Nowadays, we take it for granted that Toyota makes cars that are fun to drive, but what a lot of people forget is that at the beginning of the 2010s, Toyota actually did not even have a sports car in its lineup. Obsessed with the idea of becoming the number one manufacturer in the world, Toyota went all-in on mass-market cars, all to catch the elusive top spot. They did reach it, but this came at a cost. The cars were problematic (remember the huge recalls for floor mats and throttle pedals?), lacked any distinct identity, and worst of all, were completely and utterly boring.
So, at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, imagine our surprise when Akio Toyoda went on stage to announce the production version of the first-generation Toyota 86. He not only unveiled the small, lightweight sports car, but also teared up, saying that when he was growing up, Toyota had cars that were fun to drive. He apologized profusely in a way only the Japanese know how to do, and admitted that Toyota had dropped the ball. He then used the opportunity to launch the new slogan for the company, “Fun to Drive, Again”.
He emphasized, with a passion only a real car guy could muster, that it was his name on the building, and he would take this chance to steer Toyota into a more fun, more dynamic direction. At first, we were skeptical, but as the 86 started getting into the hands of the media (we put it on the cover of the Top Gear Philippines magazine), people were absolutely gushing about this car that cost around P1.55 million then. We fell in love. Well, specifically, I fell in love.
It was about a year later that I was lucky enough to be able to buy one: A first-generation Toyota 86 in red with a manual transmission. This car was a revelation. Having come from a Nissan Sylvia S14, the 86 was a modern take on the lightweight, nimble, rear-wheel drive sports car. It was fun, it was practical (for a two-door car), and you could feel just how much love and care went into making the car fun to drive.
Yes, it was never the fastest, but it was more than enough power for a car that was one of the lightest cars being sold at the time, with handling that could always put a smile on your face, no matter the speed. It was not without its flaws (we will get into the torque dip later), but you could tell that this was a milestone car that would revive the dying (or dead) affordable sports car segment.
Fast forward a few years, and while fun is now in the DNA of almost any car bearing the Toyota name, the 86 has been updated to modern standards. It now bears the Toyota Gazoo Racing acronym in its name, dubbed the GR86, but how does it hold up to one of my favorite cars of all time? I recently had the opportunity to try it out to find out.
Styling
The first thing you notice when you look at the new GR86 is that it looks like it had a ‘glow up.’ Going through the car equivalent of adulting, it now looks more mature and more distinct. In fact, the GR86 actually looks bigger than its predecessor, even if its dimensions are more or less the same. Chalk this optical illusion up to the haunches and the larger ducktail spoiler on the rear boot lid.
We love it. It looks more purposeful and sportier. Of particular note is that this is the closest that it has looked to its Subaru sibling, the BRZ. Not that this is a bad thing, as the current BRZ is also the best that the BRZ has ever looked.
The car looks special, especially in this special launch color of Ignition Red. It looks at home in every situation, whether this is during a track day or pulling into the driveway of a high-end hotel, the GR86 just looks more special than it used to be.
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Interior
Step inside, however, and the new GR86 is perfectly adequate. I say adequate because it does not seem to have changed much compared to the previous 86. Yes, there is a new digital gauge cluster that does show a lot more information, and yes, you replace the very cheap radio (without a screen) with a full-on infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but other than that, it seems about the same level as before.
Some parts are still scratchy plastics, and while the shifter falls perfectly to hand, and the seats hug my back nicely, there just isn’t a generational leap from the first 86, as this is more an evolution of what worked before. Take away my experience with the first 86, however, and the new GR86 has a very pleasant interior to be in. Everything is where it needs to be for an entry-level sports car.
That being said, what we were willing to forgive in the 2010s is a harder pill to swallow in 2025, when the current car is now the price of a Toyota Camry.
Engine performance
When the original 86 was launched, one thing that stood out (in a bad way) was how some people felt that there was a lack of grunt from its 197hp 2.0-liter boxer four. While I found that this amount of power was perfectly adequate, I did find that the infamous ‘dip,’ wherein the car would have a dip in the torque curve from around 3,500 to 4,500rpm, was much more noticeable.
The original 86 just felt lethargic when accelerating through the mid-rpm range, with the driver having to wring the poor little engine for all its worth to get past the dip and get to the power available beyond it.
