GT86 Test Drive
Discussion
Just got back from my first drive in the GT86. Overall, quite impressed but stunned that the demo car was an automatic.
Performance: Pretty much as you'd expect for a normally aspirated 2k boxer; it's not going to set the world on fire but in day-to-day driving, it's plenty. If you're the type of person who enjoys destroying other vehicles when moving in a straight line, this really isn't the car for you. The performance in the auto version is also mildly worse than the manual but that's not exactly a huge surprise. The engine isn't as peaky as I thought it might be but if you want to make progress you're going to need to keep it up above 4.5-5krpm to get it to behave the way you want. It pulls nice and cleanly without any surges or flat spots and it's nice that it's clean and smooth up to the limiter as it makes it a bit less of a chore if you're pressing on. The throttle response is also excellent, even in the automatic.
Gearbox: The automatic is a massive, steaming pile of the worst kind of nasty, vile sludge I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. Anybody who specifies a GT86 with an auto 'box should be hung upside-down in a vat of their own leavings until dead. Ok, that was harsh but I really wasn't a fan. As an automatic, it was fine, but it's totally the wrong car for it. Even knocking it into its quasi-manual paddle-shift mode wasn't a significant improvement as the gear changes were somewhat lethargic and just didn't fill me with confidence that it would do what I wanted when I wanted it. I really, really need to get a go in a manual car because I honestly believe that's the only missing piece of the jigsaw.
Handling: Beautiful. Despite the annoying auto 'box, you could at least get it to hold a gear in manual mode, which made sweeping bends and tight corner much more manageable. You can put the car wherever you like without any real concern that it's going to suddenly break away and park itself in a hedge or lamp post. When you do reach the limits of mechanical grip, the break away is very progressive and manageable. In fact, deliberately coaxing it into mischief took a bit of getting used to and there's certainly more of a knack to it than say, a Lotus Elise (lift-off) or an M3 (power).
If you do disable the traction control and other electronic wizardry, it will automatically reenable itself if it thinks you're being a bit of dick. I'm sure there's a way to fully and permanently disable it but I don't think that's a great question to ask a salesman before you take out his pride and joy demo car. Nevertheless, I'd describe its rear-end characteristics as 'chirrupy' rather than 'slidey' and I think that's a decent default position for it.
On the plus side, for the times you don't want to be driving at ten tenths, if the electronics decide they need to intervene they do work well, but again, you'll have to be provoking it to see that as even in the driving rain and on horribly surfaced twisty B-roads, it gave more than enough feedback and carried itself well enough that you could probably get away with never needing them at all. I found that the ABS cuts in far, far too soon, which was quite unexpected but meh, minor gripe.
The steering is noteworthy too. Nicely weighted, perfectly sized wheel and the quickness of the rack is tip-top. Lovely stuff.
Ability to get a slightly rotund and portly friend in the back: Not amazing.
Everything else:
Fit and finish: Pretty decent.
Driving position: Exceptionally good and nicely adjustable.
Quality of materials: Japanese but lovely seats.
Silly stripes on bonnet: Whorish.
In summary: A lot of fun but totally wrecked by that auto box. Desperately want to try a manual.
Performance: Pretty much as you'd expect for a normally aspirated 2k boxer; it's not going to set the world on fire but in day-to-day driving, it's plenty. If you're the type of person who enjoys destroying other vehicles when moving in a straight line, this really isn't the car for you. The performance in the auto version is also mildly worse than the manual but that's not exactly a huge surprise. The engine isn't as peaky as I thought it might be but if you want to make progress you're going to need to keep it up above 4.5-5krpm to get it to behave the way you want. It pulls nice and cleanly without any surges or flat spots and it's nice that it's clean and smooth up to the limiter as it makes it a bit less of a chore if you're pressing on. The throttle response is also excellent, even in the automatic.
Gearbox: The automatic is a massive, steaming pile of the worst kind of nasty, vile sludge I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. Anybody who specifies a GT86 with an auto 'box should be hung upside-down in a vat of their own leavings until dead. Ok, that was harsh but I really wasn't a fan. As an automatic, it was fine, but it's totally the wrong car for it. Even knocking it into its quasi-manual paddle-shift mode wasn't a significant improvement as the gear changes were somewhat lethargic and just didn't fill me with confidence that it would do what I wanted when I wanted it. I really, really need to get a go in a manual car because I honestly believe that's the only missing piece of the jigsaw.
