Test Drive: Toyota 86 GT Black offers a lot of fun
We wish Toyota and Subaru would work together more often.
Perhaps the Toyota RAV-4 and Subaru Forester could mate and become a Ravester. Or the Subaru Outback and Toyota Highlander could mesh into an Outlander — oh wait, Mitsubishi already has one of those.
Our tester this week shows the fruits of such collaboration. The vivacious little Toyota 86 sports car is a near identical twin of the Subaru BRZ. (Note: The Toyota 86 was formerly known as the Scion FR-S.)
Our test car is a 2018 Toyota 86 GT Black, which — incidentally — isn’t black, but happens to be 2811 pounds of pure, unadulterated, pewter-colored joy. Our 86 GT Black is shown in a color called Thunder, which technically isn’t a color but a loud boom.
Anyway, our week in the 86, provided by Toyota, was a reminder of what it feels like to drive for the pure fun of it. Never mind that the back seat in the 86 is more like a small cargo shelf, or that the trunk latch is sometimes maddening to close.
The main reason to own an 86 is for that sweet instant when you downshift to second gear while leaning through a bend in the W Road up Walden’s Ridge. The 86s extremely low center of gravity — about 18 inches off the ground — gives it an almost supernatural level of handling.
Want a clearer testimonial? If I were 27 years old and single, I would own this car.
WHAT IS IT?
A two-door coupe with theoretical seating for four — and practical seating for two — which incorporates the engineering prowess of two of today’s most successful car-makers: Subaru and Toyota. The 2.0-liter, Subaru-designed boxer engine has a flat architecture that allows for the lower center of gravity and sublime handling.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Our top-trim GT Black version of the 86 has an MSRP of $29,280, including an $895 delivery fee. A base 86 has a sticker price of $27,175.
Good question. A search of digital inventories at nearby Toyota stores reflects a very limited supply. In fact you might have to drive to Atlanta or Huntsville, Alabama, to locate one on the ground. The silver lining is that if you do snag a Toyota 86, it’s likely to hold its value due to high demand and low supply. Remember, you can always search for Subaru BRZs, which are nearly identical.
BEST FEATURES
From some angles our 86 GT Black tester looks like a poor-man’s Porsche 911. It helps that almost nobody you encounter will be able to ID this car from its badges. In fact, if you tell people it’s a baby Lamborghini, most won’t know the difference.
WORTH WHILE QUIRK
In a world of frontwheel-drive vehicles, the rear-wheel-drive 86 is a reminder that drive-trains that push instead of pull are a lot more fun. (Interesting fact: The BRZ is Subaru’s only vehicle without all-wheel-drive.) In the market for a new vehicle? To access more than 100 of Mark Kennedy’s local Test Drive columns visit timesfreepress. com/testdrive.
PRICE INCLUDES:
17-inch alloy wheels, six-speed manual transmission, 7-inch touchscreen and leather trimmed seats.
WE’D LIKE TO SEE…
Satellite radio and Apple CarPlay. Also, we’d nix the rear wing, which looks like a prize from a box of Cracker Jacks.
BOTTOM LINE
The Toyota 86, while not a convertible, gives the Mazda Miata a run for its money in the funto-drive department. Here’s hoping supply increases and more buyers get to sample its high-revving, road-hugging goodness.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@ timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @ TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook. com/mkennedycolumnist.