Toyota and Subaru’s solution for the dip was a bump in displacement to a 2.4-liter, which also brought power up to 234hp, and torque up to 250Nm. Yes, if you really try, you will feel remnants of the dip still there, but you really have to try to feel it, which means that for me, they did solve it.
Power in the new engine is more than adequate, giving the GR86 acceleration and torque that make it feel that much more sprightly. So solved, right? Well, on the engine side, yes. Unfortunately, the transmission is still the same six-speed automatic in the old one. This gearbox feels almost two generations old, and that’s because it is. It is lethargic, a bit rubbery, and takes a while to kick down when you floor the throttle. Thankfully, you can slightly solve it by using the manual shift modes (although we still found it a bit lacking), or solve it completely by just buying the manual. The manual is really the best way to experience the GR86, and you get to save some money as well.
Overall, power is more than enough to match the looks of the car, but we just wish the automatic transmission were updated already, as it really holds back the driving experience.
Ride and handling
The 86 always set the bar for handling in a sports car. Mainly due to its low weight, great rigidity (with the roof), and very low center of gravity because of the boxer engine layout. The new GR86 lives up to this, as it has the same exact layout and focus on weight savings.
Toss the GR86 into a corner, and you can feel that it clearly has more to give. The car squats down and hugs the road with a bit of body roll (not as much as an MX-5), and with much more confidence than one would expect. Yes, it can feel a bit tail happy at the limit, but those limits come on very gradually and consistently. This means you can push the car within your skill set, and the GR86 will reward you with obedience and fun. Fun again, indeed.
Braking wasn’t too good, as the pedal was deep, mushy, and, unlike the handling, did not inspire confidence in its use. This could be because the brakes badly need a service, but we can only test the car as it was lent to us, and this one definitely did not feel quite right.
Overall, the highlight of the GR86 was, and has always been, its handling. Other than the brakes, it really does handle just a bit better than the old one, which was already a very, very good handling car, so it still sets the bar for cars of this price.
Extra features
When we talk features and the old 86, there really wasn’t much to bring up. It didn’t have any screens, so no Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and other than cruise control, really, nothing comes to mind.
In the new GR86, we are happy to report that it now has a decent infotainment system with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and it now adds Subaru’s Eyesight safety system for automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control.
It’s a bit of a trip to control Eyesight with a Toyota cruise control lever, but I digress. Unfortunately, this is an older version of Eyesight, which means that while it has adaptive cruise control, it does not have lane tracing, nor does it have stop-go capability, both of which might have been great to use when stuck in the inevitable modern traffic jams.
Another feature that ages the car are the USB-A ports, which meant we had to find some older cables to use with it. This might sound like a first-world problem, but once you go bi-directional with USB-C, it is admittedly hard to go back.
The features in the GR86 are decent, but you end up hoping that, for the price that Toyota is charging for this, it had a few more toys to play with.
Verdict
There’s no beating around the bush, the old 86 was a bit more expensive than the highest trim Altis of the time, while the new GR86 is now more expensive than a hybrid Camry at P2.876 million as tested in Ignition Red with the automatic transmission.
This definitely stings a bit, as the older 86 was a hit for being such a good value compared to other cars on the market. There was a reason why, when it was launched, the line to buy it was Fortuner-esque, with a waitlist of more than two years for a unit.
At the end of the day, however, the GR86 is still one of the best rear-wheel drive sport coupes you can buy today. Other than the Mazda MX-5, there really isn’t another car that is as exciting as the GR86 for the price you are paying.
If you have yet to try any generation of the 86, we would recommend finding a way to get behind the wheel of one, as the experience is transcendental. It is the genesis (hi, Hyundai) of Toyota’s “Fun to Drive, Again,” mentality, and by extension, the GR brand.
It took a mere 14 years to go from zero performance cars to one of the most complete lineups in the industry, and to most, especially me, the 86 is how it all started.
Specs: 2025 Toyota GR86 2.4 A/T
Price: P2,876,000 (Ignition Red)
Engine: 2.4-liter horizontally-opposed four-cycliner
Power: 237hp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic transmission
Layout: RWD
Seating: 4
Score: 17/20
More photos of the 2025 Toyota GR86:
