Toyota GT86 driven

[The Admiral]

Great little video diary of one here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYrvhkIivgA

I'd need to fit a supercharger and a short final drive for it's lack of torque not to really annoy me though :lol:

Rog

 

[envy]

toyota are producing very average cars, that dont inspire any emotions at the moment and for that reason, i will continue to avoid their products

...and its that stereotyping they're now aware of and hence they're trying to address it with this car. Performance is not all about power and 0-60, its about handling and the thrill of the drive. We all love our Z's, but from what I'm reading, the GT86 is much more fun to drive. Lets face it, and I'm a fine one to talk, you can't use the power most of the time, but you can get the thrill of driving a car at speed on the twists, which is what this car is built for purportedly.

I'll have a test drive in the next few weeks and report back, but I'm hopeful it will be very interesting. (I agree on other comments about being over priced though, a tad)

if they are trying to do away with the stereo type, i would conclude this attempt as a fail as it looks like a re-styled 350z

for myself, i dont throw cars around twisties as its a bit dangerous considering we cant see around corners. my daily drive/ commute is mostly straight so i like the point and quirt where i can get down some power in a straight line and i can see what is ahead of me and there is little opportunity to end up in a bush..... but then again thats why i consider this another lame attempt by toyota to bring out something interesting and missing the mark by a mile

but yeah would be interesting to hear about what you think of it once you have had a test drive

 

[Maniac]

Hold on Maniac!! Weren't you dissing the s-drive 2.0i's not long ago based on their performance? Bit of an about turn if you were!!

Different car entirely... and wasn't 'dissing' it, I was pointing out I wouldn't own the 2.0 e89, as I love the power of the 35i. However the e89's don't handle that well, but thats mainly because it wasn't designed to be thrown around.

The GT86 is a different car, raw and focused and is all about enjoyment. Its also much much lighter than the e89, which makes it quicker hence it would be something I'd consider because there's more to it than just engine size.

 

[Maniac]

toyota are producing very average cars, that dont inspire any emotions at the moment and for that reason, i will continue to avoid their products

...and its that stereotyping they're now aware of and hence they're trying to address it with this car. Performance is not all about power and 0-60, its about handling and the thrill of the drive. We all love our Z's, but from what I'm reading, the GT86 is much more fun to drive. Lets face it, and I'm a fine one to talk, you can't use the power most of the time, but you can get the thrill of driving a car at speed on the twists, which is what this car is built for purportedly.

I'll have a test drive in the next few weeks and report back, but I'm hopeful it will be very interesting. (I agree on other comments about being over priced though, a tad)

if they are trying to do away with the stereo type, i would conclude this attempt as a fail as it looks like a re-styled 350z

for myself, i dont throw cars around twisties as its a bit dangerous considering we cant see around corners. my daily drive/ commute is mostly straight so i like the point and quirt where i can get down some power in a straight line and i can see what is ahead of me and there is little opportunity to end up in a bush..... but then again thats why i consider this another lame attempt by toyota to bring out something interesting and missing the mark by a mile

but yeah would be interesting to hear about what you think of it once you have had a test drive

I don't mean to be funny, but that sounds a bit confused. You want something interesting (which for Toyota at least, this is, and the reviews confirm it) but you don't like throwing cars around. Then what would make the car 'interesting' if not a car with balanced power, and great handling?

 

[tomscott]

I dont think it has the pedegree for me to be interested. It is an interesting concept and I live in the sticks so all I have is twisties. I had a 320SI which had 180bhp race derived engine for the WTCC it was like a mini M3 great handling as the engine was pushed further back and had great handling but it just didn't have the power... similar idea but a bit heavier. In a sportscar power is imperative and lets be honest you spend most of your time driving in a straight line overtaking and a good a/b road. I think these will be in the same niche as the Z4M coupe but the thing is the Z4 has the M badge with the power and pedegree obviously they were considerably more expensive new but im not sold on it. I read the Autocar review where they say everyone is wrong with the reviews and they dont understand the concept. But 7.6 isnt quite enough, nimble but fairly fast... Im not too keen on that.

The styling is interesting... it seems to take many cues from different periods of design in a mad mash up. The Japs always seem to struggle making a good looking car even their finest efforts are poor compared to the european counterparts, engineering genius with visual fatigue. I think looks quite cool but would I buy one? Simple answer no.

 

[Dreamer]

Have to admit im confused to Maniac

I think JDM is a big fan of aesthetics and quality rather than actual balls out driving. (please correct me if im wrong JDM) Therefore this isnt his bag.

It looks a fun car, and without question the more power you have the less you can enjoy it on the road *EDIT exploit it*. The old MX5 solution usually crops up on Pistonheads for that.
I bet it can hammer round a track without too much worry and plenty of thrills. Not like a big point and squirt powerful road car.

All said though its not for me, as much as i love driving, i myself am a self conscience tart and dont think the Toyota is very pretty.

 

[envy]

I don't mean to be funny, but that sounds a bit confused. You want something interesting (which for Toyota at least, this is, and the reviews confirm it) but you don't like throwing cars around. Then what would make the car 'interesting' if not a car with balanced power, and great handling?

i guess you need to be more in touch with my idea of interesting, a car with average looks, performance, handling and price is not what i consider to fall in this category.

now my z4 coupe, that was interesting. it had individual styling, good performance, quality and handling. the gt86 only ticks the handling box according to most people..... im sure one day i will drive one and still feel the same about it. if it was on looks alone, i would steer well clear of it, there are far nicer looking cars out there

 

[TitanTim]

I'm quite likeing it, not so keen on the interior as it looks a bit of a throwback to 20 years ago. Unfortunately Toyota lost the plot after the 80s which I think was their golden decade, the MR2 AW11 of which I had an 89 T Bar was a cracking little car, not powerful but a fine power/ handling balance with a lovely twin cam 16, same with the Corolla GTI. Loved the early Celicas as well but once the bloated last Supras came out and the MK2 MR2, Toyota were heading into the mainstream and leaving the performance models behind. the MK3 MR2 doesn't count, bought one in 2001 thinking it would be like the original, how wrong was I.

I hope the GT86 is a return to more performance inspired models.

Tim.