Toyota GR86 Review: This car is SO good, you can't buy it!
Introducing one of the BEST cars Mat’s reviewed this year - the Toyota GR86!
That’s right, Mat’s got his hands on Toyota’s latest pocket rocket and he’s about to find out if it lives up to the considerable hype that comes associated with it!
And when it comes to looks, it’s fair to say it more than meets expectations! Around the back, it comes with a cool ducktail spoiler along with two 100% real exhaust pipes! Up front, there are a number of vents to give it a bit of an aggressive look, and thankfully, none of them are fake!
Take a step inside and you’re greeted with a nice interior. There’s a mix of good quality materials and plastic throughout the cabin, and thankfully there are a number of physical controls for features such as climate control. The infotainment system isn’t all that great, but when it comes with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, does it really matter?!
But of course, if you’re interested in this car you don’t care about the interior… You care about the engine! Under the bonnet, you’ll find a 2.4-litre 4-cylinder engine that delivers 234hp and 250Nm of torque to the rear wheels. It also comes with a limited-slip differential on the rear axle, too!
All sounds pretty impressive, doesn’t it? There’s a catch though… Only 1,000 units are coming to the UK, and they’re all sold out already!
So the question is, is the new GR86 better than other GR-powered Toyotas such as the GR Yaris or Supra? You’ll need to stick with Mat to see for yourself!
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:00 Design
02:36 Interior
04:37 Back Seats
05:48 Boot
06:39 5 Annoying Things
08:02 5 Cool Things
09:59 Chassis
10:40 Engine
11:30 Town Driving
14:11 Motorway Driving
15:25 Country Road Driving
17:07 0-60mph
17:51 Verdict
Mat’s alternative sports car choice: bit.ly/Mats-Sports-Car-Choice
Audi TT review: bit.ly/Audi-TT-Review-2023
BMW M240i review: bit.ly/BMW-M240i-Review-2023
Sell your car with carwow: bit.ly/Buy-Sell-WOW
Should Mat sell his GR Yaris and buy one of these instead?!
I think yes! Better if Mat can keep both!
Wow
lol no, but he should buy this
yes🥰🥰
Defenitely not!
So the rear seat is basically a grocery shelf with a seat belt to hold your beer. Perfect
Yep... It's for beer and two seats at that
They are invaluable to some of us, i can pick up my kids at school and use it as a daily driver aswell.
Same as the old fd3s backseats imo
Coupes are never meant for comfortness to begin with
Biir Haram
I love it when carmakers make cars that buyers actually want. Thanks for giving us the GR Yaris and now this phenomenal car. Well done Toyota
I'd prefer it if they made them available
@@geek9642 Agree 100%. All this does is create bad blood from the consumer. There's nothing limited edition about this car. If Toyota and others continue this FOMO trend then they are going to loose a lot of potential customers. They are not Porsche or Ferrari
They do make what buyers want. They make SUVs. I've learned that "car guys" like you and I are a small minority.
@@robsmall6466you’re right, they’re better
But nobody wants this car, lol. Why would you want it? It’s not fast or practical. Imagine buying a “sports car” in 2023 that goes 0-60 in 6 seconds and gets beaten by a Honda Accord lmaooo If you are poor and and constantly say “it’s not about speed or practically or ride quality, it’s about fun on corners!” Then maybe you buy this piece of junk THAT is why they’re going EXTINCT.
Great to see Toyota recover their brand image by building fun cars again!
Too band they're only making like 2 of these...
lol this is a subaru engine and the new supra uses a bmw engine, they aren't doing anything. However, if i had to choose the 86 is the better option as it is still a japanese engine
@@kiyoponnn GR Yaris and GR Corolla
@@kiyoponnn Everybody know that, and they collaborate to build this engine not like Subaru build it and throw it to Toyota.
Just before petrol engines go extinct
Yes! Well done Toyota, these GR cars are fantastic. Other car manufacturers should take note.
Which manufacturers are you talking about,
Well toyota took notes from subaru with this one, designed by them, build with toyota money. Even is the same car with 2 badges, subaru took time and modified a bit suspenssion, so it s even better then the gr86
That fact that the new AWD Prius even accelerates even within a half second of this latest '86 makes peak sporty efficiency worth it.
