86 | specialprojects

There are 14 coupes that qualify as rivals for the Toyota 86. Only one gets close – but at a price. NEIL DOWLING referees

TOYOTA 86 GTS
Star: 4
PRICE: $35, 490
VALUE: Stunning. The $29,990 opener brought the house down and even hardened Toyota salesmen wept openly with joy. The entry-level GT gets cruise, limited slip diff (manual only), electric windows and mirrors, seven airbags, 16-inch alloys and Bluetooth with iPod/USB links. It’s the basis for a weekend track machine but for the rest of us, the $35,490 GTS is a better buy, adding sat-nav, LED daytime running lights, 17-inch alloys, sports seats and so on.
Star: 4
DESIGN: It looks good but isn’t startling, more an evolution of the 1990s Celica than a fresh sketch. No doubt it turns heads. The low, low seat and wide sill test body flexibility and, depending on your perspective, is either a big no-no or yes-yes for girls in short skirts. The boot is small though the useless rear seat can fold down as one piece, greatly boosting stowage. Dash treatment is simple tending to basic (but GTS is a winner) and seats are good, not terrific. Visibility is actually acceptable despite the knee-height driver position.
Star: 4
TECHNOLOGY: This is spelt with an “S” for Subaru, who supply all the running gear and stamp most of it with its name. The 2-litre engine is aspirated – no turbo yet and none planned from Toyota – but is enhanced with direct petrol injection, variable valve timing and a high compression ratio for a 147kW/205Nm output. The six-speed manual is from the Lexus IS – as is the six-speed auto – while the brakes and suspension are Subaru (MacPhersons at the front, double wishbones at the back) and the steering is electric-assist rack and pinion. Engine at the front – tucked up against the firewall so no chance of all-wheel drive – and drive at the rear. Simple.
Star: 3.5
SAFETY: Toyota assumes a five-star crash test rating. The coupe gets seven airbags, ABS brakes (four-wheel vented discs on GTS), brake assist, traction control and a three-mode switchable electronic stability control system. These modes are normal; Sport; and off though “off” comes back “on” over 50km/h. A space-saver spare is standard though the test car had a full-size spare that only intruded about 30mm above the boot floor.
Star: 4
DRIVING: It feels exactly like a sports coupe should – almost RX-7 in its wheel and pedal placement. The button start signals the entrance of Subaru and though the exhaust note has been worked, there’s no hiding the subtle off-beat note of a flat-four engine. A nice, short-throw gearshift with suitable notchy character, surprisingly positive electric steering and very good visibility – helped by pronounced humps over the front wheels – make the driver feel at ease. It can stumble off the mark if the revs aren’t sufficient and from there, the power flows smoothly to dip about 3000rpm then rise again at 5500rpm. From there to 7000rpm is the fun part. Yes, you initially think it needs more power but its agility through corners and its ability to react to your input make it such a sweet package you’d fear more front-end weight would wreck the dream. The GTS gets much better brakes – bigger discs with vented units at the back – and one more inch in the wheel diameter. It’s worth the extra cash.
STAR: 4.5
BMW 120i COUPE

Star: 3
Price: $47,400
VALUE: This is one of the cheapest BMWs on the market and it’s still more than $10,000 over the 86. It’s not precisely a rival for the Toyota, but its sports-bred suspension, two-door coupe design, six-cog gearbox and front engine-rear drive layout with an aspirated 2-litre engine make it a natch. Standard fare is similar but Toyota gives you more. The 120i has Bluetooth with iPod/USB connectivity, 17-inch alloys, leather upholstery and auto aircon. The slightly more potent 125i is $55,600 and has a six-cylinder engine.
Star: 3
DESIGN: There’s a lot more room in this compared with the 86 and the boot puts it firmly in the family-friendly class. It clearly follows the BMW design theme but lacks any visual impression of sportiness – but the muscular 1M nails it – which almost dilutes the car to near-invisible status on the road. But the dash design is simple and reflects quality components while the seating and access to the rear rate well for this type of vehicle.
Star: 3.5
TECHNOLOGY: The drivetrain balances technology with the need to keep emissions low. BMW is a master at high-efficiency and this little 2-litre reflects top-notch engineering with a 115kW/200Nm output achieved at comparatively low revs – 3600rpm for the torque compared with the 86’s 205Nm at 6400rpm – to claim a 7.9 L/100km average. The suspension is multi-link, the brakes are four-wheel vented discs and the steering is hydraulic while the tyres are run flat units (no spare needed).
Star: 3.5
SAFETY: This is a five-star crash tested coupe with six airbags, all the modern electronic aids – brake assist, stability and traction control, corner braking and brake emergency display that flashes the brake lights in a panic stop – and automatic wipers, rear park sensors and a tyre pressure sensor.
Star: 4
DRIVING: The 120i coupe shows all the ingredients of being in the same classroom as the 86 but it’s not the case. The 120i is quietly sitting up and paying attention at the front of the class while the 86 is raising hell at the back of the room. You sit on the BMW seats and it feels more like a sedan with two doors rather than a coupe. The engine is keen and will run to 100km/h in a respectable 8.6 seconds (7.6 seconds for the 86) so can induce a smile. It’s forte is corners. That rear-drive and front engine combo with an active ESC system make it quite lively and very predictable through the bends. The ride comfort was expected to be softer than the 86 yet is about on par, only rutted bitumen showing up the 86. It’s a good coupe, not a great coupe and will be bought more for its sporty assumption and its badge rather than its performance potential.
Star: 3.5
VERDICT: I don’t care if I have to be lifted in and out of the 86 – it’s the one to have. End of story.
86: 20pts
BMW: 17.5pts

