OTHER: Toyota GT-86 Test Drive

Well im concidering buying a new daily ride soon and one of my favorite has been the Toyota GT-86 / Subaru BRZ Since the very first details i saw a while a go. The car has been released in Switzerland these days, so directly off to the dealer to get a test drive with a GT-86 with only 158km on the Odometer so far…

1) Exterieur: I’m not a big fan of Fake “Carbon-style” parts like the rear diffusor and in my opinion the exterieur could really be “smoothened up” with a few extras but otherwise, nothing to  say – looks really sexy (ok the orange color sucks imo :D). my test ride also had some aftermarket 17″ wheels.

2) Interieur: Quality is way better then known from other “cheap” Japanese cars. but still a lot of fake-carbon stuff inside. Otherwise: A lot of Safety-stuff. Handling all the knobs and stuff is simple and self-explaining. No 500 Pages manual needed. Everything makes sense and is not overloaded. but still a lot of cool stuff like heated seats, electronic adjustable mirrors, 7 Airbags, tempomat, Keyless-entry and -start, 2-zone Auto-A/C, etc. Traction control can be switched to sport or off by 2 switches. Cool but easy and simple. Like it should be!

3) Space: Different story here. When folded down there is space for 4 track-wheels plus a helmet, but when folded up, the rear seats look very unconfortable. Also when drivers seat is in a standard position there is NO space for legs on the rear seats. So the rear bench would probably make more sense as a Decoration in your garage 🙂

4) Engine: (Sorry, forgot to make a pic): Engine is very nice, has a good sound, but could definitly be improved by a noisier exhaust system 😀 It’s a high revving engine, but me coming from honda it feel’s almost like home. Power comes earlier as in an average vtec engine. The power band is a bit weird. it’s not straight somehow and feels a bit strange, but still nice to drive when getting used to it. the 200PS are all it needs for tons of fun!

5) Suspension: This car is a Handling monster! Even on standard ride-hight and with no mods, this car feels very comfortable, but sticks to the street like a go-kart! steering is ultra-direct, you get a lot of feedback and with traction-control switched off it’s still very simple and easy to control! Went to some winding roads with it and i really got a huge smile in my face. My EK9 (one of the best affordable handling cars 12 years ago!) sucks compared to this! No negative aspects on Handling! this thing is a killer to drive!

5) Handling: Everything in this car is very easy to  handle. But somehow the gearbox needs a bit get-used-to for my sense. but probably this is just my opionion because i’m used to my EJ9 daily gearbox 😀 Can’t say more than that, everythings seems how it should be!

7) Over all: Sadly the Price (41900.- CHF) is not as cheap as on other markets, it’s still a great car for a good price. this has been the best car i’ve driven for many years. so much fun to drive. Everything is simple, but not raw. Perfect car for trackday-beginners or winding mountain roads. SO MUCH FUN! So is it my next car? Not sure. can’t afford it yet, and have to test a few other cars, but right now it’s still one of my top favorites. If just that price tag wasn’t that high 🙂