If Odd Future did more for you than Young Money, you’ve probably already met the twins — the tail-out sports coupes from Subaru and Toyota guaranteed to give you maximum mayhem for your buck. The first generation was iconic and the second generation listened to the fans with more displacement, more power, a whole lot more torque, all while offering the same formula of drive to the back, a Torsen differential, and the ability to cause more maniacal grins and legally unrepeatable stories than your average bachelor party. For the 2024 model year, Toyota and Subaru have both unveiled the most evolved factory forms of these chaos agents yet, and we’re taking a closer look at Toyota’s contribution to the game — the GR86 Trueno Edition.
We’re talking about the same compact rear-wheel-drive sports coupe that people love, just with some new performance parts and a little bit of ’80s visual flair added, no mullet or aftershave required. However, are the visuals and goodies worth paying a few extra grand for? Let’s find out.
[Full disclosure: Toyota Canada let me borrow this GR86 Trueno Edition for a week so long as I kept the shiny side up, returned it with a full tank of premium fuel and reviewed it.]
Controversial Cosplay
While the Toyota GR86 and its 86 predecessor are lauded as affordable sports cars for the people, there’s no denying these cars were born from famous blood. See, the distant ancestor of the GR86, the AE86 Corolla, is pretty collectable these days, especially in flippy-headlight Trueno form. This collectability seems to have given Toyota an idea.
Thanks in large part to “Initial D”, the mythology’s overtaken the reality of that rear-wheel-drive ’80s Corolla, which means it’s the perfect nostalgic cash grab for Toyota. A couple of vinyl decals here, a badge or two there, and presto! You end up with a sort-of convincing retro throwback that’s sure to polarize. Over a week of testing, the stickers drew plenty of comments, some of admiration and some of complete disgust.
Here’s the thing — underneath the graphics, the GR86 still looks great. Its sheetmetal’s been shrink-wrapped to form a satisfying mix of compound curves and hard surfacing, and the proportions are just about bang-on. Plenty of dash-to-axle ratio, short deck, and an upswept tail that echoes the greenhouse in profile. It’s stylish without being overdone while still sticking to a budget, and that’s commendable. A future classic? Quite possibly.
Five Beats Per Six Steps On Alternating Feet
Even the base GR86 gives you all the permission in the world to slap on some R compound tires of your choice, go hunting for M3s, and become a local HPDE tryhard because you’re only risking a relatively attainable car. The guy in the 911 GT3 has a lot more to lose if he blows a braking zone, so you might end up with some surprising point-bys. However, the GR86 Trueno Edition, and indeed the performance package, adds some important go-fast stuff that people who late-apex IKEA trolleys are sure to appreciate. It starts with a set of Brembo monoblock calipers, four-piston jobs up front and two-piston units out back. Sachs dampers add a cherry on top, and you end up with two modifications that promise a whole lot. But do they deliver?
If rolling over a war zone-spec piece of tarmac is any indication, the ride’s stiffer than Johnny Sins off five Viagras. Indeed, in the GR86 Trueno Edition, your areolas will be able to discern massive vertical acceleration over big bumps, even if you have the BMI of a McChicken, but that’s the tradeoff Toyota made for ironing out the small stuff you’d see on a track. Are they worth it in everyday driving? That’s debatable. However, if you’re out hunting closed-course apexes on a regular basis, you might appreciate the tighter body control.
As for the brakes, the pedal feels properly good, and pad choices are absolutely abundant. Plus, going up 1.2 inches in brake disc diameter up front and one inch in the back ought to offer greater thermal capacity when you’re really ripping it on track, but it was hard to ascertain any huge difference aside from firmer pedal feel on the street.
The best part is, at the end of the day, this is still a Toyota GR86, so it still has a sublime chassis, a pleasantly notchy shifter, a hilariously eager limited-slip differential, and gearing shorter than the Tasmanian Devil’s patience, meaning it’s still a hoot to drive most of the time. However, it can be a bit annoying around town. Rev hang below 3,000 rpm makes commuting about town a somewhat disappointingly sluggish endeavor. At sensible engine speeds, it’s a three-beat before you can release the clutch for a smooth upshift, and that’s as annoying as a mosquito in your ear. Happily, there’s one obvious solution: don’t keep the revs low, so long as it’s warm.
