The New GR86 Is Doomed, Let Me Explain - Toyota GR86 Review

Jul 29, 2023

The New GR86 Is Doomed, Let Me Explain - Toyota GR86 Review

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The new 2022 Toyota GR86 is here and well, it’s FINALLY got more power. But is more power going to be enough to keep this car relevant in a time when the classic sports car formula is on its way out? Guff and Zain dig into the history of the GR86 all the way back to the Corolla AE86 and see if the past can tell us something about the future.

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Video Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro
0:36 - The Origin of 86
3:38 - Does the GR86 Stack Up?
5:49 - But what about the old 86?
7:51 - GR86 vs GT86
9:52 - The New Baseline
10:35 - But, Here’s The Problem…
12:00 - There’s a Light At The End of The Tunnel

#Toyota #GR86 #GazooRacing

Content

4.08 -> The second-gen 86 is here

5.38 -> and Toyota finally gave it more power.

8.58 -> But it isn't enough to keep this car alive,

11.43 -> although, not for the reason you may think.

13.5 -> So let's drive the GR-86, and look back at the lineage of the 86 while we're at it

17.64 -> to uncover why, no matter how good this car is,

20.1 -> its destiny will always be to close the chapter

22.4 -> on the affordable rear-wheel-drive sports car as we know it

28.84 -> Congratulations to Marvin who won the last Albon $1000 giveaway

31.97 -> If you wanna win $1000, just subscribe and leave a comment below, and you could win.

35.28 -> Now back to the video

37.35 -> The new 2022 GR86 is a car with a decades-long legacy.

46.54 -> And that legacy traces its origins back to one particular car.

51.94 -> The AE86 Corolla.

61.98 -> This fifth generation Corolla was first produced in 1983, and it was nothing like the Corolla

67.4 -> you and I know today.

68.96 -> It was a Front Engined, Rear-Wheel Drive, manual transmission 2-door, which in top trim

74.04 -> made 128 hp from its inline 4 engine, all while being super affordable.

79.94 -> It doesn’t sound particularly impressive now, but this Corolla had something that set

84.01 -> it apart from nearly all the cars around it.

87.11 -> Balance.

88.11 -> With its near 50/50 weight distribution and superb chassis, the 86, or Hachi-Roku as it

94.3 -> was known in Japan, quickly found itself competing in all sorts of racing.

98.52 -> Group A, Group N, Rally, Production Car Racing, you name it, there were at least a couple

103.59 -> 86s on the grid.

104.6 -> And they weren’t there just to race, they were there to win.

108.67 -> The 86 dominated Group A and even beat out the likes of BMW, Mercedes, and Alfa Romeo

114.59 -> in the 1986 European Touring Car Championship

118.27 -> But it wasn’t really on track where the 86 made its name for itself.

122.6 -> Rather, it was on the touge.

126.1 -> The street racing scene in japan was growing rapidly and the ‘hashiriya’ street racers

132.98 -> took to the touge, or mountain roads, to get their fix.

136.86 -> The car of choice?

138.47 -> The Hachi-Roku of course.

140.33 -> It was on these twisty mountain downhill races that the likes of Koichi Yamashita, Wataru

145.81 -> Hayashi, and of course the drift king himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya proved that the little 86

151.1 -> had everything you needed to not only be fast, but also have the most amount of fun possible.

157.05 -> In fact, the entire sport of drifting, now a multimillion dollar industry, can really

162.95 -> trace its roots back to these young hoodlums sliding down Mt. Haruna in their 86s.

168.8 -> But despite how popular the 86 got, it was destined to die even before the first car

174.62 -> was produced.

175.62 -> You see, the world was transitioning out of RWD gas guzzlers and into FWD economy cars,

182.569 -> and the Corolla was a prime example.

185.209 -> The AE86 wasn’t even technically a fifth generation Corolla, it was a modified 4th

190.95 -> gen Corolla, because the actual fifth gen had already gone FWD.

196.13 -> And so the Hachi-Roku was abandoned after just 3 years of production.

200.28 -> A victim to the ever-accelerating flow of technology.

204.42 -> Something that the GR86 might just have in common.

208.17 -> Overall though, that’s quite a legacy to live up to for the GR86.

212.44 -> And while its cultural impact remains to be seen, there’s one thing we can certainly

217.01 -> figure out:

218.01 -> Does it still provide the ultra-connected rear wheel drive thrills that its grandfather

222.77 -> did?

223.91 -> Alright, here we are in the GR 86

227.82 -> GR Eight Six

230.05 -> It's pedantic and it's unreasonable, but that's what it is.

233.569 -> Off the bat, one of the biggest highlights of the previous-gen car was its steering rack.

237.28 -> It had fantastic steering feel

238.91 -> Pretty much the best you could get south of a Porsche

242.769 -> Where do we rank here?

243.91 -> How do we compare?

244.91 -> It's very much still there.