@@brold6111 designed by a Toyota engineer actually...
Rebadged subaru, you can still buy the car
I picked my GR86 up today, traded in my 3.0 GR Supra. I thought I'd have some regrets, but after a 150 mile drive home all at low RPM (cause it's gotta be run in), so far I don't have a single regret. It was always going to be down on power, but almost everywhere else it feels like an upgrade. Safe to say, I'm in complete agreement with you Mat. I'm blown away by how good it is, and feel very lucky to be one of the ~400 who get to drive one every day.
Whack a turbo on it., Very modded cars.
@@Eric-qm5xw I turbo’d my old GT86 a few years ago. With this one, I’ll be staying NA for a while, and then supercharging should I want the extra power 🙂
@@S18RSG Good stuff enjoy.
To quote Monty Python: "You lucky, lucky b@#$". 🙂
Better check the RTV issue or your engine will fail
Good car, good price, currently 4 cars on autotrader, with a buyers premium around 20-30% over list, based on supply and demand, and Mat says, they are all sold out. Don't know why Toyota are sending so few. £29,995 seems a pretty good price, good amount of car for the money. I would buy one of these. Makes a change from so many car releases with super very high crazy prices.
A ridiculously good price when you consider the new Renault Megane starts at around 35k
They can only build so many per year, and the new EU Euro7 emissions come into force (that this car doesnt meet) means they cant sell it.
@@SarGara If i`m not mistaken, it`s more related to UNECE R152 regulations. They cannot integrate the ADAS camera without changing the rake of the front windshield, which would cost them too much
They are sending so few because there isa no real market for them. Yes, when they only send a tiny amount there are enough fools with their money easily parted - but make a large number of them and they'll sit at the dealers for many many months.
Yeah, I'd still go with something like a Leon Cupra which cost a little more but is way more practical
There is one fact I really like about Matt his clear, precise, humorous, and presents the car in all its details in 10 minutes! While others take 1 hour and finally we have no verdict and we don't understand if we should buy the car or not. And these videos are such a pleasure to watch, that you watch them without even wanting to buy a car. You're doing a great job best car journalist ever!👍💯
Lets face it, Matt should be the top gear host. he would totally own it and make it great again
Agreed, to me the most entertaining host in the car industry besides the 3 🐐s
With Jay Emm
Should start a petition
The best to replace them is the auto tempest guys. Ed, tavarish and tyler. Perfect replacement
They need to get rid of those other two clowns. Chris Harris, Matt and Rory, that would be great team.
Really adore the aesthetics of this car, it reminds me of the GT86 with hints of a Nissan 370z. It will be a future beast.
The GR86 for me is as cool as GR Supra.
For me, the new GT 86, this is the younger brother Nissan Z 2023 :)
@@kaskus7881 yes love that :D
@@solitudeguard5688 I'll buy a 2023 Nissan Z and build it for pro drift as soon as I get the license :) I love Nissan Z !
I think the original GT86 front still looks the best
im so glad car companies are still putting out cars like these, especially at such a good price. I was starting to believe there was no hope for car fans in the future but things are actually looking good
Something Toyota do so well. It’s the ideal car, for someone who had an Alfasud Ti, and a Porsche 944. It’s the evolution of those 2 cars. Definite future classic. With very low mileage one of these would be a shrewd long term investment.I’d bet my balls Toyota lost 5 grand a car, just to bring us some magic
I had a 944 S2 and the “old” Subaru BRZ and I can confirm this. Now I have a M2 and I miss both.
Gutted I sold my old s2, considering the price of it i got alot on nods
yes i think they are losing on every car, that why they have restricted production. Plus they still get the halo effect of a great car. Bit cynical i think, but better than nothing
Had 4 944s. Prices have gone stupid for a decent one. I thought the Greatysix would be a better investment. Unfortunately wait list here is six months + and dealers are tacking on 4-7k$! I’ll have to wait a while.