Pick up the pace a bit, and you’ll soon realize that 228 horsepower is plenty from this 2.4-liter flat-four, as the GR86 is a relatively quick car. More importantly, it feels captivatingly light at 2,833 pounds and rigid, so it’s fully willing to engage in on-ramp and backroad shenanigans. Thanks in part to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires of this test car, you really can carry a lot of speed through a bend when you wish to keep things tidy, or let the back end hang out when you wish to not. It’s a paintbrush and the world is your canvas, ready for joy at the entry, apex, and exit of every corner.
Softer Cell
Slide into a fantastic, well-bolstered throne, survey the swaths of Ultrasuede, and you’ll soon realize two things. The first is that the driving position is, and there’s no other word for it, perfect. Seat nearly skimming the tarmac, steering wheel in exact reach, shifter perfectly in front of your elbow on the console armrest. The second is that although most of the interior materials are fairly price-conscious, they’re all screwed together well, plus they’re still upgrades over what you get in a first-generation model. There’s nothing slapdash about the Toyota GR86, but as you take an even closer look, there’s also less Toyota stuff in here than you might think.
The key is pure Subaru, the infotainment isn’t shared with any other current Toyota model, the advanced driver assistance system seems more Subaru than Toyota, and even the baggy textile around the handbrake lever shares more in common with the current Subaru WRX than anything Toyota. The icing on the cake? What seem like six million different ways to adjust how the stereo sounds, each landing on different levels of not good. Okay, so if you’re buying a car like this, you probably aren’t too concerned with much more than the driving experience, but still, better clarity would be nice.
Part of the appeal of the GR86 is that you can totally use it as your only car, but that comes with a few caveats. As you can probably expect, the rear seats aren’t exactly suitable for long-distance human transportation, ingress and egress is proper sports car stuff, and in-cabin storage isn’t brilliant. However, all of these compromises are totally liveable if you don’t have kids, and maybe acceptable if you have small ones. Plus, trunk space is rather good. It’s the sort of vehicle that’ just practical enough to give you hope, you make you willing to put up with slight inconveniences to drive a proper sports coupe every day. At this price, who am I to complain?
Simply Brilliant
The fact of the matter is, Toyota and Subaru have joined forces to create a genuinely great sports coupe. Whether a GR86 is your first sports car or your 50th, you’ll still find a ton of joy behind the wheel for an exceptionally reasonable starting price, and that’s nothing short of magic in today’s day and age. Sure, a Mazda MX-5 may be a bit more refined and a bit more of an experience thanks to the folding roof, but the GR86 is heaps more practical and still a hoot and a half.
As for the Trueno Edition itself, with a price tag of $35,855 including freight, or $41,010 in Canada, it’s likely not worth the premium over a non-limited edition GR86 unless you’re really hyped on the looks and are willing to live with the stiff everyday ride. However, it’s still an endlessly exciting way of spending that sort of money on a brand new car. These cars might have tiny rear seats and the occasional whiff of budgetary concerns, but unless you have a bottomless bank account, they’re all traits worth putting up with in pursuit of driving fun. Grab a GR86, then drive until the road signs get all squiggly. You’ll be glad you did.
(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal)
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This review sadly reminds me of the the one of that black Subaru a while back.
How to make an Italian mute: tie their hands up.
How to write a not-cheezy Ai sounding review – season your writings with no more than a few cheezy comparisons per linear foot, if at all.
I like that the Brembo brake package between the GR86 and the BRZ gets red for Toyota and gold for Subaru.
I’m not a fan of the relatively poorly-built boxer engine, its consistent habit of consuming oil, and the infamous torque droop.
Toyota should consider using the inline-6 and manual transmission from the more upmarket Supra, in the smaller GR86. Price it between the GR86 and entry level Supra. THAT would grab my attention.
