Why I’m Running A Toyota GR86 For 3 Months

I know what you’re probably thinking reading that headline, “Why wouldn’t you?”. In 2024, it’s not often you get the chance to spend an extended amount of time with a naturally-aspirated sports car aimed very much towards the more affordable level and so when it does come, it’s one you should take. In the name of journalism though, I have questions for which answers will be sought over the next few months.

That opening sentiment hits harder when it’s a car that actually, you can’t buy. At least not in the UK, anyway. At about 10 am on 20 April 2022, three months after journalists first got behind the wheel, the Toyota GR86 went on sale on our shores. 40 minutes later, it had sold out.

And not just sold out as in you’d have to wait a bit longer for more stock. No, every car that would be coming here had gone. You had to cross your fingers that someone on the waiting list ahead of you would cancel. There was briefly a very small second allocation, but then that went again immediately. This leads to my first question, why?

There were a good few reasons I can think of without having to get behind the wheel. Initial reviews were glowing, with the GR86 widely praised as fixing pretty much every issue with its preceding GT86. It also wasn’t too expensive in the grand scheme of sports cars at £29,995 and, thanks to EU crash regulations, it wouldn’t be legal for Toyota to sell the car for more than two years. FOMO well and truly in full swing, then.

I was one of those journalists on the media launch and although I’ll concur with the masses, a brief spell with a car on open Spanish roads can often be deceptive. Unlike many buyers of limited-run Porsche GT or special Ferraris who own a plethora of other options, I get the feeling many on the list for a GR86 would have the intention of this being their one and only car.

This means dealing daily with obstacles in the UK like naff pothole-filled roads, average speed cameras and Nissan Qashqai drivers. Not exactly the natural habitat of the mostly without-compromise sports car, then. Yet, I’m keen to find out how it manages as a daily.

The other big question is the GT86. Sure, I can tell you the GR without doubt improves on it but that car was on sale for nearly 10 years and though it’s not uncommon, it never exactly lit up dealer forecourts. You can also pick up a tidy one for around half the price of the GR (coincidentally, that’s also a car I’ve had my nose in the classifieds on more than a few occasions in recent months), so why would you bother?

Plus, despite still being around for some time yet in other markets, there are rumours another generation is in the works, which will drop the 2.4-litre boxer-four in favour of the GR Yaris’ 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder.

That’ll surely be a great thing if it comes to fruition, but I’m keen to discover if we’ll come to really miss the Subaru lump - and if Toyota can really improve the formula down the line compared with this now very well-honed platform.

So, over the next few months, I’ll be jotting down my experiences with the GR86 including all the highs and lows, and with a few exciting adventures along the way. And if my first 24 hours with the car are anything to go by, there’s going to be a lot of fun.