245.91 -> They updated the power steering rack so that the entire EPS system is

251.01 -> its all in one unit

252.01 -> and its on the column rather than separated out between the rack and column

255.16 -> and its smaller and more rigid they said

257.629 -> all of those would spell to better steering feel, but I don't think its better

261.729 -> It was already such good steering feel already, any improvement from here, its almost like

265.781 -> a

266.781 -> Minutia?

267.781 -> it's so little, yeah

268.781 -> Yeah, exactly,

269.781 -> How does the body movement feel?

270.781 -> Chassis and suspension wise?

271.781 -> I'm feeling more stability in it, but only if you're really kinda hammering it

275.9 -> Yeah, absolutely, and honestly this car has better tires than a stock 86 would have, right?

280.249 -> Pilot Sport 4's on this car, honestly it's good.

283.249 -> It's a good choice.

284.249 -> It's a good choice, and this is the Premium that's why we have the Pilot 4s

287.96 -> Yeah exactly, the base car will still get the Michelin Primacies

291.199 -> Which we know and love...

292.53 -> Maybe not love, but we know em

294.699 -> We know em, that's for sure!

299.409 -> Yeah overall, the chassis feels rigid, the body movements are well controlled

305.509 -> And the suspension, I wouldn't say its leaps and bounds better, or leaps and bounds different

309.879 -> in any direction

310.879 -> Which is to say, its good!

312.27 -> It's a good compromise, no adaptive doohickeys garbage over here.

315.99 -> It's just coil springs.

317.43 -> Is it still fun though?

318.479 -> This??

319.479 -> I'm having a great time!

320.729 -> Yeah, I'm having a great time too!

322.83 -> Even me sitting here!

324.08 -> I'm having a great time!

325.22 -> This is still a blast to drive!

327.55 -> There's no doubt about it.

328.55 -> and I will say, I'm having more fun driving these backroads than I am on the track.

334.749 -> Yeah, absolutely

335.749 -> It feels more at home here because its more technical

337.099 -> It is a car you can really enjoy on a backroad

339.849 -> It's fun, It feel light, It had everything, the formula it had before that we loved

344.61 -> It's just more

345.93 -> Yeah, just more.

347.419 -> Which I guess is really what we wanted.

348.6 -> The GR86 at first glance then still holds true to its roots,

354.349 -> and stays honest to that formula of a connected, fun, rwd sports car

359.279 -> But, then again, so did the first generation 86

363.77 -> The first gen car, which launched 9 years ago now, was also Subaru boxer-4 powered,

369.33 -> front engined, rear wheel drive sports car, with a manual transmission in the middle,

373.379 -> that proudly displayed its connection to its Corolla ancestors.

376.93 -> So is the GR86 actually an improvement, or does it fall flat in the same places the previous

382.949 -> car did?

384.099 -> To find out, let’s first take a quick refresher in the first gen car:

389.729 -> This is a 2013 Toyota 86, well, actually no, it's a Subaru BRZ, but close enough.

399.499 -> It was the first spiritual successor to the AE86 Corolla and while it wasn’t accepted

404.49 -> by everyone, largely due to its Subaru bones, eventually the world came to love the car

408.939 -> for what it is.

410.55 -> An affordable, lightweight, RWD driver’s car.

414.11 -> As we mentioned in the GR86, this car has a fantastic steering rack and chassis.

419.199 -> One that gave you plenty of information from the road and let you have as much fun as you

423.599 -> wanted.

424.599 -> Beyond that though, it had a wonderful snick-snicky 6 speed manual transmission and a very progressive

429.55 -> torsen limited slip diff.

431.8 -> The car did have one slight issue though...

435.53 -> The engine.

436.53 -> Now, I didn’t mind the 2 liter flat 4, and with a header and a tune it made for a pretty

441.189 -> decent powerplant, but from the factory, I’ll admit:

444.99 -> It was SLOW

446.029 -> 200hp isn’t a bad figure for a lightweight car but the 151 lb-ft of torque just didn’t

452.869 -> cut it.

453.869 -> Especially considering the uber frustrating torque dip from about 3 to 5000 rpm, the main

458.899 -> RPM range that you spent most of your time in.

461.589 -> And so, the first gen 86 was a car that left us wanting.

466.11 -> Not quite perfect out the box, but just enough to bring us back to a time gone by.

471.229 -> So, let’s see if the new GR86 picks up, where the old car left off.

476.199 -> This car is about 70 or so pounds heavier than the previous gen

479.409 -> but they did use a copious amount of aluminum.

481.8 -> The roof is aluminum now as well as the front fenders

484.21 -> and the hood is still aluminum like the previous gen was.

486.559 -> I think that comes down to a lot of stiffening they did.

488.999 -> The beefier control arms and I think it's a little quieter on the road.

492.409 -> It is quieter on the road.

493.469 -> Maybe there's a little bit of extra carpet, a little bit more foam, a little bit more

496.36 -> sound deadening there.

497.36 -> So that's probably why it weighs more.

