Gt 86
- Thread starter colin944
- Start date
Copperman05
New member
I think the concept is a good one, but Im not sure why you would want to spend £25,000 on a car that Porsche did better 25-30 years ago, for that money you could have the very best 944, and it would be quicker, handle better, look nicer and have a pretty badge. You'd still have £15,000 to spare too.
The motoring press seem to love it so far, makes you wonder how they would think a well sorted 944 would compare...
Edd
The motoring press seem to love it so far, makes you wonder how they would think a well sorted 944 would compare...
Edd
GlennS
New member
I rather like them and all credit to Toyota / Subaru for having the courage to put a real sports coupe back into the market. That's a segment that's sorely neglected; the choice normally being "supercar" or "boring saloon upgrades" with little in between and little aimed at the wallet of "normal" mortals. It is worth noting that my 944 S2's new price was substantially more than £25,000 in 1990 without even allowing for 20-odd years of inflation.
The design is a little compromised and I'd have liked to see some more power there as the car could do with being just a tad quicker. Yes, a good 944 is still a better driver's car.
I'd quite happily have a GT 86 or BRZ as the "daily drive" and keep the '44 for weekends.
The design is a little compromised and I'd have liked to see some more power there as the car could do with being just a tad quicker. Yes, a good 944 is still a better driver's car.
I'd quite happily have a GT 86 or BRZ as the "daily drive" and keep the '44 for weekends.
Its worth noting that a favourite car of Tetsuya Tada aka Mr GT86 was the 944 Turbo 
.
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/doc.asp?c=52&i=25340
. http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/doc.asp?c=52&i=25340
Copperman05
New member
After all the rave reviews I thought it would be interesting to compare the modern GT86 to the 944 S2 (I dont have anything else to compare it to). So booked myself a test drive whilst visiting the folks in Cornwall next month.
Edd
Edd
Neil Haughey
New member
The biggest problem for it is the fact it sits in a no mans land. Its a lot of dosh more than an MX-5 (ignore list price, its irrelevant) and yet for a bit more one can get the Nissan thing. I also don't like the look of the thing but I like the concept of it.
Copperman05
New member
Funny you say that Glenn, cos in contrast the GT86 won in 2 classes at the Nurburgring 24hr.
Edd
Edd
GlennS
New member
There were two running, one in Toyota livery and one as a "Subaru". The Toyota one was extremely twitchy, almost bouncy through Vale / Club which is quite technical. It wasn't a driver style thing either, as the behaviour persisted after a driver change. The Subaru had very little setup time due to ECU gremlins but looked better, perhaps due to an enormous and ridiculous looking "swan-neck" rear wing. The "Toyota" was wingless.
Neil Haughey
New member
It can take a long time to get a car right for racing for all sorts of reasons. I wouldn't read to much in to it personally but it certainly doesn't sound like much of an advert for the car, especially when the Mike Wilds et al MX-5 gt (the green one) has been ripping it up the past 2 years.
cookwibble
New member
As a former AE86 owner I approve of the concept but not of the application. You cant beat the sound of a properly sorted 4AGE engine and the suprise when you see the noise is coming from a 30yr old japanese hatchback.
uknick
New member
I drove a GT86 the other day; thinking of replacing my 2.7 Cayman. As the salesman had just come from a Jaguar dealership he was used to test drives of sports cars so he "encouraged" a spirited drive.
Handled OK (although controls were a bit light in feel compared to my car), brakes showed no sign of fade after 30 mins spirited driving and it also has a good exhaust note. But, definitely lacking in power.
Whilst we can't use lots of power on the road all the time, it is nice to have some acceleration to push us back in the seat occasionally. It was very noticeable once I got back into my car.
And, whilst this may sound a trivial point, the seats don't go back to your preferred position after tilting them forward to access the rear seat space. So every time you have to adjust them again. This would drive me crazy and I am amazed Toyota have allowed this in their flagship car. Not sure the last time i drove a car with seats like this, probably back in the 80s.
So, I wont be looking to buy one at this time.
Handled OK (although controls were a bit light in feel compared to my car), brakes showed no sign of fade after 30 mins spirited driving and it also has a good exhaust note. But, definitely lacking in power.
Whilst we can't use lots of power on the road all the time, it is nice to have some acceleration to push us back in the seat occasionally. It was very noticeable once I got back into my car.
And, whilst this may sound a trivial point, the seats don't go back to your preferred position after tilting them forward to access the rear seat space. So every time you have to adjust them again. This would drive me crazy and I am amazed Toyota have allowed this in their flagship car. Not sure the last time i drove a car with seats like this, probably back in the 80s.
So, I wont be looking to buy one at this time.
Copperman05
New member
Drove this today. The reason being is that I had heard the motoring press praise the GT86 very highly, most have written really quite promising reviews and its been very well rated. Top Gear called it 'One of the very best sports cars around today', and it beat several better known supercars in their magaizine shootout coming top overall, Evo called it an 'absolute cracker of a car'. So I wondered how does it compare to my car? The 944 S2 and GT86 are very similar in many ways so it seems natural to want to compare them.
