Toyota GT86 (2012-2021) Review

It was a driver’s car, one that appealed to those who appreciate proper driving. 

There was no big-hitting power to wow your friends with, the comparatively low output of the 2.0-litre flat-four engine requiring a thrashing to produce its performance, but that was the point. 

The focus was on its handling, the purity of its responses and the ability to exploit its fine balance, and if that appeals, then the GT86 should be at the top of your list for consideration.

If you want more pace spend your money on a decent hot hatch, you’ll find more comfort in something like a used Audi TT, too, but if a rear-wheel drive, light, fun car appeals, with a modicum of practicality – it being a 2+2, with tiny rear seats – then, yes, the GT86 is right for you.

An easy one. There's only one engine, but there are two gearboxes. We'd recommend steering clear of the automatic as it saps performance and engagement. 

The standard car should suffice. We'd also recommend the Pro or Club Series.

There are very few cars we’d consider direct rivals, particularly at the GT86’s original price point, but it would be remiss not to mention the Mazda MX-5 here, it too being Japanese, compact, light, rear-wheel drive and driver focussed. It’s also a roadster, the GT86 being coupe only. 

Alpine’s A110 sang off the same hymn sheet as the GT86 but was at least £20,000 more. Newer rivals include the BMW Z4 and BMW 2 Series Coupe.

You need to understand Japan’s idea of quality before being overly harsh on the GT86. Hard plastics are seen as quality because they’ll wear well. Measured by that rationale, the GT86 was very high quality, but don't expect soft-touch tactile materials.

The finishes improved throughout the GT86’s lengthy life. Find a Pro model, and you'll get suede dashboard and door trims.

Sure, some of the materials felt laughably hard and looked cheap when compared to something like a similar-era Audi TT, but on the road, actually driving it rather than poking around the interior, it’ll be the GT86 driver who’s wearing a far bigger grin, and that’s the point here.

Like the rest of the interior, the infotainment felt old. Even its double-DIN (DIN being the old size standard for car stereos when you used to swap them out after they were pinched) sizing looked like an afterthought. The idea was that you’d be too immersed in driving rather than faffing about with the infotainment, but even so, Toyota understood there’s some need for connectivity in the GT86. 

The central 6.1-inch touchscreen was clear enough, if lacking the sort of sophisticated graphics and operation of rival’s newer offerings, it having Bluetooth phone connection, DAB and aux-in and USB connectivity. 

That all played through six speakers. Navigation was a cost option at around £800, and there was no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

The driving position was excellent, and there was plenty of space across the front seats. The rear seats were a different story. These were limited by the rear screen and the front seatbacks. 

You might squeeze a couple of small children in there, and there are ISOFIX mounts on both rear seats, but you’d not want to be doing so very often or for anything other than the shortest of trips. Access to them, too, wasn't great, and with the deep divide as a result of the transmission tunnel running between them, clambering over from one side to another to get out was particularly tricky. 

Given that most cars in this category were pure two-seaters, the GT86’s rear pews are a benefit, but more about additional luggage space. That was useful, as the boot wasn't overly generous in volume, with 237 litres, access to it being the limiting factor, as the boot lid opening left a fairly narrow and high opening. There was the possibility to fold the rear seatbacks, though for a volume of 391 litres, which meant, with a bit of wrestling, you could squeeze a surprising amount inside. 

Oddment storage throughout the cabin wasn't overly generous. There was a lidded compartment between the front seats, a small glovebox and door bins. No cup holders, though if you’re driving the GT86, you’ll not need a coffee to keep you awake.   

There was only one engine for the GT86, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder boxer unit designed by Subaru with some input from Toyota. It was not over-endowed in the power department, indeed, 200PS in any performance car these days is relatively low, but the GT86 wasn't about numbers.

It was about how it produced its performance. Without any turbocharging, it was an engine that needed working hard. The response was relatively flat below 4,000 rpm, with the power building towards 7,000 rpm.

The maximum torque was similarly high up the rev-range, with 205Nm arriving at 6,400-6,600rpm, meaning if you’re used to the easy flexibility of modern turbocharged engines, you might find the GT86 lacking. 

There was an automatic option. It used a conventional torque convertor automatic with paddle shifters, but smooth as its shifts proved, it robbed the GT86 of its character and performance; 0-62 took 8.2 seconds. That auto also lopped 10mph from the 140mph time of the manual car. 

Refinement inside was, unsurprisingly, not great. There was a fair amount of road and wind noise in the cabin, which Toyota could have removed by adding weighty sound deadening but evidently, and correctly, chose not to. 

It wasn't a quiet car then, but neither would we have expected it to be, though it was a shame some of the sounds weren't more pronounced, like the exhaust, and others, the road and wind noise, a little bit better contained. 

Toyota might have taken a purist driving route with the GT86, but it was not done at the expense of safety. All came with LED headlights, an anti-lock braking system with electronic brake force distribution, an emergency brake light signal – flashing under heavy braking – Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Hill Start Assist, a tyre pressure warning system, Isofix seat fixings in the rear seats, driver and front passenger whiplash injury reducing seats with seatbelt pretensioners.

The airbag count was high, too, being seven airbags inside, including driver and passenger front and side airbags, a driver knee airbag, and overhead airbags to protect occupants' heads in the event of a rollover. Cruise control was also standard, but you had to pay extra for rear parking sensors. American crash testing results, EuroNCAP having not tested a GT86 - demonstrate that Toyota and Subaru’s sports car will protect you well, getting a four out of five star rating under their system.

Warranty's would've expired now, unless extended. Common issues included lumpy idle, valve springs, oil starvation during hard cornering, and knocking from the rear differential. 

Toyota recently scored 8th place out of 33 manufacturers in the Honest John Satisfaction Index. 

The GT86 sits in either group 34 for the manual car or group 35 for the automatic. Servicing shouldn’t break the bank, either, as the GT86 will be light on things like tyres and brakes, and even these aren’t high-cost items. 

The GT86 awkwardly straddles two tax systems: pre- and post-2017. Cars registered before April 2017 will cost roughly £255 per year under the latest tax system. 

Newer cars emit between 180-196g/km of c02, meaning buyers will pay the standard rate of £195. 

Three trim choices in 2020: the standard GT86, the GT86 Pro and the GT86 Club Series. With the standard GT86, you want for nothing on specification, with the notable exception of rear parking sensors and sat nav. 

The GT86 Pro gained heated seats covered in partial leather and suede, with either black or red accents, a leather centre armrest, suede wrapped dashboard and door trims, and a rear spoiler on the bootlid. Again, it requires rear park assist and sat nav as options should you want them. 

The GT86 was also offered as a Club Series, known later as the Blue Edition. It gained Electric Blue paint and black styling accents outside over the GT86 Pro. Options included parking assist, sat nav, and a Performance Pack, which brought retuned Sachs suspension and higher performance Brembo Brakes.