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Considering a GT86

2K views 30 replies 10 participants last post by  GTRob 
#1 ·
Okay, so I am absolutely in love with the look of the GT86 and the potential of its mods and customisations to really make it my own. However, I already own a 2019 BMW 1 series right now that I drive and it really is great, it is great, it is far more luxurious than what I last had and I find it smooth and relaxing but also fun to drive if need be.

I know that the main selling point of the GT86 is just how much of a raw drivers car it is and how great it is to be in and hoon around some twisty roads, but my concern is that living with it daily and going on the little boring every day drives like to and from work won’t be as comfortable as the 1 series, which I don’t want to sacrifice. I have looked up and found I can get a very reputable company near me to retrim most of the interior and sound deaden it for within my budget and still allowing other money for mods. Ultimately, the interior quality and sound within the cabin should drastically improve after this, but I need to know how it compares to the 1 series stock. I don’t necessarily care about all the fancy buttons or all the 2019 BMW things I can do in it but I do care how SOLID of a car it feels. It is hard to explain, but I want that solid feeling when I open the door, get in and shut it beside me, that I’m in a nice, well built car that is both connected to the road but at the same time it feels like it is hugging me and almost protecting me from the outside. Of course when, I would like to I would put the windows down and hear the exhaust I will put on the GT86 but for when I’m cruising, in a chill vibe, I wanna feel as relaxed as I do in the 1 series.

The car before my 1 series was a right tin can and this is a serious step up, to me the 1 series is the most luxurious thing I have driven so I need a direct comparison in how they are. Ideally I would love to test drive a GT86 right after driving my car but I don’t know anywhere I can do that at the moment.

Now, my problem is that I really enjoy the thought of customising and modifying my own GT86 and I love the look of the car and the potential more than the 1 series, but I neeeed to know what it is going to be like. I’m new here and I would appreciate any help and wisdom, thanks :smile_big::grin:
 
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#2 ·
I used mine to commute a 360 mile round trip every once in a while, even with the SC it's not too bad for noise and they are comfortable cars for doing distance. It won't be as isolated as the 1 series. But how much so is suitable, only you can decide. The car is built as per any other Subaru and is a step up vs my old Type R, but then again I wouldn't say that the 1 series is the pinnacle of BMW build quality either.
 
#3 ·
Hi Stephen

It sounds to me like you really like your 1 series. Now unfortunately no matter which way you look at the GT86, it will be a step down in terms of comfort and refinement.
The GT86 isn't exactly a quiet car however it is comfortable enough to daily and won't leave you feeling tired after a long journey.

I've added various amounts of sound deadening to my car and whilst it has made a noticeable difference to quieten down the car, I wouldn't say it's changed it to a limo.
The issue I've got is it's just moved the noticeable noise from one place to another. At the moment I've still got the passenger compartment floor and front firewall left to do, i.e. the hardest jobs - removing the seats / dashboard, but I doubt it'll make the audioable noise low enough to where I'd ideally like.
Mines now setup to be more track biased, so don't really see the point of adding more weight. One of the reasons I've not done it.

As your already said it's a raw drivers car, it's not built to be a refined like the BMW and it can be boring to drive normally every day. I find it's most fun with your on it, revving it, hugging corners, etc. not the driving you'll be doing everyday.
However don't left this put you off, you just need to be aware of this.

It's definitely the one of best car I've driven and has more precision and feedback than 95% of the cars available today, plus it's got the best modding and customisation of any car available at the moment, you can literrally change everything.
As the car has been around for 8 years there is plenty of knowledgable people around to help with any mods, advice, issues, etc and because of this it's got the best community associated with it.

I'd suggest you try and get a test drive in a facelift model car (MY17+), as these have better refinement than the earlier cars and a couple of useful features like steering wheel controls for your phone & audio.

Hope that helps.
 
#6 ·
You didn't mention what 1 series you have but one of the cars I was considering before buying my gt86 was a 135i, for me it really came down to how important the joy of driving is to you. Like you said when I test drove the 135i it did feel very much like it "cocooned" you away from everything but with that it also felt like you were numbed from the experience of driving.

Nothing felt as connected or direct and you could certainly feel the extra weight, I was coming from a 350Z at the time and wanted to move towards something lighter as it really does make a noticeable difference. The 135i kind of felt like a car for someone who wasn't necessary a big petrol head but had a passing interest in cars and wanted something that was comfortable with a decent amount of power.

I would defiantly second the above suggestion of test driving a later car, I had got a test drive in an early gt86 a couple of years ago and to be honest came away not that fussed. For some reason I decided to go back and try one again and arranged a 24 hour test drive with a 2020 car and utterly feel in love with it and went back the next day to order my first brand new car! (I'd also highly recommend seeing if you can get a 24 hour test drive to get to know the car a bit better, as dealer test routes are normally crap.)
 
