Toyota GR86 (2022 - 2024) review – an affordable sports car that’s more fun than supercars
The GR86 delivered thrills beyond the reach of its iconic predecessor – if you managed to get hold of one...
‘They don’t make cars like this anymore’ sounds like the refrain of a crusty old fart until you realise that in the Toyota GR86’s case, it’s also mostly true. Still on sale in markets outside Europe but no longer available to buy in the UK, it was one of the final holdouts of the affordable, manual, rear-drive sports car. Today only the Mazda MX‑5 and a handful of niche models from the likes of Caterham carry that torch down at the lower end of the market – and none of those has the breadth of ability found in the GR86.
No small update to the GT86 on which it was based, the GR86 righted many of that car’s wrongs, adding a gutsier engine and just enough focus to the chassis without polluting its innocent sense of fun. The overhaul was enough to put the GR86 on the podium at eCoty 2022, beating the likes of the Ferrari 296 and McLaren Artura. Yes, Toyota’s cheap and cheerful coupe was genuinely more fun than supercars costing many times more – here’s everything you need to know about it.
Engine, gearbox and performance
- 231bhp and 184lb ft
- 2.4-litre engine is more eager, enjoyable and potent
- More natural, collaborative gearshift than the GT86
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The transition from GT86 to GR86 in 2021 certainly elevated the model’s stature. For only a modest increase in price (the GR86 cost a fiver under £30k when new, only a couple of grand more than the outgoing car) the extra 400cc of engine capacity made an outsize difference to how it drove. The GT86 was always an involving driver’s car in search of a little more poke; the GR86 had the whole poke, prod and shove, the extra 34bhp (now 231bhp) and 33lb ft (for 184lb ft) making an enormous difference to driveability. The clue was in where that new torque peak was developed, down at 3700rpm rather than a busy 6700rpm; less thrashing and more forward progress all rolled into one, with a deeper and less irritating timbre to the induction and exhaust notes.
The larger capacity boxer motor is a revelation compared to the GT86, hauling lustily from modest revs in fourth and fifth yet red-lining with perhaps still greater throaty urgency than the previous 2-litre unit, feeling smoother and sounding slightly more sonorous in the act, no doubt a consequence of some flattering sonic augmentation from the cabin’s speakers.
When you do reach the redline (accompanied by a rather irritating warning beep), the fettled gearbox enables swift, fast shifts, with a pleasingly positive action across the gate and into gears – much improved over the GT86 too. It's just a shame that the purity of the powertrain is marred slightly by the non-linear throttle calibration, which gives a big hit of response at the top of the pedal and comparatively little beyond halfway.
Toyota GR86 – Ride and handling
- More serious suspension and tyres
- Stiffened chassis is a joy on any type of road
- Superb balance and agility
There are too many detail and fine detail changes to list here but, apart from the beefier engine, the big news included a stiffer bodyshell (especially regarding the suspension’s supporting structures), a spec-for-spec weight reduction by 10kg thanks to the use of more aluminium and a 10mm ride height drop with accompanying changes to geometry, springs and dampers. The interior was significantly smartened and upgraded too with the driver sitting 5mm lower, further sinking the c-of-g of a platform that was also treated to a 5mm wheelbase stretch.
While Toyota had fitted the GT86 with frictionless eco rubber to get it to cut shapes like its manga-hero AE86 namesake, the GR86 needed no such help. Indeed the things that were considered core GT86 attributes carried on. They’re well-rehearsed and merge the acuity and feel of the steering with the satisfaction to be had from changing gear, the supplementary signals decoded by the seat of your pants and the modest distance between your bum and the skin of the road. Sacrosanct assets all enhanced for the GR86 according to team GR.
With that larger engine and a set of Michelin PS4s (and a more distinctive new body draped over the top of everything) it was a car reborn, even though the fundamentals of the GT86 remained: a perfectly judged balance between both ends of the car, a faultless driving position, and controls that keyed you into the process of driving from the first touch of the starter button. Actually, all of those had been marginally improved too, almost as though the engineers in the powertrain department had motivated everyone else on the project to put in the extra hours to perfect their craft.
The GR86 isn’t as gratuitously pointy or initially throttle and brake adjustable as the GT86 but, without doubt, its nose is nailed to the tarmac and the super-direct steering is more than ever a paean to precision and finely graded feel. Transitioning to oversteer is more progressive and rewarding, not least because it happens at grown up speeds. The Track setting’s electronic intervention is beautifully judged if you want a safety net and the chassis’ great balance endlessly exploitable if you don’t. Maybe best of all, the engine’s robust swell of torque is an active partner in the process lending the overall dynamics a more contoured and confident feel.
Just as impressive, the stiffer bodyshell and linked suspension reap results in all sorts of areas but nowhere more than body control and ride. The rather crude and binary nature of the GT86 in the payoff has been finessed to the point where economy of motion no longer results in a ride that squeaks the rubber seals in the door frames. The very worst pockmarked roads can transmit some harshness through to the cabin, but by and large, the GR86 just feels planted, potent, pliant and pure of purpose.
evo Car of the Year 2022 verdict
The GR86 came within a whisker of eCoty glory in 2022, second only to the Maserati MC20 for a sixth of the price. On that test, editor-in-chief Stuart Gallagher said it was ‘the tonic in today’s world of excess, the reset point we all need, to get back to where we want to be heading.’ Three judges placed it first on their lists, the Toyota’s sense of fun greater even than the boosty Maser could deliver:
‘The powertrain marries newfound thrust with the sweetest of short-throw gearshifts. The beautifully balanced and damped chassis is both playful and planted. The steering is as good as any in the group. Firm, tireless brakes, too. But it’s the way they all work in well-oiled unison that’s so special and, indeed, unique in this year’s eCoty.
