Toyota GT86 (2012)
Discussion
Not an owner but really fancy one at some stage.
There are several different kits for going FI. Although this will set you back a few quid. Fensport would be worth talking to for more info.
N/A tuning is limited, I think you can improve the drivability and squeeze a little more power out them but there isn't much to be gained really.
There are several different kits for going FI. Although this will set you back a few quid. Fensport would be worth talking to for more info.
N/A tuning is limited, I think you can improve the drivability and squeeze a little more power out them but there isn't much to be gained really.
I look at them from time to time. As a cheap(ish) sports car which does actually have back seats there aren’t many alternatives. The lack of power wouldn’t bother me much as it’s not what the GT86 is about but you might find it underwhelming coming from a 350Z. I can’t help but feel they are a bit overpriced still with 10 year old examples at more than £10k. A few years back I paid £2995 for a 10 year old Celica T sport which turned out to be one of the best cars I’ve ever owned.
It's not the fastest car and a 350z/370z is faster in a straight line that's for sure. What you need to think about is what this car is for. It's a B road car not a straight line demon.
If you buy a standard car with no engine modifications then you will notice the flat spot that these cars are known for. It can be resolved by a manifold and full exhaust, plus a remap to sort it out. It never really goes away fully though.
There's plenty of other aftermarket power mods you can do like a turbo or supercharger but it's going to cost you an extra £4k if you pay someone to do the work.
The question is if you have a dog bigger than say a 1-2 year old child, there's not much space in the back, so it might not be any good for you. Also it is best to think long term of what you might be doing in life. You have a dog now so do you want to be changing car again in a year or 2 if you then start to get more dogs or a family? Might be best keeping the 350z and saving up for maybe a hot hatch like FK2 or i30N. Granted they aren't rwd but they will be practical.
If you buy a standard car with no engine modifications then you will notice the flat spot that these cars are known for. It can be resolved by a manifold and full exhaust, plus a remap to sort it out. It never really goes away fully though.
There's plenty of other aftermarket power mods you can do like a turbo or supercharger but it's going to cost you an extra £4k if you pay someone to do the work.
The question is if you have a dog bigger than say a 1-2 year old child, there's not much space in the back, so it might not be any good for you. Also it is best to think long term of what you might be doing in life. You have a dog now so do you want to be changing car again in a year or 2 if you then start to get more dogs or a family? Might be best keeping the 350z and saving up for maybe a hot hatch like FK2 or i30N. Granted they aren't rwd but they will be practical.
coldel said:
If it had 250bhp+ I would be in one in a flash.
I'm exactly the same as you with this too. The owners never seem to complain about the performance though, but I guess that it does depend on what you've come from though. I can tell you without even driving one that I would be disappointed with them as standard performance wise.
I didn’t rate my S14a 200SX with its standard 197bhp either and that had a turbo on it in comparison. Once I'd modded/tuned it to around 250bhp though I absolutely loved it to bits, and it is still easily one of the most favourite cars I've ever had.
cerb4.5lee said:
coldel said:
If it had 250bhp+ I would be in one in a flash.
I'm exactly the same as you with this too. The owners never seem to complain about the performance though, but I guess that it does depend on what you've come from though. I can tell you without even driving one that I would be disappointed with them as standard performance wise.
I didn’t rate my S14a 200SX with its standard 197bhp either and that had a turbo on it in comparison. Once I'd modded/tuned it to around 250bhp though I absolutely loved it to bits, and it is still easily one of the most favourite cars I've ever had.
I work in a Toyota main dealer here in Dublin and we had one sit in the showroom for 18 months. it got test driven a few times and people just kept saying the same thing. "Its a bit slow". And they sound very muted. Ive driven a few of them and my 2 cents on them is, they aint fast at all, a mk5 gti or clio 182 will leave you for dead. They sound too quiet when stock. The toyota multimedia is only ok but the JBL hifi audio is pretty good. its very small in the back and it like getting in and out of a 911 Porsche small. But the main thing is that its just very dull to drive on a day to day basis.
