Toyota GT86, Toyota FT-86, Scion FRS video review

[krulux]

I own an FRS.  I've had mine coming up on a year now.  If someone would have asked me a year ago if today I would be driving a 4-cylinder tuner car I would have laughed at them.  I'm at the age where men start looking at cars most others would see as a "mid-life-crisis" purchase.  

Last year I started looking for something fun to drive. My budget was 35-40K which is used territory for the upper end sports cars, at least for what I had my eye on.  You know the type, old guy in a Corvette or Porsche.  Eventually I decided against buying used and started looking at options a rung or two lower.

I grew up on classic muscle cars and have owned a few over the years.  I do like the retro look of the SS Camaro or GT Mustangs.  I even fancied the RT Challenger.  But after seeing the prices on some of those cars and having crazy insurance prices quoted I decided to look in an entirely new direction.

My friend told me to check out a WRX.  Subaru.  Ok.  Enter the Subaru WRX.  Now this was something different!  4 cylinder boxer engine.  Turbo.  All wheel drive.  Price is good.  My new obsession.  I started reading about the performance of these little banshee's.  I was hooked.  I went and test drove one.  Loved it.  Almost bought it.  Then I saw the BRZ for the first time as another customer was returning from a test drive.  Whoa.  What is that? I asked the salesman.  Oh, the BRZ.. do you like it?  Uhh.. yes! How much is it?  28K?  WTF?  That car is 28K?

Unfortunately, it was the only one on the lot at the time.  I did not get a chance to drive that BRZ.  The guy on the test drive decided to buy it, so all I could do was check it out. He did tell me that Toyota made the same car.  Toyota?  Yup, under their Scion badge.  Scion?  Yup, and it's less than the BRZ.  WTF?

And so I switched gears and started researching the BRZ and FRS.  When a reviewer, especially those like Autocar or Top Gear, favorably compare a sub 30K car to those that cost 2 or 3 times as much that is a win!  A win for us the driver and those that love to drive.  I like to think of the BRZ/FRS as a poor man's Porsche.  All the fun for way less cash.   

Naturally, I wanted the Subaru version but at the time they were back-ordered for weeks.  I wanted one right then. So I found a Toyota dealer that sold Scion's and found my FRS.  It was the only one on the lot.  A beautiful Whiteout FRS 6MT.  I bought it immediately after the test drive.  I can say without a doubt it is the best driver's car I've ever driven. Hands down.  This car makes other "performance" cars feel like boats.  This car is a switchblade in a world of pen knives.

No, the car is not the fastest thing I've ever driven.  Not by a long shot.  I've owned a number of muscle cars over the years that would pummel my little FRS on paper and 0-60 or down the 1/4.  None of those cars comes close to the sheer handling and driving capability of the FRS.  Beyond dick measuring, which I'm way past at this point in my life, it is an awesome car for the money.  It follows the old mantra of going fast by not having to slow down. 

I know what it means now when someone says "it's on rails".  You simply point this car where you want it to go and it goes there.  It carves up the back road twisties like a Ginsu through a tomato.  It's handling will make even sloppy drivers look good.  In the hands of a good driver this car is magnificent. Viagra wishes it worked this good!

Since I've owned the car for a while now I've started to mod it to my tastes.  The modding scene for this car is growing and there are plenty examples of those putting down real respectable numbers if that is your thing.  By simply upgrading the exhaust, adding a header and running a stage2 tune improved my own car by 25bhp, which is considerable for a car this light.. which is leading me to upgrade the tires now.  That Prius rubber ain't cutting it anymore (although it is fun to power slide!!)

I just recently ordered some 18x8 wheels and 225/40 sticky tires.. and a set of lowering springs to drop it a bit.  All in all, I've been very satisfied with my choice to drive an FRS.  It has been easy on the pocketbook and it is a freaking blast to drive everyday.  It's the only car I've ever owned that makes me look forward to driving it and to think about driving it when I'm not.  It may not appeal to everyone, but to those that get it, this is a real deal driving machine.  Enjoy!