‘I find the GR86’s showing here incredibly uplifting because it proves that honest, simple, transparent and properly resolved lines of communication can be thoroughly exploited on any road, smooth or scarred. And that they trump any amount of power and barely approachable levels of grip when it comes to fun, intimate involvement and lasting satisfaction.’ – David Vivian
‘Simple to understand, easy to enjoy – easy to get very carried away in actually! – well conceived, well executed, refreshingly unhindered by switchable drive modes and beautifully damped. Just a great driver’s car really. And that doesn’t mean “a great driver’s car for the money” it means a great driver’s car, full stop.’ – Steve Sutcliffe
‘Every drive was a thrill, an experience to savour and enjoy. At no point, no matter what road we took, did you feel you had drawn the short straw if you found yourself in the GR86. It’s a car that made me smile every time I was behind its wheel, but more tellingly the biggest smile it produced was when I followed Dickie home one evening – him in the GR, me in the GT4 RS. I didn’t begrudge him having more fun than me, because I had the best seat in the house watching this remarkable car perform its very special magic.’ – Stuart Gallagher
‘It’s everything the GT86 should have been but wasn’t. The engine is much torquier but also sounds so much sweeter and revs with freedom, the gearbox is more precise and the steering is so well matched to the car’s inherent agility. With proper tyres the GR86 feels grippier, yes, but also so much more progressive and authentic. It’s not trying to be some low-speed, oversteer hero – which the GT86 never managed anyway – but a responsive, balanced and really efficient driver’s car.’ – Jethro Bovingdon
Toyota GR86 buying checkpoints and running costs
The Toyota GR86 is still a relatively new car, having launched in 2022. That being said, there are a few things worth looking out for when buying a second-hand one. Shortly after launch there was a spate of reports of oil starvation caused by sealant clogging oil passages, leading to engine internals suddenly becoming externals. In true online fashion, this does appear to have been blown out of proportion somewhat and affected only a handful of cars, predominantly very early ones used hard on track, and mostly in the US where hotter temperatures place greater demands on oiling and cooling.
Nevertheless, if you’re worried, the aftermarket offers baffled sump options, and while the sump’s off, the pick-up can be inspected for any debris. If the car has been religiously serviced at Toyota main dealers it will still benefit from the bulk of the manufacturer’s generous ten-year, 100,000-mile warranty too, so if the worst happens and a manufacturing defect is to blame, even the earliest cars could still be covered for several more years.
Given the GR86 is still relatively new, you’re more likely to find issues relating to careless ownership (scrapes, dents, kerbed wheels and mismatched tyres) or evidence of crash damage than problems associated with long-term wear and tear. Running costs shouldn’t be too high either. Fuel economy can’t match the surprisingly frugal GT86 – expect low rather than high 30s from the GR – but light weight means you won’t burn through consumables too quickly (replacement Michelin Pilot Sport 5s are around £150 a corner, pre-fitting).
So while used may now be the only option for a GR86, its combination of greater punch from the enlarged engine, god-like balance and surprising usability means it remains one of our favourite modern performance cars – at any price.
Toyota GR86 prices and alternatives
It’s galling that the GR86 lasted only two years in Europe, killed off by the EU’s General Safety Regulation 2 standards that mandate the fitment of technologies such as driver attention sensors, emergency lane keep assistance and event data recorders. This was one area where being based on an older car worked against the GR86, since fitting some of the mandatory equipment would have taken significant re-engineering. On the plus side, used buyers can be confident the GR86 is unburdened by much of the irritating electronic dross that will sully every new car until the heat death of the universe. We’re not sure how well driver attention sensors function when you’re going sideways, anyway.
Arriving first in 2022, the initial UK allocation of around 430 cars sold out in a matter of minutes. Another batch became available in 2023, but predictably, each one was quickly spoken for. The second wave of GR86's commanded £32,495 apiece – at that price, there weren't many cars that were quite so richly rewarding unless you delved into the used market. There were just three paint options: red, white and black to match GR’s brand colours.
The Mazda MX-5 is both smaller and less serious in both 1.5- and 2-litre guises. The closest to the GR86 in ultimate spec is the 182bhp Homura version, which got improved to an eCoty podium-sitting standard in 2024 with a revised diff and steering. It’s still not as serious a proposition as the GR86 but the only car of its kind left now the Toyota is off-sale.
Limited supply when new has had a knock-on effect with used examples, which are holding their value well – other than damaged cars, we’ve not seen many GR86s for under about £25,000, so barely five grand less than they were five years ago. The thing is, even the cheapest brand-new Mazda MX‑5 is about £3500 more than that, while a £25,000 Cayman will be at least a decade old, so a nearly new GR86 still looks good value to us.
There is another option, too, if you’re feeling adventurous: importing. Exchange rates are currently particularly favourable between the UK and Japan, at around ¥200 to the pound, meaning used GR86s over there currently start at an unbelievable £12,000 or so, half the price of a similar car in the UK, helped by far greater supply and brand new ones starting at only about £23,500. Even adding four or five thousand in VAT, shipping and other associated costs, you could still have a GR86 on the drive for under 20 grand. Should you? Yes, obviously.
Specs
| Engine | Flat-four, 2387cc |
|---|---|
| Power | 231bhp @ 7000rpm |
| Torque | 184lb ft @ 3700rpm |
| Weight | 1276kg (183bhp/ton) |
| 0-62mph | 6.3sec |
| Top speed | 140mph |
| Price new | £29,995 |
| Value now | From £24,000 |