Not sure about tuning them as ive never looked into it
Get a hot hatch instead
Not sure about tuning them as ive never looked into it
Get a hot hatch instead
JoeyMc said:
I work in a Toyota main dealer here in Dublin and we had one sit in the showroom for 18 months. it got test driven a few times and people just kept saying the same thing. "Its a bit slow". And they sound very muted. Ive driven a few of them and my 2 cents on them is, they aint fast at all, a mk5 gti or clio 182 will leave you for dead. They sound too quiet when stock. The toyota multimedia is only ok but the JBL hifi audio is pretty good. its very small in the back and it like getting in and out of a 911 Porsche small. But the main thing is that its just very dull to drive on a day to day basis.
Not sure about tuning them as ive never looked into it
Get a hot hatch instead
I think its probably the same as the 350Z - you really have to drive it in the 4-6k rev range to make it feel 'quick' on the twisties, and thats when they come alive. Im guessing a test drive doesnt have that kind of driving.Not sure about tuning them as ive never looked into it
Get a hot hatch instead
The BRZ is basically the same car, AFAIK the drivetrain's the same however the chassis tuning is a little more stable / less tail-happy than the GT86.
I owned a 350Z HR and test drove a GT86, the Nissan is far quicker. Speed in the Nissan is deceptive cos it's so linear, but it does get a decent move on when you rev it out. The GT86 is quite a bit slower, takes a third longer to reach 100mph for example. With the Z you have to get down the gears and then it moves, with the 86 you get it up to the top of the rev range and *still* not much happens.
The GT86 on the other hand is a quarter-tonne lighter, sits you lower, and feels 'tauter' and more responsive, more of a sports car and less of a GT. It's fun when driven hard, the fun is in maintaining momentum I think.
In terms of power tuning there are a few not too expensive mods that get a little more power and 'clean up' the response as stated. Then you're faced with a fairly big jump to forced induction, but then you get a correspondingly dramatic difference in power throughout the rev range.
To get a proper thoroughbred sports car (not a modified saloon) with sports car handling and real performance, and (small) rear seats, I think you're looking at £20k and maybe a 996 or an RX-7. But those are old cars now and high-maintenance, as well as more to buy.
I owned a 350Z HR and test drove a GT86, the Nissan is far quicker. Speed in the Nissan is deceptive cos it's so linear, but it does get a decent move on when you rev it out. The GT86 is quite a bit slower, takes a third longer to reach 100mph for example. With the Z you have to get down the gears and then it moves, with the 86 you get it up to the top of the rev range and *still* not much happens.
The GT86 on the other hand is a quarter-tonne lighter, sits you lower, and feels 'tauter' and more responsive, more of a sports car and less of a GT. It's fun when driven hard, the fun is in maintaining momentum I think.
In terms of power tuning there are a few not too expensive mods that get a little more power and 'clean up' the response as stated. Then you're faced with a fairly big jump to forced induction, but then you get a correspondingly dramatic difference in power throughout the rev range.
To get a proper thoroughbred sports car (not a modified saloon) with sports car handling and real performance, and (small) rear seats, I think you're looking at £20k and maybe a 996 or an RX-7. But those are old cars now and high-maintenance, as well as more to buy.
I think people approach the GT86 from the wrong way
It was designed to be a car that was great fun to drive and enjoyable at lower speeds, it came with low grip tyres so the cars moves around under you.
Something thats very rare in modern cars unless you have load of power and by the time you are loosing grip its at a fair speed.
There will always be something faster on the roads than you but they might not be having as much fun as you!
It was designed to be a car that was great fun to drive and enjoyable at lower speeds, it came with low grip tyres so the cars moves around under you.
Something thats very rare in modern cars unless you have load of power and by the time you are loosing grip its at a fair speed.
There will always be something faster on the roads than you but they might not be having as much fun as you!
Turn off traction control on the 350z and you can be losing the back end at under 30mph no problem!
The GT86 was an idea, which in theory is a good one, problem is that the moments where you get the fun out of it are few and far between. Between these moments of fun you are left in the dust of much faster cars who can also move about and be playful in the twisties.
