls out 280bhp trackday monster, instead they've created a compromise that doesn't fit into any useful category.
It's like they built this great car and then some fool said "hey it's too fast".

On the upside here, there are rumours of a Subaru BZR STI, so perhaps Toyota might eventually get in on that too?? IF they did then I would stand up and call it one of the best sportscars of the decade!!!
Toyota think they can sell 100,000 of these per year.

Lotus have sold 30,000 Elises since 1996.

As the yanks say..."do the math".

GravelBen

15,641 posts

229 months

Monday 19th November 2012
quotequote all
lyonspride said:
GravelBen said:
Er, its narrower than a Focus and only 53mm wider than a Fiesta.
If you count wing mirrors width.....

The GT86 wing mirrors are barely wider than the body, parking it up against my garage door, the rear is much wider than the back of my Vectra and that isn't a small car. Parking up at work, it was really tight squeeze just getting out of it, in fact I had to abandon my usual space because I wouldn't have gotten out of the car.
Toyota quote 1775mm for the GT86 but don't specify if it includes mirrors or not. Ford quote 1722mm without mirrors for the Fiesta, or 1973mm with mirrors. The 53mm difference is assuming the GT86 figure doesn't include mirrors, otherwise its mirrors are 198mm narrower than a Fiestas.

Could be longer doors needing more space to open I guess.

chopper602

2,171 posts

222 months

Tuesday 20th November 2012
quotequote all
I've had mine since the 1st November and am loving it ! Plenty of power for me and the ability to get the back end to silly angles! It's an ex-demo so I got it considerably cheaper than new.



LordGrover

Original Poster:

33,528 posts

211 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
I hope the grin remains for as long as you keep it. biggrin

RedAndy

1,204 posts

153 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
LancerG said: "the st205 celica was nominated hairdressers choice in 1996."

Were you thrashed by one in your Lancer and that's why you're a hater? wink

Or is it just that you meant ST202?! wink

elementad

625 posts

149 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
Can you SERIOUSLY get the back end out in these without it
A) being wet
B) belting it around a corner
C) ramming it into tail end of first gear (for under 30mph wet bends)

The reason I ask is because I used to own an S2000 for a fairly long while which weighed the same as this and was over 40bhp up on this and you would have to cane it to get the back end out at low speed in dry conditions (easy in the wet).
Skinny tires or not I would've thought this thing would be difficult for the every day non-Tiff Needell driver

Genuinely interested

Hanslow

800 posts

244 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
I managed to get the backend to step out on my test drive redface It was mildly damp, but going from a 30, round a 90 degree corner onto a long slip road onto a dual carriageway. I was told to give it some beans, so 2nd gear from the apex, and away it went way before I was near 70. All I could do was smile and say "oops" biggrin

liner33

10,623 posts

201 months

Thursday 22nd November 2012
quotequote all
I used to hang the back end out on my Sprinter van, little did I know at the time that this is the definition of a sporty drivers car


XJSJohn

15,959 posts

218 months

Thursday 22nd November 2012
quotequote all
liner33 said:
I used to hang the back end out on my Sprinter van, little did I know at the time that this is the definition of a sporty drivers car
front engine, rear wheel drive, lightweight body, manual gearbox, turbocharged, 2 seater option hehe

LordGrover

Original Poster:

33,528 posts

211 months

Thursday 22nd November 2012
quotequote all
Ditto in a Sherpa pickup early eighties - more by accident than design though. paperbag

elementad

625 posts

149 months

Thursday 22nd November 2012
quotequote all
I used be able to get the back end out in my old rwd 1.4 Volvo 340 15 years ago..... in the wet.

The wet doesn't count. Who enjoys hooning in the wet with your freshly polished machine?

chopper602

2,171 posts

222 months

Thursday 22nd November 2012
quotequote all
elementad said:
Who enjoys hooning in the wet with your freshly polished machine?
The photo I put on earlier, was half way through a hoon last Friday - was great !

BadBanshee

650 posts

136 months

Thursday 21st February 2013
quotequote all
GFWilliams said:
£1600 a year for me at age 19. Pretty good IMO! I've started saving for one...
What?! How?! I pay £1400 for a swift sport and I'm 22! And I live in the South...

BadBanshee

650 posts

136 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
quotequote all
The Geographer said:
check out this review: http://youtu.be/DYrvhkIivgA

he is a hungarian presenter, but for the first time they made the double effort and filmed an english version of their road test. very well done if you ask me
I'm a bit confused. He does about 10 million drifts, then says "this car isn't good for drifting."

crispyshark

1,261 posts

144 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
quotequote all
elementad said:
Can you SERIOUSLY get the back end out in these without it
A) being wet
B) belting it around a corner
C) ramming it into tail end of first gear (for under 30mph wet bends)

The reason I ask is because I used to own an S2000 for a fairly long while which weighed the same as this and was over 40bhp up on this and you would have to cane it to get the back end out at low speed in dry conditions (easy in the wet).
Skinny tires or not I would've thought this thing would be difficult for the every day non-Tiff Needell driver

Genuinely interested
Had one for a press test a couple of weeks ago and with the TC off and in sports mode on yes, it's very easy to get the back end out.

It also went round the SS Silverstone track session very well.

Brilliant car for the money and if you liked the S2000 gearbox you will adore the GT86!

BadBanshee

650 posts

136 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
quotequote all
crispyshark said:
Had one for a press test a couple of weeks ago and with the TC off and in sports mode on yes, it's very easy to get the back end out.

It also went round the SS Silverstone track session very well.

Brilliant car for the money and if you liked the S2000 gearbox you will adore the GT86!
Soo many mixed opinions about the playfulness of the back tyres with this car. Maybe it just comes down to whether you have the guts or not! (or whether you were daft enough to forget to turn off ESC as per somebody earlier in this thread!)

Either way, what seems to be agreed is that the nature of the rear tyres losing grip (when they do) is progressive rather than sudden. That's cool, yo.