Experienced by Adrian McQueen
Photography by Adrenaline Lifestyles
This week was our review period for the 2022 Toyota GR86, so we decided to showcase it and get some fan feedback. The Toyota 86 is a 2+2 sports car jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru. It is widely known for rally, club and drift racing. Formerly known as the Scion FR-S, Toyota markets the sports car as the 86 in Asia, Australia, North America, South Africa and South America.
The GR86 arrived in a Neptune Blue hue with the color-keyed duckbill rear and spoiler. Sitting on 18-inch alloy wheels, 86 badging, aerodynamic underbody panel, dual chrome-tipped exhaust, LED headlights/daytime running lights/fog lights and LED rear combo tail lights all add to the 86’s sporty and aggressive exterior.
The 86 has a nice interior with ultrasuede updates on the tan and black seats, dash and interior trim. The cabin is laced with suede-like material on top of the instrument cluster hood, leather trim on the steering wheel and leather wrapped parking brake handle. The rear seats are tight, and the rear seats fold down to allow for more trunk space.
The 86 comes with an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There is an 8-speaker sound system that delivers great sound as you are cruising around. A 7-inch driver display gives vehicle data like lap times, horsepower/torque curves, and a G-force friction circle. There is also a USB and 12-volt that are located up front.
The 86 has a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder boxer DOHC 16v engine paired with a six-speed manual close ratio transmission that kicks outs 228 horses under the hood. The performance in the ride delivered responsive acceleration and great braking. It is nimble and the steering is controlled when changing directions. The 86 is fun on a twisty highway and can offer a thrill ride on a straight stretch of road. The 86 is rated at 20 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highway and 22 mpg combined with the manual transmission. I really enjoyed being back in stick shift car that delivered impressive power through each gear. I definitely would say that this is a fun ride.
Toyota continues to keep safety as a top priority as the GR86 comes with 7 airbags, the LATCH system for car seats of young children, blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert and a smart key system with push button start.
As we were out and about, onlookers discussion about the Toyota 86 circled around the evolution of the vehicle. The Subaru BRZ, the Scion FR-S or now the Toyota 86 sums up the lifecycle of this 2+2 fastback coupé. The Toyota GR86 sits in a competitive class amongst the Ford Mustang EcoBoost, Chevy Camaro Turbo 1LE and the Mazda Miata RF. The model GR86 that we tested comes in at $31,325.00. The 2022 Toyota GR86 is a sports car in the truest sense of the word. It is fun to drive and a beautiful looking automobile. Please enjoy the photo gallery.
