Toyota’s little 86 sports coupe is taking the world by storm. We have recently spent time in the UK, Germany, France and Italy, and everywhere we go car lovers are talking about the return of Toyota to the sports car business. They are also bemoaning the ever-growing waiting lists for the 86.
Toyota Australia won’t quote waiting times, but, anecdotally, potential owners are staring at up to six months before they have one sitting in their driveway on standby for the delights of an early Sunday morning drive on stretches of interesting roads.
Toyota tells us the styling of the 86 was inspired by the 1965 Toyota 2000GT with its classic side-window shape, long bonnet and rear fender line. The shape is sporty and neat and likely to remain as timeless as those of its honourable ancestor.
Two variants of the Toyota 86 are on offer Down Under: the base GT and up-specced GTS, both with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.
Handling is exceptional, making it a true driver’s car and explaining the long waiting lists worldwide. The flat-four engine sits low and satisfyingly rearwards in the front of the car and drives the rear wheels. Steering inputs are fast and progressive and there’s plenty of positive feedback through the wheel.
Toyota 86 sticks to the road with all the determination and verve of a true sports machine and like all the best in this class it seems to read the mind of the driver.
The front bucket seats provide good lateral support when cornering and do so without being overly aggressive in the shape of the side bolsters. As a 2+2, the Toyota 86 has no illusions about carrying rear seat passengers.
A very high compression ratio of 12.5:1 gives the naturally aspirated engine excellent performance across the entire rev range.
Starting at an amazingly low $29,990 for the manual Toyota 86 GT, the price rises to $35,490 for the GTS manual. Automatic adds $2500 to both grades.