#13 ·
So I actually only have the 118i but it is considerably faster than my last car and the GT86 would also be considerably faster than that, I do very much enjoy the joy of driving but I do also like to chill and relax and just cruise if there’s traffic on the road and I can’t have as much fun. I’m quite young so insurance leaves me with only a few choices and mainly ones that are - to most people - “underpowered”. Thank you very much for your advice, I’m going to look to arrange a test drive whenever I can but I’m not sure how I can at the moment because of COVID. Also temporary insurance is hard to come by at my age, when I search for quotes I can’t really find anywhere willing to offer me anything, not even for an hour.
 
#11 ·
for commuting it's below par. rough, noisy and a drivetrain that's direct and unbuffered.
seats comfortable in all situations.

unless you enjoy a spirited b road blast and get the chance to do so regularly you could fall out of love. you need to 'connect' with the car regularly to forgive its limitations. just be aware. that said, a heavy saloon/hatch can never be as connected on a b road either.
 
#15 ·
I will keep that in mind. My commute actually has some very nice roads to drive on if there is no one in my way and even in my little 1.2L Clio with a black box I used to have great fun on the country roads, hooning it around at 60. How much of a difference would a suspension upgrade be do you think? Anything less than about 1.2k. I looked into upping my budget to 2k to see if I could afford air suspension but my god the full kits are about 3-4 grand
 
#17 ·
Stephen you need to test drive in my opinion. I think you stand a better chance with a 17+ car feeling more solid that a early car.


I have had my 86 for 5 years now, I have a pretty slow commute and rarely ever take the 86. Now mine is a bit more track than stock but I haven't taken away any OEM interior or anything. When you start peeling back the car you will find in my opinion to have been designed with the same ethos as a lets say.... a E46 CSL, or a challenge stradale. Basically most companies would charge you extra and remove a bit of sound deadening and use some thinner light weight materials, to make it a few tenths faster and to give it that raw feel. It gives you that sense of occasion and the feeling your connected with the car at the expense of a little refinement.


My main complains as a daily would be:
rear suspension travel is woeful and leads to a poor ride.
Interior is a noisy place to be, I find myself talking in a raised voice to be heard clearly.
On top of the above point the stereo is poor.


However it if helps I can tell you I came out of a 420hp BMW E82 135i coupe lightly fettled for handling, and the GT86 as a drivers car and sense of occasion blow is away. My partner has a newer M135i hatch, the steering in that is awful, id take GT86 for a driver over that everyday!
 
#18 ·
Hi, thanks for your reply :grin:, would you say that a suspension upgrade would make a large difference to that? And I was thinking of sound deadening almost the entirety of the car so would you think that would make a big difference to the interior noise? And I’ve heard aftermarket head units are widely available and drastically improve the quality so would you recommend doing that?

Also it feels very reassuring to say you have a 420hp 135i but prefer the GT86 as a drivers car. And I assume the M135i your partner has would have the same steering as my 118i as it is based on the same car which is interesting because I think the 118i steering is great so I guess I do really need to test drive it to know what I’m missing!
 
#19 ·
i'd say never upgrade too soon. always get familiar with the car first and calibrate your senses.
you'll never fundamentally transform the car anyway, and any mods are always more enjoyable once you've fully understand the base reference point. Modding is a fun journey but shouldn't be relied upon from the start.
 
#21 ·
Very good point, I wouldn’t be looking to change too much about the car off of the bat in terms of performance other than an exhaust, but in my mind this build is going to be a dream build so the first thing I would do would be a complete interior retrim. I’m planning on doing this first because I know it takes time and whilst I still have access to my 1 series I can leave the car with that service and not worry about getting from A to B because I still have a car.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Just something else that's came to mind that should be aware of is the difference of a turbo vs. N/A engine (apologies if you're already aware). Am I right in thinking the 118i you have is the model with the 1.5 (136hp) engine?

If you are used to a turbo engine you'll be used to a lot more low/mid end "grunt" than you will get with a naturally aspirated engine. Looking at some spec's online your 118i has 220Nm of torque vs the gt86's 205Nm of torque and for a lot of people torque is what give them the feeling of being "fast", even if it's slower than an alternative car. An N/A engine requires to be revved to get the best out of them, it's just a characteristic of the engine, on a normal B road blast mine wouldn't see under 5,000 rpm on most days. So make sure when you get a test drive to give it a good hard drive to really get an idea what they're about. In saying that I would take an N/A over a turbo car any day, if even for the responsiveness alone.

I can't remember if you said exactly what age you are but Aviva day insure gave me 24 hours cover on a dealers gt86 for £47.94 (I'm 29). So it might be worth giving them a go if you haven't already.
 
#25 ·
You would be correct in my car being that model, it is chipped though so produces closer to 160hp and 260nm, I find it quite fast but it doesn’t necessarily feel it because it is silent inside, which I enjoy but I wouldn’t mind the sound of the engine to make me feel like I’m going faster than I am. I’ve checked Aviva and they won’t touch me, I’m only 18 so it is quite hard as I am very young, my insurance on a GT86 would only be around 1000 and yet I can’t get insured on one for an hour 😅
 
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