These Toyata GR cars are amazing & great for car enthusiasts. I hoped they didn't make limited editions because cars like these should be accessible to the average petrolhead & not be collectors items for investors or speculators
My better half had the first GT86 in Scotland. Was taken by Toyota to Knockhill race circuit and put out with drift instructors to show off the car. She eventually traded it in for one of the last Subaru STis to E sold. She is now looking at going back to the GR86. Really are stunning cars for Highland roads.
love the authenticity of his true opinion on things lol been watching him for years, and I remember back in the day things felt very "scripted" vs. now his vids are unfiltered, and raw, love it!
I agree with your verdict, I've been waiting on mine to arrive since August 😂 I was lucky enough to be able to place an order, took the MT + premium package + same color as yours. Can't wait for it to arrive!
Best car review I've seen in long time. Matt you are the best. 👍
I absolutely looove mine. My daily driver and track day tool! My 5 year old fits just fine in the back . . As long as I don't have a passenger in the front.
Loved your review, fast paced and funny and filled with useful info, a lot of other car reviewers have to learn from you! great pacing!
I got this one in pavement grey two months ago.😁😁😁😁 It looks great and is a lot of fun to drive!😍😍😍
Can you buy me one too
It sure doesn't look great - borderline hideous. Fun to drive I'll accept though distinctly low performance.
well, upload some videos of it, it would be so good
@@ngc-fo5te not a man of culture I suppose
@@zee9276 Compared to people thinking this car is beautiful I guess I am.
Mat thank you so much for this insane video!
Nothing stops mat from reviewing a car, even if you can’t buy it
R4Z4_YT, this GR86 still not as cool as Subaru BRZ 2012 Model tho.
@@purwantiallan5089 yeah
@@purwantiallan5089 just out of curiosity, why is that? Why do you prefer the 2012 brz/86 over this new one?
8:49 tell me this man isnt peter griffin😂😂
Love it. A great follow up to the GT86. Proper drivers cars.
Cool story, the 86 was going to have a hybrid 6 cylinder in it, same as the Lexus 350h Probably scrapped because it's much heavier than a 4 cylinder
Thats 1/10th of a story. More a title for a story.
@@wizzyno1566 I suck at telling stories lol
it’s not that much heavier than a 4 cylinder
@@gigachad6162 yeah I'm sure it wasn't too much but when lightness is the key (like in this car).. They probs opted for something like that
You cant fit a hybrid engine to a manual transmission, thats probably the main reason why they didnt do it, because a 86 without a manual is just pointless.
You can U-turn on the spot if you give it some welly 😁
@@real_carwow congratulations you are our daily winner. To claim your prize go to the mirror and punch yourself in the face 🎉🎉🎉🎊
Yesterday a friend asked me if it has rwd like the old one while I was making a u turn. Guess how fast I deactivated esp and went for a u turn on the spot. 😂
Awesome review! I would love to drive this car one day, including the GR Yaris. Thanks for posting.
owned mine for almost a year now and i have had no regrets but I keep watching these videos to make sure im not crazy
As a New Zealander, thanks for the Kakapo shoutout!! A rare bird and a rare car for NZ, only 10 units allocated. Luckily, one of them is mine! Still waiting for delivery though…
Would have loved to get one but i ended up getting a 350z hr Dodnt have 55k to spare
I absolutely love this car, the GT 86 was already the first "Non Supercar" that I loved ❤️ But this is so much better, better looks overall, more power, it's so great! I think of this 86 sort of like "The Japanese M2" which is great ❤️
But no M2 has had a 4cyl or made under 370hp. The OG M2 made 370hp factory with an inline 6.
@@BMWF30-416 and the M2 has 500 kilos more ^^
@@knutessigsudmitdill1350 still blows the doors of any 86
@@335i_Max 86 is a better drivers car in most areas anyway, except the engine of course.
@@garagecedric not at all, drive them both then say it
best review by far. great visuals and practicality
Thanks for the great review! Awesome to get a really honest thorough opinion and recommendation.
Great review as always, have mine on order in New Zealand, a red manual and waiting 6 months for it so should be a good 2023! All sold out here like the rest of the world, crazy!
*Hit me up on telegram 👆👆to claim your prize 🎁 you won a prize*
Mate it's a shame nz gets a tiny allocation of cars like type R, gr corolla, supra, the twins etc. What part of nz you in?
I’m so happy that it is available here in the US where i live. I really love this car and i want to buy it as my second car.
