Get GR8 bang for your buck

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Affordable sports cars may be somewhat of an anomaly, a pipe dream of sorts in a shrinking niche segment that has seen more exits than grand entrances of late. 

The Mazda MX-5 is one of the better-known examples and continues its lineage to this day. MG, with its TF, was another player but it has disappeared, while Toyota’s MR2 also had its time in the sun locally but that too was short-lived. 

In 2013, Toyota made an emphatic return to the compact sports car realm with the 86. A jointly developed product with Subaru, the 86 brought a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car that was cheap as chips and pandered to the enthusiast craving thrills on a shoestring budget. It was universally welcomed. 

Both the 86 and its BRZ cousin truly nailed the brief but the little matter of power — or lack thereof — was somewhat contentious. 

With 147kW and 205Nm at 6 600revs per minute, the car felt underwhelming below 4 000r/min and only began to feel as if it was making strides above that twilight zone. However, the powerband was short and it fizzled out too soon. 

There were attempts to give it more power with aftermarket tuners, which strapped on a supercharger to bump up power and torque, but there was a fly in the ointment with this approach. While the car gained a much-needed power bump, it took away the playful nature of the Hachi-Roku, which could be enjoyed at lower speeds, thanks to skinny tyres. 

This exercise proved expensive, too and, essentially, voided your factory warranty in favour of a rather scant aftermarket warranty from the tuning company. It’s a story for another day. Suffice it to say I do not recommend it. 

The latest GR86 picks up where the 86 left off in that it still boasts the fundamental model brief of “waku doki”, which loosely translates as “fun to drive”. While the new model is based on the outgoing 86, the GR86 takes things up quite a few notches. For starters, it ditches the 2.0-litre boxer engine for a 2.4-litre boxer — still naturally aspirated — and is all the better for it. 

Power now sits at 174kW at 7 000r/min, and torque is 250Nm at 3 700r/min. The latter figure, and where it peaks in the rev range, makes a world of difference but we’ll touch on that later. 

Among other changes, the GR86 now has proper performance tyres — Michelin Pilot Sport 4S measuring 215/40/R18 at each corner. These offer significantly better grip, particularly once you begin to up the pace and want to take a corner in the most accurate manner possible. 

Also, the vehicle’s structural rigidity has been increased by 50%, giving this model excellent body control, which adds to the sublime handling. 

The cabin itself? Well, it is a marked improvement over the outgoing model but it is still minimalist in its approach, which I have no trouble with. 

The boot has been given a rubber mat that neatly covers the spare wheel, but don’t expect to load a cow in there — that is not what this car is about. Instead, slide into the low-slung driver’s seat and crank up the new engine, slot first gear through that slick 6-speed manual transmission and nose the car onto the road. 

Thanks to its diminutive size, it remains an easy car to drive and place on the road. 

What does immediately grab your attention is the drivability of the engine. There’s more than adequate torque at the bottom end for you to short-shift the gearbox and still make decent momentum for daily trudges. 

However, chase the rev needle to its 7 500r/min ceiling and what impresses is the smoothness of the powerplant and its keenness to stretch its legs. And this is accompanied by good forward performance to keep you engaged. 

There’s a piped-into-the-cabin faux engine sound but it is not as annoying as some of these synthesised contraptions that I’ve experienced in other brands. 

The steering wheel remains feelsome and tells you what the front tyres are doing and how much grip you have. As mentioned, the car feels more buttoned down due to those grippier tyres but you can still provoke the GR86 to go sideways if you are so inclined. 

The traction control has two modes, Track or Off, and the latter lets you slide the car with little fuss, much like the previous vehicle, and that’s where the GR86’s unique selling point comes to the fore. 

Yes, you could likely buy a Hyundai i30 N or Subaru WRX for similar money but neither offers rear-wheel drive dynamics, making the GR86 a niche offering if you discount the anaemic Mazda MX5. So, should you buy the Toyota GR86, then? Well, if you enjoy the unadulterated and unfiltered thrill of driving, then the answer is a resounding “yes”!

Price:R733 500