I’d take a Toyota 3.0 over the BMW, or even toss in their 1.5 turbo… Anything other than a BMW or Subaru engine
Would probably fit better too. Turbo-ing that Toyota V6 engine would be a bad idea though…
But doubling up that 1.5L turbo 3-cylinder into a 600 horsepower 3L turbo inline-6-cylinder would be all kinds of amazing. Especially if they made a new MR2 with it at under 2,000 lbs…
Supposedly the second-gen 86/BRZ fixed a lot of the torque dip issues by increasing the displacement and changing a few other things around. As a BMW owner, oil consumption isn’t something that bothers me, haha.
Have you driven one?
I’ve owned a 1st gen since 2014. Bone stock except for tires. I only notice the torque dip when I go hunting for it.
Normal street driving puts the rpm’s below it, spirited driving puts them above.
You’d have to be an exceptionally poor driver to end up squarely in the torque dip all the time.
Also, the oil consumption issues are largely blown out of proportion from the WRX guys boosting their cars to the moon. The majority don’t consume any more oil than any other vehicle.
You sir, are an excellent wordsmith and I enjoyed these and others greatly!
You can tell he’s a Porsche owner too
Best part about the car design is that dash/shifter area for the driver. Rest of it, could take or leave depending on the day. They NAILED the dash though. I wish they would do the same with the rest of their cars, but right now Toyotas are un-buyable for their pop-up dashes.
I love my first gen and it does work as a kid car. My 3 year old goes in the back fine, but it does limit front seat room for my wife ahead of him, so we only put all 3 of us in it if we have too, but that’s not a big deal cause we just take her Element most of the time as a family. But the little guy loves drives with just the two of us! And there is enough room in the trunk and back seat for the wife and I to take it on weekends away, when the grandparents watch the spawn, even though she is an overpacker, haha. If you are a single child family (or really short and could fit another child behind the driver, I’m 6’4” and no one can sit behind me) then the Twins make an excellent 2nd family car.
The rear seats aren’t suitable for human transportation. Full stop.
That is, unless, you’re as tall as Danny Devito and your passenger behind you is a legless infant.
I wish this car were a little longer so they’d be capable seats for more than a storage shelf with belts.
That is the consequence of making a better Mustang, which this resembles, visually.
About 90% of the vehicles on the road have just one person, the driver, and sometimes a passenger, but rarely more than 2 people. Rear seats are usually just extra weight being carried around.
Thomas’ writing style never disappoints.
Slightly off-topic grumbling from the EU: CO2 bad, GR86 too cheap, so they won’t sell it, at least here. Supra you can have… for 70k€ and up. In other news, most of the reasonably priced gt/gti/st/etc-models have been discontinued.
Also the local Ikea-carts understeer so bad that you have to first throw them sideways if you want to power through a corner with any speed. As that requires more space, you can forget a sub 7 minute time during the weekends – too much traffic and esp. amateurs on the track. The times are bad.
OK, fun reading if you eighty-six the hip lingo.
EPA/CARB rev-hang sucks, I sure do wish I’d gotten a reflash on our Mazda 3 to fix that, instead of wasting the 3rd gear synchros.
That bit about Johnny Sins was… a master stroke.
I assume DT didn’t get the reference and that skated through the editorial wall. Nice. And hilarious.
Thomas, I don’t always agree with your takes, but I love the insane deep cuts and weird similes and metaphors in your reviews. It’s like a Dennis Miller bit I can mostly understand.