Its a good car, but I think universally (aside from a few passionate owners) everyone knows they got it wrong with the engine.
The GT86 was an idea, which in theory is a good one, problem is that the moments where you get the fun out of it are few and far between. Between these moments of fun you are left in the dust of much faster cars who can also move about and be playful in the twisties.
Its a good car, but I think universally (aside from a few passionate owners) everyone knows they got it wrong with the engine.
JoeyMc said:
I work in a Toyota main dealer here in Dublin and we had one sit in the showroom for 18 months. it got test driven a few times and people just kept saying the same thing. "Its a bit slow". And they sound very muted. Ive driven a few of them and my 2 cents on them is, they aint fast at all, a mk5 gti or clio 182 will leave you for dead. They sound too quiet when stock. The toyota multimedia is only ok but the JBL hifi audio is pretty good. its very small in the back and it like getting in and out of a 911 Porsche small. But the main thing is that its just very dull to drive on a day to day basis.
Not sure about tuning them as ive never looked into it
Get a hot hatch instead
Interesting, this Ireland based road test came out when first launched, the guy testing it was certainly happy (it also influenced my purchase back in 2013... after 9 years still loving it!) https://youtu.be/K6ObYAvMr9sNot sure about tuning them as ive never looked into it
Get a hot hatch instead
Owned a GT86 brand new from 2013 and still use it as my single car. I have had a 350z for a few years before so I know where you are coming from!
It does my commuting, social and track days as well as ferrying a couple to the airport with 2 cabin and 2 medium check in bags if you flip the back seat down. the back seats are a squeeze. so you can take a small adult for a 15 minute drive somewhere like drop off at the station etc. nothing more than that.
The interior is hard wearing and simple. nothing fancy so nothing every goes wrong. Control weights and positioning are perfect.
The only thing I have done is upgrade the brake pads, brake hoses and fluid. 20 minute sessions on track no problems! if you want more power then a supercharger kit and associated upgrades for about £8k is the way to go. You can get it to 350z performance without the weight and better balance overall.
oh one final thing. enjoy it by revving it, shifting gears and braking late!
It does my commuting, social and track days as well as ferrying a couple to the airport with 2 cabin and 2 medium check in bags if you flip the back seat down. the back seats are a squeeze. so you can take a small adult for a 15 minute drive somewhere like drop off at the station etc. nothing more than that.
The interior is hard wearing and simple. nothing fancy so nothing every goes wrong. Control weights and positioning are perfect.
The only thing I have done is upgrade the brake pads, brake hoses and fluid. 20 minute sessions on track no problems! if you want more power then a supercharger kit and associated upgrades for about £8k is the way to go. You can get it to 350z performance without the weight and better balance overall.
oh one final thing. enjoy it by revving it, shifting gears and braking late!
Ankh87 said:
The question is if you have a dog bigger than say a 1-2 year old child, there's not much space in the back, so it might not be any good for you. Also it is best to think long term of what you might be doing in life. You have a dog now so do you want to be changing car again in a year or 2 if you then start to get more dogs or a family? Might be best keeping the 350z and saving up for maybe a hot hatch like FK2 or i30N. Granted they aren't rwd but they will be practical.
This is good advice, thinking about the future. But I frankly never could grasp how a FWD hot hatch of any sort could be an alternative to something like a GT86 or 350Z. Not much different than recommending a large van to somebody who currently owns a small truck and needs to carry goats, because you could fit more goats in the van and they would even be protected from the rain. A hot hatch is nothing more than a boring hatch back with a fast-ish engine. A 350Z and specially GT86 is a sports car, coupe and special design these days, RWD and basically on a totally different planet!Don't get me wrong. This is not a dig or personal to you. This has become basicaly some sort of standard advice, often repated. So this is more about this general notion. Not even close. Totally different type of car. Maybe it goes hand in hand with people forgeting what a sports car is, when many consider 4 doors cars, or hot hatches sports cars. Or maybe it's the scarcity of cars like the 350Z and GT86. But doesn't cover the same bases at all.
Edited by Shifter1 on Friday 25th November 19:19
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