</font>OK, here goes.... this follows on from my thread “Who’s a
lucky boy�</font>
</font>This is my report back from yesterday’s test drive of the
GT86 I did in France as part of the What Car? Reader Test Team. I drove a GT86 LHD manual (£24995) in
metallic Orange £450), with cloth interior and Sat Nav (£750) which gives it a total UK price £26195.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GT86<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ffice
ffice" /></font></font>[/b]
</font>Oh what a breath of fresh air the GT86 is. Looks like nothing else currently being sold
and is an absolute hoot to drive! When I
first saw the car my initial impression from the outside was how compact the
car is especially at the rear. The
proportions are perfect and it looks great from any angle.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Looks &
design.</font></font>[/b]
</font>Pictures in magazines don’t do justice to the various
styling details on the GT86. The
particular points I liked are the vertical crease line that drops down from the
outside edge of the rear lights to another horizontal line on the bumper and the
bulge in the front wings above the wheels which looks especially good from the
driver’s seat. Even the small sidelights/indicators
set in the front bumper have angular details in the glass that show effort has
been applied by Toyota. </font></font>
</font>Other people on the test liked the diffuser at the rear that
incorporates the reverse and fog lights and the two creases in the roof. The car oozes a performance focussed image
and not one of image over driving experience.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Performance</font></font>[/b]
</font>Firstly, the GT86 isn’t slow as some magazines have
written. Yes it may get beaten by your mundane
Mini Cooper S or Audi TT but that misses the
point of the car. At low revs the 2
litre boxer can cruise along sedately but put your foot down in a suitable gear
and the car gains immediate pace especially above (in my opinion) 4000rpm. If you put your foot down in a high gear at
low revs the low torque output does highlight the lack of forced induction urge
you’d get in the aforementioned cars but that’s the only negative. Keep the rev counter needle above 4000rpm and
lots of grin inducing fun can be had.
The brakes are strong and inspire confidence if you find yourself approaching
corners a tad too quickly.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ride and Handling</font></font>[/b]
</font>The ride on the GT86 is firm as you’d expect given it’s a
sports car but not overly so. Some of
the French country roads we drove on were really bumpy which made the ride seem
worse than it would be in the UK. On a rare
stretch of dual carriageway the car drove lovely and smooth being a perfectly
comfortable and relaxing drive at 70mph with the cruise control on. The superb
front seats cosset and hold you in place yet didn’t give me any discomfort
during nearly 4 hours in the car. The
gear change was a tad notchy in the car I drove and I found it hard to select
the right gear but I’m not used to driving LHD which could explain the
difficulties I had.</font>
</font></font>
</font></font>
</font>The handling of the GT86 is what sets it apart. FUN is the only way to describe it. You feel part of the car and even the
slightest movement of the superbly sized steering wheel makes the car
immediately react. Through corners at
any speed you could feel what the car
was doing which inspires confidence. During
the day we tried the car at various stages of its traction control, these being
on, Sport or off. Even with it fully on
we managed a small amount of oversteer that was quickly corrected by the
electrics. In Sport mode (which the
Toyota boys called “Hero mode� as it makes you look like one) I managed a large
oversteer moment coming out of a roundabout but the car brought it all back
together nicely. With the system in off
mode (you have to press the button for 5 seconds) the car will happily wag and
squirm its tail if you give it full throttle from standstill ;-)</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Refinement</font></font>[/b]
</font>The engine can sound a little coarse at times but on a more
positive note you do hear the induction roar courtesy of Toyota using some form
of clever technology to bring the sound into the cockpit. When we drove along sedately the car was
perfectly happy and gave a smooth ride but bear in mind this is a sports car
not a luxury car.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Interior</font></font>[/b]
</font>Getting in and out of the car is not difficult given how low
it is. From the driver’s seat you can
put your hand on the road it’s that low.
If the car has a weak spot other than the low torque output it’s the
quality of the interior. Some of the
plastics are hard and feel cheap, especially the dash in front of the passenger
and the centre console, more of which later.
The keyless entry and start button are nice touches.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Seats: [/b]The seats are GREAT, they hold you in place and
didn’t give me any aches or pains. Our
car had cloth seats which I initially thought
were alcantara. The cloth finish is
really good and makes the £1600 leather option seem expensive.</font></font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Instruments: [/b]The instrument cluster is dominated by a
white backed rev counter with a digital speed display set within it. To the left is the speedo which is difficult
to read when driving and to the right is the temp and fuel gauges which are
easier to read. The digital speed display
is excellent! You have a trip computer
to check average mpg etc and this is controlled by a button on the dash.</font></font>
</font>The air con controls are shaped as nuts and are clear and
easy to use and the system works well.
There is a usb port. I discovered
that the sat-nav is fitted at the docks when they arrive in the UK. It worked well however every now and again it
would go quiet and make you wonder if it had stopped working but it clicked in
when a change of direction was required.
