Toyota’s old-school sports coupé
This is Toyota’s GT 86 – “the long-awaited product of a cooperation between Subaru and Toyota”, says Andrew English in The Daily Telegraph. Look at it, and you might wonder what the fuss is about. The styling is bog standard for a sports coupé, there’s nothing special under the bonnet or in the cabin, and the power delivery is pretty flat. But “turn into the first corner and you understand what it’s all about”.
The car is “beautifully balanced and neutral”, and drives like an old-school sports coupé, either “drifting with all four wheels, or waiting for you to push the tail out with a judicious prod of the right foot. With the brilliantly communicative steering, you instinctively know what the wheels are doing and how much grip you have to play with.” Spend a morning with it, and “you’ll remember driving skills you thought you’d long forgotten”.
“The GT 86 is that now-rare concoction: a simple, affordable, rear-drive coupé designed for pure driving amusement without being burdened by excessive technology,” agrees John Simister in Evo magazine. It is for those who are bored with cars that are too powerful, have too much grip, cost too much and don’t let the driver do enough. It “restores your faith in cars”: a “pure driving device” that reminds you “how a proper sporting coupé should be”.
Price: £25,000.
Engine: 1,998cc, four-cylinder petrol.
Power: 197bhp at 7,000rpm.
Top speed: 149mph.
0-62mph: 7.0 secs.