The manual 86 GTS just may be the best thing since sliced bread. NEIL DOWLING spends a few hours on the track

Hype or hope, giant killer or weed killer? Question everything that the master of marketing, Toyota, dishes up and the 86 is either the second coming of the Lotus Elan or the best two-door bargain to hit the nation since the 1984 Celica.
It’s easy to see where the cynicism stems. The $29,990 entry-level price is at odds with the styling, the marketing and the alluring style of the Toyota 86.
It’s as cheap as a Corolla, almost a third of the price of a front-wheel drive Audi TT and claims the economy of a Camry.
The clanger – the unmentionable Subaru flat-four engine – has no turbocharger and fans realise that they’ll have to actually drive the thing around corners to get the best from its 147kW.
It’s not for drivers who’s contribution to performance driving consists only of extending their right foot. The 86 can be hard work to push quickly but very few cars – and none at its $29,990 entry price – will produce so many smiles. The next shipment is due in March.
VALUE: The GTS is $35,490. The extra $5500 buys better seats, wheels, brakes, cabin trim and features such as the LED daylight running lights and sat-nav. Buy this one unless you’re planning a weekend racer.
DESIGN: Everyone that sees it, loves it. Yet to be fair, it’s not as cutting edge as sort-of rivals such as the Scirocco or Veloster, but more softened like the BMW 1-Series coupe and the Nissan 370Z. Truth is, the 86 has no direct rivals based on price, seating and drivetrain.
TECHNOLOGY: The 2-litre aspirated Subaru engine – which prints its name alongside Toyota on the engine’s intake plenum – is the latest mill also seen in the Impreza, but Toyota adds direct petrol injection and new variable-valve timing. The exhaust and ECU are all new, too, and though the engine’s at the front and drive is to the rear, there’s no way this can become an AWD because that engine is set well back in the bay. GTS gets bigger brakes than the GT.
SAFETY: Ticks all the boxes and seven airbags is a surprise in a car that really is good for only two people.
DRIVING: The acid test. Perth’s RAC Driving Centre is designed to teach newbies and failed motorists how to get it right. It also has a tight ribbon of perfectly horizontal bitumen used by clubs on weekends. It’s not big but many sports cars get to 160-plus on the straight and the first corner sorts the boys from the men and requires changing more than an attitude. The GTS will howl to almost 160km/h from rest on this strip and the first big shock is that the first left-hander could have been done a lot quicker. The same with the second, a tighter left, then the sweeping right which is so long it almost comes back on itself and is difficult to pick its apex. Consistently, the most notable character of the 86 is its balance through the bends and specifically the ideal ability of it to be driven on the throttle, squeezing to induce a touch of oversteer and backing off to bring it back. The electric-assist steering has a hint of vagueness at a few degrees off centre before the system works out what you want, but generally it has very good feel. Under the curves is a simple suspension set up that works very well. There’s sufficient compliance for onroad comfort but firmness to keep the car flat through the bends. The low seating position – practising yoga enthusiasts will rejoice but less limbered bodies will suffer – and the horizontally-opposed engine both keep the centre of gravity low. The brakes are bigger than the 86 GT and while capable, the track’s tightness caused some softness in the pedal and the rich aroma of grilled pads. Nothing to get scared about because the brakes never reached the point of surrendering. I liked the seats – in fact, the alcantara (nylon suede) centre insets do a great job at keeping the body in situ – and the visibility, the location of the pedals and gearshifter and even the simplicity of the gauges. And, over time, I even enjoyed the engine. But it took time. Initially it felt doughy off the mark, like there wasn’t sufficient torque to make the clutch bite at the right time. But it’s a learning process and clean starts need a minimum of 2000rpm – more if you don’t have traffic all around you. The spin-up is smooth (but aurally unmistakably Subaru) but about 3500rpm there’s a flattening of torque then it has a second bite at about 5500rpm and maintains the heat past the 7000rpm mark. The engine will live around 6000-7000rpm without fuss and this band becomes the most workable to wring the maximum from the engine while suiting the drive to the wheels. The gearbox – from the Lexus IS250 – is just right. It feels perfectly notchy, like an MX-5, and snicks easily. Which is just as well. The end of the day reckoning was that a turbo would be nice but probably too much – it would add more weight to the nose and put that weight higher and then affect traction. And it would cost a lot more to buy and invite heaps of speeding tickets. Nah. Toyota and Subaru have got it right. This is just a beautifully balanced machine. The price is the icing.
VERDICT: Just do it.

Comparo – Toyota 86 vs BMW 120i

Test – Toyota 86GTS