Thank you for the great report. Today I can finally pick up my GR86 after 16 months of waiting. Best regards from Germany
I like this guy a lot! Keep doing your thing, my man.
Best reviews of cars hands down. Mat is always having fun.
Man i thought the Lotus Emira was a sports car bargain... but this is literally a third of the price. It's what it should've been in the 1st place but no wonder they've sold out already.
I'm so glad I got one, ordered in June last year and just received it last week. It's only been available for order from April to November '22 in Belgium. Got it in Sapphire (Trueno) Blue, which is an amazing colour that's definitely underrated.
Got my GR86 premium as my first brand new car with 4 miles on it.. I have loved every minute spent in and around it since
I've got one of these ordered. I live in Australia and I ordered it in Oct 2022 and I got told I'll be lucky if I can get one before Dec 2023.
I ordered one in February right after they went on sale in the us and didn’t get it until July. I’d say that’s a pretty good estimate
Best fun affordable sports car hands down! I Have one in red and it’s a blast to drive and row through the gears without going to jail like some other faster cars with manuals haha
One of my friends already owns one in Poland. This car is absolutely amazing, especially on track
I was waiting this Mat’s review more than everything
I've got the new BRZ and it's such an amazing car, especially after I fitted it with a Remark axleback Exhaust with the muffler delete, now it sings like a racecar!
@@aliyusalisu1355 Mr. Williams was abducted by aliens! 👽
Petrol, manual gearbox and handbrake,no rev limit, and rear wheel drive. Toyota made a proper car, and I can't have one.
Lllllll
I have been waiting for this review. Finally.
Great sport car and another great video. Hope you and your family had a great Christmas!!!
This new Toyota GR86 looks so cool and sporty!
Agree. This is 8.9/10 car. Chisato Nishikigi wants to own one.
3 things I've learned from driving my GR86 in Canada for a year: 1. Half of the road noise comes from the PS4 tires. Change them, and it's totally fine. 2. It does amazingly well in the wet and in the snow. I genuinely enjoy the car more in winter. 3. Around town, the car has a clear lack of lowend torque. But on backroads, you will not want to be in a different car.
It’s a great daily car, surprisingly practical.
What kind of tires would you replace it with? I thought the PS4 were great tires?
Back roads (right lane let the semi trucks pass) 🤣
why does lack of torque make it bad around town? My car has only 200 nm of torque (150lbft) and a 4 speed slush box, and it's perfectly fine around town.
@@mitchellsteindler because in a busy city/town u usually need quick power delivery from low rpms, for example to switch lanes in from of some dumbass, and with this kind of engine you don't get that
Thanks Mat, brilliant vidéo !
💯 Absolutely the best car review I've ever seen. I love this guy. 🤣 Yes why don't we have a hardtop convertible? I ordered one in May and it's Christmas I still don't have it. F*** I should have bought a automatic but I'll be taking it from Virginia to Florida in a year if I ever get it and I'm always on the phone. Thank you for such a great review. ❤️
Good review Matt...lovely car and will be worth bucket loads in another 10 years.
Yep. But Toyota 86 "Racing" and Subaru BRZ are better thom
@@purwantiallan5089 do you even know what you're talking ab??
@@real_carwow3 you can DM Deez nuts
@@real_carwow3 you can claim deez nuts
Muuuuuuuuuurry Christmas Mr Watson Thanks for a year full of shenanigans 🤙
Amin.
changing the style a notch, like it
Great review. Waiting to get mine!
At 13:03 that thing with the gear-changing at the red light, is exactly what I do in my MX-5! Haha! Brilliant! Wouldn't have it any other way than the manual!
The GR86 v Mazda MX-5 could be interesting to watch, Joel.
Great review Mat, as always. I bought the sister car, the Subaru BRZ, in January this year and it's been brilliant. I live in Dubai, and they only sell the Subaru version. No GR86 for some reason. I'm just pleased I've been able to buy a future piece of automotive history. I know there are slight differences between the BRZ and the GR86, but I totally agree with your points on the interior, engine, handling, etc. Would love you to review the auto version of the BRZ if you ever get the chance. Keep up the great work!