Interesting comment on the seating. When I got mine, I expected seating on the floor, like an old school sports car, but even in its lowest position, I thought it fairly high. That’s fine, though, as it would be both even tougher to see out of in today’s tall traffic and uncomfortable to rest an elbow on the door sill. Seat and wheel adjustments are great. There are multiple good positions and there’s more room for my knees than any (larger) car I’ve been in that’s been built in the last 15 years or so. Two things I did, though: cut the shit out of the bottom side bolsters to make it wider for my whole 32″ waist and added a $15 blood pressure cuff to the seat back for adjustable lumbar support. To fix the WTF do I put my phone question, I made a hard-wired, felt lined cassette-like cubby for it in the blank plate under the HVAC dials. It’s a daily. I’ve fit multiple 9′ boards in it and occasionally tow a utility/kayak trailer. It’s even surprisingly decent for mileage at a little over 30mpg, though I’m glad I have 93 here as it pulls timing at high rpm in the summer as it is. For a road car, I recommend the standard suspension and the 17s. Rides really nice like that and people who are not sports car people have pointed out how much they like the ride. I also prefer HPAS as they last longer and are more fun at sane speeds, but the Trueno seems like a good package for a track car. Certainly, better brakes would be good.
Throttle programming is terrible, though I hear they changed it. Mine gets to 100% throttle opening at around 50% pedal travel and there’s a hair of (IME, typical e-throttle) hesitation at tip in before it seems to immediately go to 20%. Clutch was also horribly inconsistent, but changing the pedal spring fixed it.
The problem is these don’t actually sell for anywhere near Camry money. Toyota artificially limits production of the most desirable GR models to increase demand and then winks at the dealerships while letting their stupid allocation system do the rest. Is this special edition cool? Yes. Is it worth what JDM bros are actually willing to pay for it?
…absolutely not. If you want one of these you’re better off finding a lightly used regular Toyobaru and doing the mods that make it track worthy on your own. It doesn’t take all that much either, pretty much just brake pads, fluid, and tires last time I checked. I will say they’re surprisingly fast with a few mods and the right driver. I ran with one a couple months ago and it was lapping much faster than my car, although I’m not sure what mods were done to it and it was on a track where nimbleness is king.
Speaking of which, my car is now out of commission. It threw a code and went into limp mode yesterday. The dealership says it could be weeks or months until they can get parts since the Ns are blowing up so much that Hyundai can’t keep up with the recalls, and what happened to mine appears to be due to a the latest recall. I took it in to get the work done a week ago and was sent home and told they’d call when the part became available.
Oh well. Whatever is going down is 100% on Hyundai’s shitty build quality and dysfunction and it’s under warranty so I’m not going to worry too much. But suffice to say…having now owned both German and Korean offerings in the spicy compact category go directly to the Japanese. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
Did they give you a loaner?
Once they know the timeframe of how long I’ll be out of commission they’re either giving me a loaner or a rental depending on what’s available
There are 415 brand new GR86s currently listed on AutoTrader, the days of markups on 86s were extremely short lived, so i’m really not sure what you’re on about.
Fair enough, for whatever reason manual ones are always marked up in my area.
Jeez that is rough. Sorry to hear that. Not having “your car” can be frustrating.
But I’m with you on the dealer tax on these. The whole point is these are supposed to be the attainable fun car for everyone but the minute there’s anything desirable about them the middle man wants to cash in.
They couldn’t do that if these were built in any sort of volume.
Sadly the days of a fun coupe being sold in volume are gone. If we’re going to stay with the dealer model I think having fun cars bought used will be the only way to go for most of us. I wish we could get back to niche cars selling in low volume was acceptable but I’m not sure if that will ever be realistic again.
Wonderful review! Though i do have a question. Now that you can get the brakes and dampers on a base car, wouldn’t that be the real move?
1st gen was iconic? Who’s lusting for a first gen 86.
I was and took one home after first year jitters were worked out. Nothing like it for the price at the time (still isn’t!) and definitely miss the car. She met her demise on a tight track after 30+ track days and 9 nearly trouble-free years beating the snot out of it.
I have a 1st gen and two kids. You can fit two car seats in the back and still enjoy driving!
A really missed opportunity by not giving at least the review car a panda colour scheme!! and where the heck is the cup holder for the cup of water so that the driver know the limit to drive to make sure the tofu will get to the destination unscathed?
I wonder why didn’t Toyota market as the 86 in MF Ghost? (the followup to Initial D). The 86 is featured in the story.
It should at least say “something in Japanese”
Thomas’s face when he found that out was priceless.
Because MF Ghost was written in 2017