Handling: Beautiful. Despite the annoying auto 'box, you could at least get it to hold a gear in manual mode, which made sweeping bends and tight corner much more manageable. You can put the car wherever you like without any real concern that it's going to suddenly break away and park itself in a hedge or lamp post. When you do reach the limits of mechanical grip, the break away is very progressive and manageable. In fact, deliberately coaxing it into mischief took a bit of getting used to and there's certainly more of a knack to it than say, a Lotus Elise (lift-off) or an M3 (power).
If you do disable the traction control and other electronic wizardry, it will automatically reenable itself if it thinks you're being a bit of dick. I'm sure there's a way to fully and permanently disable it but I don't think that's a great question to ask a salesman before you take out his pride and joy demo car. Nevertheless, I'd describe its rear-end characteristics as 'chirrupy' rather than 'slidey' and I think that's a decent default position for it.
On the plus side, for the times you don't want to be driving at ten tenths, if the electronics decide they need to intervene they do work well, but again, you'll have to be provoking it to see that as even in the driving rain and on horribly surfaced twisty B-roads, it gave more than enough feedback and carried itself well enough that you could probably get away with never needing them at all. I found that the ABS cuts in far, far too soon, which was quite unexpected but meh, minor gripe.
The steering is noteworthy too. Nicely weighted, perfectly sized wheel and the quickness of the rack is tip-top. Lovely stuff.
Ability to get a slightly rotund and portly friend in the back: Not amazing.
Everything else:
Fit and finish: Pretty decent.
Driving position: Exceptionally good and nicely adjustable.
Quality of materials: Japanese but lovely seats.
Silly stripes on bonnet: Whorish.
In summary: A lot of fun but totally wrecked by that auto box. Desperately want to try a manual.
otolith said:
M135i is to a large extent what this car is about getting away from. No doubt a good car if you like that sort of thing - this is a good car if you don't.
Well yes and no - I take your point and agree wrt lightness and sure the 135i is a bit heavier but I think this comparison is going to be both interesting and valid: both are relatively affordable rwd built to entertain. - And how frustrating would it be, to be in an 86, stuck behind say a 125i and unable to pass. Conversely, how satisfying to dispatch slower traffic in a 135i, so as to tackle the twisty bits a little quicker as long as the handling in the 135i is up to entertaining the driver. It seems as if the oversteer power to grip ratio is better in the 135 than the 86 - i.e. more than enough power to generate easy oversteer on demand whereas the 86 is more limited on the road (with lower entry speeds) compared to its balance on the track.
dom180 said:
Well yes and no - I take your point and agree wrt lightness and sure the 135i is a bit heavier but I think this comparison is going to be both interesting and valid: both are relatively affordable rwd built to entertain. - And how frustrating would it be, to be in an 86, stuck behind say a 125i and unable to pass. Conversely, how satisfying to dispatch slower traffic in a 135i, so as to tackle the twisty bits a little quicker as long as the handling in the 135i is up to entertaining the driver.
It seems as if the oversteer power to grip ratio is better in the 135 than the 86 - i.e. more than enough power to generate easy oversteer on demand whereas the 86 is more limited on the road (with lower entry speeds) compared to its balance on the track.
I changed gear in my BRZ and did some A road overtakingIt seems as if the oversteer power to grip ratio is better in the 135 than the 86 - i.e. more than enough power to generate easy oversteer on demand whereas the 86 is more limited on the road (with lower entry speeds) compared to its balance on the track.
I'll know not to attempt this should I now come across a 1 series
Zed Ed said:
dom180 said:
Well yes and no - I take your point and agree wrt lightness and sure the 135i is a bit heavier but I think this comparison is going to be both interesting and valid: both are relatively affordable rwd built to entertain. - And how frustrating would it be, to be in an 86, stuck behind say a 125i and unable to pass. Conversely, how satisfying to dispatch slower traffic in a 135i, so as to tackle the twisty bits a little quicker as long as the handling in the 135i is up to entertaining the driver.
It seems as if the oversteer power to grip ratio is better in the 135 than the 86 - i.e. more than enough power to generate easy oversteer on demand whereas the 86 is more limited on the road (with lower entry speeds) compared to its balance on the track.
I changed gear in my BRZ and did some A road overtakingIt seems as if the oversteer power to grip ratio is better in the 135 than the 86 - i.e. more than enough power to generate easy oversteer on demand whereas the 86 is more limited on the road (with lower entry speeds) compared to its balance on the track.
I'll know not to attempt this should I now come across a 1 series
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