Yet to see the new brz on the roads here in Dubai. Quite rare I suppose
Should be getting mine this week!
Oh my god, before i even start watching this video, i just want to let you know that i was really waiting for you to do a review on this car….thank you.
RWD, Manual, and only 2 doors...... It's just PERFECT
G35
@@sgtmuffinbadger6147 Great car, like the G37. Beautiful cars...
Still fun to watch you Matt. Even though you can't buy one, most of us couldn't afford one anyway. I wonder at what age point Matt's gonna start growning a lot when he has to get in and out of a tight back seat 😂 instead of the BMW, wouldn't you get a Supra or maybe Lexus sport?
Speak for yourself, plenty of us can afford one actually
@@harric9864 Even if we can, why be such a knob about it?
@@Ssh52 no more of a knob by being able to afford it than making sweeping statements of saying no one can
@@harric9864 Except that they didn’t say that.
The series 2 Bmw may be better but the main dealers where I live are bloody awful
12:53 BRUH That small detail where the gear lever lights up the current selected gear that's so clean!
Your sense of humor doesn't miss. Great review. Thanks.
Mat imitating Peter Griffin really sold this car to me :D
PEEEEEEDAAAAAA
I’d love one. Perhaps they’ll allocate more in ‘23. EVO magazine rated this right at the top on their awards, too!
I honestly love the fact that the back seats *exist* just for the easy storage for backpacks or something like that
I fell in love with this car at the zurich Auto Show. If toyota still continues building those I will buy it as my first car.
After a looong time, we have got a glimpse of the original Matt Watson, what a treat it was!
This is a car that makes you want it. Just looking at it brings happiness.
The one new car I actually considered owning. Shame they've all sold out but I was a fan of the old gt86 and managed to get a test drive of one of those when I was 18.
Kakapo are native and only found in NZ. They’re really cool, I hope we don’t lose them 😊
GR86 still lacks power compared to even BRZ.
A new petrol car, and a great one too - Love It!
Love mine. Waited 5 months to get it. Worth it.
I had a GT86 from 2013 to 2016, from new in Perth, Western Australia. It had satellite navigation so I don't know why the GR86 doesn't (and we don't all have iPhones). It was great fun especially on the windy roads in the south west. I found in general that you had to drive it like a motorbike for maximum fun - typically at least 2 gears lower than in a "normal" - i.e. boring car, basically 3rd - 4th everywhere. I also went camping in it with 3 of us and tents, sleeping bags etc (some stuff on the back seat behind the driver's seat). You could carry 2 teenage children! Also with the passenger front seat down you could get almost anything from Ikea in! I'm now in the UK and have a 2011 C-Class coupe. It is bigger and heavier and definitely not a "sports car". But it is comfortable to drive, will handle most curves will carry 2 teenagers and a load from Ikea (although more recently boat bits). Final comparison: In the UK with lots of traffic and few places to have fun (without either having an accident or losing my licence) the C-Class is my preferred car but if I was somewhere where I could have "fun" without coming a cropper I'd love to have a GR86 (do these places exist anymore)?
I just ordered mine in that blue Premium trim.
How?
@@grahamhaynes7658 work for Toyota.we have a small allocation.
@@edrcozonoking can't fault you,enjoy it👍
@@edrcozonoking in UK?
@@tufluxed3293 US
Saw one of these the other day. I had no idea they were that rare
not rare, just sold out or OVER PRICED. the car sold for 27,000 MSRP and dealerships are asking 40,000$.
@@potatochobit How many were sold in the US in 2022?
@@lacrosseguy01315 11,000
@@potatochobit bullshit! are you serious? why are we getting shafted?
Ordered mine in November, should be picking it up in June next year
Great car thanks for sharing the real world info 👍
Thanks for reviewing my favourite car!
Hmm... the car was called an 86 because of the perfectly square engine. 86mm stroke and 86mm bore. So with the new engine, it's not really an 86, but is the best 86 ever 😃
its homage to the ae86
What ? 😂
nope, 86 stroke x 86 bore equals about 500cc x4 = 2000cc and old 86 was 1600cc, 86 means year 1986
@killercivic the GT 86 I'm talking about is the version of this car that was launched a few years back. It's a 2 litre motor. 86mm bore and stroke. It used the Subaru boxer motor. The 1.6 was from a long time ago.