[tmwall]

I was born in 1985: I'm 27, finished college, got a decent job making 40k a year and adore it. The car is aimed squarely at me. Toyota knows this is a great way to get me and people like me ( generation y, college grad ) interested in a brand I would have never looked at prior. Hence the 86 name. I'm sold. Bravo to Toyota and Subaru.

[pk]

Everyone complaining about the sprint time needs to realise that its a 0-SixtyTWO time that autocar are measuring. The gear ratio of this car was set up so that it reaches SIXTY at the end of 2nd gear. Therefore to get to Sixty TWO you need to go up to 3rd gear. hence the added amount of time spent shifting. Its 0-60 time is around 6.6 i think. Hope this explanation clears some things up.

[memento]

This car is surprisingly similar to the Mazda RX 8. Very low center of gravity, 2+2, limited slip differential, rear wheel drive, lot of fun on the road - good job

[camaroguy]

I don't think he's just talking about engine performance and the most durable rear axle you can find. He's talking about the car as a whole. Handling, lightweight, ease of driving, affordability, etc.

[juffurey]

pretty much exactly the same except for the badge, but i've read that the BRZ will have a little understeer like the WRX from different spring rates and shock dampening, while the GT86 and FR-S will be more neutral

[ShanesAutos]

The GT86 is one of the best car's ive ever driven, like it so much I drove it 4 times including the automatic transmission love everything about it. Glad to see Toyota stepping back into the era of proper JDM sports cars.

[sii-vii]

It is the same it was a joint operation in which 2 companies(considering Scion is part of Toyota) created an affordable sports car. Minor differences were made but for the most part it is the same, since both companies didn't want to out-do each other. These cars have the best maneuverability and overall balance in the under 30, 000 market. While the Genesis have more hp, its quickly out done by the Fr-s light weight handling. It's just personal preferences, although both cars are still great!!!

[Bret]

Dear Autocar,

Steve Sutcliffe is your best presenter, we want more reviews with him.

[samsam]

The 173 hp you're talking about is hp to the wheels, which is REALLY good considering some S2000s only get around 200 hp. Factor in weight and the FR-S/BRZ actually comes out to be just 16 hp slower than an S2K.

[Berserkism]

Clearly he is talking about Steering Feel. The communication that is lacking in almost all Japanese cars. They feel like an Audi through the steering wheel; Dead. There is a disconnect between what is happening up front and what the driver senses through the steering wheel. Especially when compared to a Porsche which has renowned steering feedback. The fact that he was comparing it to them is an excellent indication of the cars quality steering feedback. He does know what he is talking about.

[sondrehansen]

me too. amazing in the corners, but it's a bit weak. I did 0-60 in 6 seconds with an automatic gear box with that flappy gear change thing behind the wheel.

[Leonidae]

Room for turbo, but not much room for intercooler, which is the problem. if you've seen pictures of the turbocharged GT86 drift car, you'd see that they had to mount the intercooler almost horizontally to make it fit, and even then they had to chop and weld quite a bit to make a spot for it.

[lordcoombs]

An employee from Toyota was saying on GT86 forums that TRD has bolt on accessories that take power to 300bhp. He said no forced induction. Hard to believe but welcome. I thought some of the mainstream car websites were saying 250bhp out of the engine in faster versions is a sure thing. That will mean it's staring to get a decent power to weight ratio.

[KoryNunn]

The steering is genuinely good, especially for a new car. If anything I kind of prefer the electric steering in this to hydraulic in others. You get an almost sticky feel with hydraulic PS that isn't there with no PS or with the 86's electric PS.

[Tophairybutt]

@Shyon90, I agree with you. Sliding, like the man is doing in this video, is the slow way around the race track. The car is capable of being very fast around the turns, if somebody that knows enough about roadracing was to drive the car. I would also suggest slightly wider tires all the way around.

[PT]

The noise is easy to improve, just add aftermarket CAI and exhaust system.

[TCGaming]

Awesome!! :D I can't wait for it to come out!! :D

[ABSjazz]

Yeah, I've heard the same. Something tells me that it could definitely fit with a slight redesign/facelift of the front end (i.e engine bay/hood/fenders/bumper).

[ShanesAutos]

yeh i noticed that to...but this car was not built for straight line speed but tp go sideways and just be a little bundle of fun ha