2023 Toyota 86

It’ll be familiar to owners of the first-generation car, but the new 86 has taken a step forward in a couple of key areas.

The seats here are trimmed in what feels like quality cloth, and offer the right blend of bolstering and long-haul comfort for a car that’ll be driven daily… and in anger. They’re set slightly lower in the cabin than before to free up a bit more space.

Combined with a redesigned dashboard, slimmer door pockets, and smarter door grabs, the lower seats genuinely do open up slightly more space for leggy drivers.

he small steering wheel has been lifted directly from the facelifted previous-generation car, and feels just right in a car like this. There’s no flat-bottom or paddles to distract, although the little button pods on the two spokes are easy to accidentally hit if you have big hands.

It’s still a tight fit up front, but you can live with this comfortably in a way you can’t a Mazda MX-5. Not only does it have more space, it has two cupholders under the folding central armrest, usable door pockets, and a glovebox.

Power in the Toyota GR 86 comes from a 2.4-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine, driving the rear wheels. Peak power is 174kW and peak torque is 250Nm, up 22kW and 38Nm on the old car.

Buyers are able to choose between a six-speed manual or six-speed torque converter automatic. Our tester was fitted with the enthusiast’s choice, the manual.

The 100km/h sprint takes a claimed 6.3 seconds.

The GR86 has a 50-litre fuel tank, and drinks 98 RON premium unleaded. Claimed fuel economy is 9.4 litres per 100km on the combined cycle, which we perfectly matched on our week behind the wheel.

he first 86 had a distinctive feeling from behind the wheel, and the new one doesn’t deviate too far from the formula. It just feels a touch more grown up, and a touch more refined in a few key areas than before.

Slot the stubby shifter into first and the light, short action will instantly feel familiar to previous owners, as will the slightly springy clutch. The second you ease off the clutch, however, it’s clear the bigger new engine has torque in all the places the first-generation car was missing it.

It pulls more happily from the bottom of second or third gear around town, and when the road opens up that horrid torque valley in the mid-range of the last car has been flattened out. It’s not going to crush your chest and make you beg for mercy with its sheer pace, but getting the best out of it doesn’t feel like a chore anymore.

The 2.4-litre engine has the same slightly offbeat bark as before, piped into the cabin for a bit more drama behind the wheel, but it’s not coarse or buzzy like before at the top end.

The digital instrument binnacle is simple but effective, and has been laid out to loosely look like a boxer engine. You get speed and revs prominently in the centre, flanked by fuel and temperature gauges on the right, and a customisable pod on the right-hand side.

Like the BRZ, the 86 runs a version of Subaru’s infotainment software on an 8.0-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard. It’s been pared back relative to the version used in the Subaru Outback, but operates quickly and logically.

With no satellite navigation, you’ll need to plug in for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto if you want mapping.

The inclusion of a clear reversing camera is a win, while the USB ports are now hidden away beneath the armrest so cables don’t get tangled up in the gearstick when you’re in a hurry.