First off, I think the GT86 is a handsome car, better than I expected, pictures dont seem to do it justice. The interior is familiar black, it appears well put together but is finished in faux leather, there is a very Nissan GTR feel about it but with less luxury and leather. The driving position is very similar to the 944's, low down, racing car style steering wheel position, etc.
Toyota let me have a solo drive of the car so I made the most of the opportunity and took in some fast A and sweeping B roads. On the road the car definitely feels the more modern, there's less rattle and squeeks, less road and wind noise. The engine has a nice bark, a rasp that makes you want to rev it and urges you to push on. But this is also where I was a little disappointed, the engine loves to rev from about 6000rpm to the redline at 7500rpm but up until then there's just not enough omph to satisfy me, with another passenger and a boot full of luggage I could imagine the lack in power would start to annoy me. It doesnt need masses, but its def needs a little more.
Handling wise, the car felt pretty planted, the ride was compliant and not too hard, steering felt ok, perhaps a little vague in comparison to the 944. So how do they compare? Well maybe its a little unfair to compare an 23 year old ex £33,000 Porsche with kwv3 to a £25,000 modern Japanese car, but its also an interesting one. I'm trying to be as unbiased and honest as I can here but my 944 certainly feels the better handling car, probably largely down to the kw's, I have just so much more confidence throwing it into corners and then powering out, partly perhaps as its my car and I know its limits but the GT just didn't give the same feedback. Also the 944 steers better, its more precise, more weighted and is always giving you great feedback, dont get me wrong the GT handles pretty good, its just that when your pushing on in the 944 its telling me everything is ok, in the GT its very good to a point and then its telling me I should be backing off, and there's the main difference.
In all honesty I really like the GT86 and I'm happy Toyota have decided to go back to basics with this car, do I £25,000 like it? No, this little test drive has shown me that the 944 (well mine at least) is the more fun car to drive, the extra 50ftlb of torque makes all the difference powering out of corners, and on the KW's, it encourages you to push when the GT starts giving you doubt that bit earlier. Although I suspect the GT86 with 250bhp and coilovers might be a different story...
Edd
First off, I think the GT86 is a handsome car, better than I expected, pictures dont seem to do it justice. The interior is familiar black, it appears well put together but is finished in faux leather, there is a very Nissan GTR feel about it but with less luxury and leather. The driving position is very similar to the 944's, low down, racing car style steering wheel position, etc.
Toyota let me have a solo drive of the car so I made the most of the opportunity and took in some fast A and sweeping B roads. On the road the car definitely feels the more modern, there's less rattle and squeeks, less road and wind noise. The engine has a nice bark, a rasp that makes you want to rev it and urges you to push on. But this is also where I was a little disappointed, the engine loves to rev from about 6000rpm to the redline at 7500rpm but up until then there's just not enough omph to satisfy me, with another passenger and a boot full of luggage I could imagine the lack in power would start to annoy me. It doesnt need masses, but its def needs a little more.
Handling wise, the car felt pretty planted, the ride was compliant and not too hard, steering felt ok, perhaps a little vague in comparison to the 944. So how do they compare? Well maybe its a little unfair to compare an 23 year old ex £33,000 Porsche with kwv3 to a £25,000 modern Japanese car, but its also an interesting one. I'm trying to be as unbiased and honest as I can here but my 944 certainly feels the better handling car, probably largely down to the kw's, I have just so much more confidence throwing it into corners and then powering out, partly perhaps as its my car and I know its limits but the GT just didn't give the same feedback. Also the 944 steers better, its more precise, more weighted and is always giving you great feedback, dont get me wrong the GT handles pretty good, its just that when your pushing on in the 944 its telling me everything is ok, in the GT its very good to a point and then its telling me I should be backing off, and there's the main difference.
In all honesty I really like the GT86 and I'm happy Toyota have decided to go back to basics with this car, do I £25,000 like it? No, this little test drive has shown me that the 944 (well mine at least) is the more fun car to drive, the extra 50ftlb of torque makes all the difference powering out of corners, and on the KW's, it encourages you to push when the GT starts giving you doubt that bit earlier. Although I suspect the GT86 with 250bhp and coilovers might be a different story...
Edd
Copperman05
New member
pauljmcnulty
Active member
Thanks, Edd, interesting stuff.
How would you feel about it when it's a sub-£10K car in a few years? I must admit it's a thought that's niggeling away at me. I'm a Subaru fan, albeit the reliable estates rather than the chavved-up Imprezzas, and the idea of a reliable, three-year-old car with small wheels and RWD does seem good.
How would you feel about it when it's a sub-£10K car in a few years? I must admit it's a thought that's niggeling away at me. I'm a Subaru fan, albeit the reliable estates rather than the chavved-up Imprezzas, and the idea of a reliable, three-year-old car with small wheels and RWD does seem good.
Copperman05
New member
Paul,
I think if I was looking for sub £10,000 car in few years the Gt86 would be at the top of my list, its definitely a fun car but my 944 will always be just that little bit more special..
Edd
Posts made and opinions expressed are those of the individual forum members
Use of the Forum is subject to the Terms and Conditions