It re-calculated routes very quickly.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Space &
practicality: [/b]You can fit children in the back seats but anyone older would
be very cramped. We had two adults in
the back when we were being filmed and they were grateful to get out. The rear seat back folds down easily given
more storage space. You can get suitcases
in the boot which can also be opened by a button on the dash. There isn’t much storage in the cockpit, just
the glovebox, seat backs for maps and a bottle space in each door. The centre console between the seats is the
worst part of the whole car. It looks
like it’s not been finished. The
plastics are very cheap and the two cup holders really tacky. Toyota’s press manager did say that they aren’t
happy with the centre console and are looking to get it changed and improved
asap. An armrest covering the storage
space is what’s needed. </font></font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Summary: [/b]If you want to drive a car that’s going to
make you grin and stand out from the usual image based coupes then the GT86 is
for you.</font></font>
</font>If you have any questions please ask........</font>
</font>
Edited by: en8wall
lucky boy�</font>
</font>This is my report back from yesterday’s test drive of the
GT86 I did in France as part of the What Car? Reader Test Team. I drove a GT86 LHD manual (£24995) in
metallic Orange £450), with cloth interior and Sat Nav (£750) which gives it a total UK price £26195.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GT86<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
</font>Oh what a breath of fresh air the GT86 is. Looks like nothing else currently being sold
and is an absolute hoot to drive! When I
first saw the car my initial impression from the outside was how compact the
car is especially at the rear. The
proportions are perfect and it looks great from any angle.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Looks &
design.</font></font>[/b]
</font>Pictures in magazines don’t do justice to the various
styling details on the GT86. The
particular points I liked are the vertical crease line that drops down from the
outside edge of the rear lights to another horizontal line on the bumper and the
bulge in the front wings above the wheels which looks especially good from the
driver’s seat. Even the small sidelights/indicators
set in the front bumper have angular details in the glass that show effort has
been applied by Toyota. </font></font>
</font>Other people on the test liked the diffuser at the rear that
incorporates the reverse and fog lights and the two creases in the roof. The car oozes a performance focussed image
and not one of image over driving experience.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Performance</font></font>[/b]
</font>Firstly, the GT86 isn’t slow as some magazines have
written. Yes it may get beaten by your mundane
Mini Cooper S or Audi TT but that misses the
point of the car. At low revs the 2
litre boxer can cruise along sedately but put your foot down in a suitable gear
and the car gains immediate pace especially above (in my opinion) 4000rpm. If you put your foot down in a high gear at
low revs the low torque output does highlight the lack of forced induction urge
you’d get in the aforementioned cars but that’s the only negative. Keep the rev counter needle above 4000rpm and
lots of grin inducing fun can be had.
The brakes are strong and inspire confidence if you find yourself approaching
corners a tad too quickly.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ride and Handling</font></font>[/b]
</font>The ride on the GT86 is firm as you’d expect given it’s a
sports car but not overly so. Some of
the French country roads we drove on were really bumpy which made the ride seem
worse than it would be in the UK. On a rare
stretch of dual carriageway the car drove lovely and smooth being a perfectly
comfortable and relaxing drive at 70mph with the cruise control on. The superb
front seats cosset and hold you in place yet didn’t give me any discomfort
during nearly 4 hours in the car. The
gear change was a tad notchy in the car I drove and I found it hard to select
the right gear but I’m not used to driving LHD which could explain the
difficulties I had.</font>
</font></font>
</font></font>
</font>The handling of the GT86 is what sets it apart. FUN is the only way to describe it. You feel part of the car and even the
slightest movement of the superbly sized steering wheel makes the car
immediately react. Through corners at
any speed you could feel what the car
was doing which inspires confidence. During
the day we tried the car at various stages of its traction control, these being
on, Sport or off. Even with it fully on
we managed a small amount of oversteer that was quickly corrected by the
electrics. In Sport mode (which the
Toyota boys called “Hero mode� as it makes you look like one) I managed a large
oversteer moment coming out of a roundabout but the car brought it all back
together nicely. With the system in off
mode (you have to press the button for 5 seconds) the car will happily wag and
squirm its tail if you give it full throttle from standstill ;-)</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Refinement</font></font>[/b]
</font>The engine can sound a little coarse at times but on a more
positive note you do hear the induction roar courtesy of Toyota using some form
of clever technology to bring the sound into the cockpit. When we drove along sedately the car was
perfectly happy and gave a smooth ride but bear in mind this is a sports car
not a luxury car.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Interior</font></font>[/b]
</font>Getting in and out of the car is not difficult given how low
it is. From the driver’s seat you can
put your hand on the road it’s that low.
If the car has a weak spot other than the low torque output it’s the
quality of the interior. Some of the
plastics are hard and feel cheap, especially the dash in front of the passenger
and the centre console, more of which later.
The keyless entry and start button are nice touches.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Seats: [/b]The seats are GREAT, they hold you in place and
didn’t give me any aches or pains. Our
car had cloth seats which I initially thought
were alcantara. The cloth finish is
really good and makes the £1600 leather option seem expensive.</font></font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Instruments: [/b]The instrument cluster is dominated by a
white backed rev counter with a digital speed display set within it. To the left is the speedo which is difficult
to read when driving and to the right is the temp and fuel gauges which are
easier to read. The digital speed display
is excellent! You have a trip computer
to check average mpg etc and this is controlled by a button on the dash.</font></font>
</font>The air con controls are shaped as nuts and are clear and
easy to use and the system works well.
There is a usb port. I discovered
that the sat-nav is fitted at the docks when they arrive in the UK. It worked well however every now and again it
would go quiet and make you wonder if it had stopped working but it clicked in
when a change of direction was required.
It re-calculated routes very quickly.</font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Space &
practicality: [/b]You can fit children in the back seats but anyone older would
be very cramped. We had two adults in
the back when we were being filmed and they were grateful to get out. The rear seat back folds down easily given
more storage space. You can get suitcases
in the boot which can also be opened by a button on the dash. There isn’t much storage in the cockpit, just
the glovebox, seat backs for maps and a bottle space in each door. The centre console between the seats is the
worst part of the whole car. It looks
like it’s not been finished. The
plastics are very cheap and the two cup holders really tacky. Toyota’s press manager did say that they aren’t
happy with the centre console and are looking to get it changed and improved
asap. An armrest covering the storage
space is what’s needed. </font></font>
</font><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Summary: [/b]If you want to drive a car that’s going to
make you grin and stand out from the usual image based coupes then the GT86 is
for you.</font></font>
</font>If you have any questions please ask........</font>
</font>
Edited by: en8wall