499.459 -> Transmission.

500.459 -> Overall it feels like the same Aisin unit from the previous generation but maybe a little

503.619 -> easier?

504.779 -> It's easier.

505.779 -> It's actually more forgiving than the previous.

507.819 -> It's easier to get into the gate.

509.569 -> Look!

510.569 -> That felt like a CVT, I'm just saying.

513.25 -> It's smooth!

514.25 -> Transmission is paired to an all-new 2.4 liter boxer engine

518.03 -> that now makes 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque.

522.34 -> So, 30 lb-ft more torque and almost 30 horsepower.

526.78 -> And I will say, it's present.

529.46 -> We can feel it.

531.29 -> The torque dip has been mitigated for the most part.

535.81 -> You feel that extra 30 lb-ft of torque and it's flat so you feel it low-end.

540.4 -> Above 6000 this car actually, you know, I widened my eyes!

545.19 -> This car honestly feels like a very well-put-together, tuned BRZ.

550.12 -> And I mean that in the best way possible.

551.38 -> With this motor, it definitely feels like an upgrade from the previous gen.

555.63 -> And everything else, there's a little bit more refinement.

558.68 -> Okay, this car does not sound very good from the outside.

562.44 -> It sounds very, what's the word, flat?

565.26 -> Yeah flat.

566.26 -> Muted, flat

567.27 -> but i will say from the inside of the car.

569.99 -> BLIP VROOOOOM...

571.03 -> it's not a symphony.

573.12 -> It's not.

574.16 -> But it's something.

575.72 -> It's louder than the outside which is kind of suspicious.

580.2 -> Suspicious because it has a speaker somewhere in one of the footwells that's acually playing

585.34 -> exhaust notes.

586.34 -> You know, it doesn't sound bad.

587.92 -> Intake, header, exhaust, e85 tune.

591.37 -> Oh yes!

592.76 -> All these small improvements add up to a very familiar experience, but better in almost

597.91 -> every way.

599.05 -> Tearing through a backroad, I honestly started to feel as though I was just in my old 86,

604.05 -> which by the way was fully sorted from intake, to exhaust, suspension, and even an E85 tune,

610.13 -> This was a car I had spent thousands of dollars on to extract all the performance I could

614.86 -> Yet the new GR86 does all that without any of the drone, the rattle, or fear or breaking

620.56 -> something that I couldn’t afford to fix.

623.08 -> The GR86 sets a new, higher baseline for the 86 chassis,

627.59 -> and presents endless opportunities for tuners like us to take this car a step further than

633.22 -> we ever could with the old car.

635.72 -> But there’s a feeling I get with this car, one that I can’t seem to shake

640.54 -> It's the knowledge that no matter how good this car is, and it is really quite good,

645.6 -> the GR86 is doomed from the start.

649.07 -> For a long time, there has been this looming idea in the minds of car enthusiasts: the

655.041 -> idea that electric cars are coming, and they’re going to ruin driver’s cars for us.

660.6 -> More specifically, cars like these: the GR86, or the Mazda Miata, cars that follow that

666.37 -> enthusiast’s formula: the affordable, lightweight, rear drive, naturally aspirated, manual transmission

673.1 -> cars.

674.1 -> These cars are rare enough today, so it only makes sense that they are going to be the

678.53 -> ones that are left behind first.

680.93 -> And well, I think that day is almost here.

684.78 -> Government mandates around the world are forcing the demise of the gasoline combustion engine,

689.44 -> with almost all regions looking for carmakers to make a significant EV transition by 2030.

695.28 -> Mazda has already announced that the next Miata will be a hybrid.

700.4 -> And considering the previous gen 86’s 9 year life cycle, it's almost guaranteed that

705.09 -> the next version of this car will be powered in some capacity by electrons.

710.45 -> And when that day comes, it will likely be the last day for the car enthusiast's favorite

715.87 -> formula, the formula that has been alive for nearly 100 years.

719.69 -> But, It shouldn’t be all doom and gloom.

723 -> The current 86 has 40 years of technology packed into it compared to the old AE86, and

729.29 -> yet it still retains that playful spirit

731.53 -> So why can’t the next generation electric 86 hold onto that spirit just the same?

736.95 -> Sure, it will be different, and there will be new challenges to overcome,

741.34 -> but if Toyota cares enough to keep enthusiasts in mind

744.85 -> then they’ll find a way to instill the fun to drive character of this car in whatever’s

749.51 -> next,

750.51 -> and continue on that lineage that the Hachiroku started in 1983.

754.51 -> For now though, the GR86 is a fantastic step in the right direction.

759.47 -> It improves on the old 86 in nearly every category, and is still an access point for

764.32 -> young enthusiasts to fall in love with driving, at a price they can afford.

770.42 -> And while the uncertainty of tomorrow feels a little bit uneasy,

775.38 -> give me a GR86 today, along with a mountain backroad, and I’ll have a damn good time

780.74 -> until then.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7GDlKcMLq4