Front end has a big nod to the previous model of f-type. Looks good
Appreciate in your comment👍🎉 contact me for a prize🥳🎁
dodge viper bro
Great review as always! However i am not sure i agree on the cruisr control part... regular cruise control is much better than thr adaptive cruise control they are too figity and always think you you are about to rear end someone... The assistance systems really dont help the flow of traffic they are (too careful) and dont see everything that is going on around the vehicle sadly. So lets focus on driving ourselfs again 💯
I got 2015 model one year ago and gives me a lot happiness
Id love to see Mat review an MX5!
Or Skyline GTR 1971??
Nice car,like the colour,back seat will do the dog🐕
I have a 2022 pavement grey GR86 and I absolutely love it
They way it was built it looks like it could last for a long time; nothing complicated, just simple and beautiful.
Finally Toyota made the GT86 they should have made from the start. Pretty decent 0-60 in the wet.
Don’t understand why Toyota limits production of cars like this … I mean if you want money and want to make consumers happy just keep them coming
I guess it makes it a synthetic sense of demand, keeping the car more sought out.
@@lawnmower6591 true but a car like this is kind of like a sports car that the average person can afford yet they making it a limited run kinda seems counter productive
@@lawnmower6591 Just like Rolex!
It's because of safety regulations in Europe. I think next year all cars need to have auto emergency breaking and to fit it in the gr86 they need to change the whole thing which is not worth it. Maybe now that UK exited Europe, they might sell it again.
Excellent video!
Bought one in silver today, not my fav choice of paint but that can always be changed
Regarding automatic cruise control, it's because the Yaris is a Toyota and the GR86 is a Subaru.
actually i did watch the development behind GR Yaris and the GR Yaris got development with Subaru too, Subaru made that gearbox and transfercase for GR Yaris so they can fit TSS(Toyota Safety Sense) like the safety system and adaptive cruise control for manual gearbox, so why Subaru didn't made one for BRZ or GR86?
I feel like this is the car that car enthusiasts like myself have been waiting for forever. Reasonably lightweight and compact to enjoy on the road, an NA engine, just the right amount of power, RWD with a limited slip diff, a great manual gearbox, good reliability and a reasonable price in the grand scheme of things. But you can't buy one in the UK because they only allocated 400 or so cars and EU crash regs won't allow it to sell for more than 2 years here anyway. It's possibly the saddest story for perfect petrolhead car.
Not a car person here so genuinely wondering, why is a car like this preferable without a turbo? If pretty much the only point is to go fast, wouldnt a turbo be a nice thing to have?
@coreldan. The gr86 is more oriented around fun rather than speed, NA engines has a better throttle response than turbo engines and it doesn't muffle the sound unlike turbo engines
@@coreldan Just to add to the other comment, they also rev out more which is always really satisfying to hear an engine rev for longer and higher before changing gear and hearing it all over again. It's more exciting.
One of the lucky 400ish to get an order for one. Right at the back of the line and told Q4 2023 from Toyota. Hopefully that will improve!!
Very lovely car with excellent review 😍
Carwow amazing , cool , creative ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Agree. But SavageGeese and Autotrader and Doug Demuro also cool.
My old citroen c1 has almost the same horn😂
that horn part killed me. matt you're funny lad 🤣🤣
Best review anywhere for this car. I've had the joy of a drive in one. Maybe the most playful car I've ever experienced.
Hi Poff, did you drive the GT86? How do they compare?
@Valen-mh9fh Yes I've driven a GT86, although only on the road. I'm afraid the GT86 is the only car Chris Harris and I disagree on. I found it to be dry. The lack of enthusiasm from the engine dampened every part of the experience for me. I wanted to love it, but I couldn't. I also felt like the chassis rigidity let the car down, it would mimic settling onto a rear tyre, but that wouldn't naturally progress into a slide. The new car is far closer to the original AE86. There's nothing fake about the way the car transitions to a slide and nothing frightening either. It's the antidote to modern over tyred drivers cars in a way the GT86 wanted to be, but for me wasn't.
@@poff9345 interesting, thank you for the response Poff.
Amazing Toyota !!