2022 Toyota GR 86 First Drive Review: The Enthusiast's Track Day Toy
Improved in almost every way from its predecessor, the new GR 86 is a true driver’s car, on the road or the race track.
Toyota has finally given enthusiasts what they wanted with the next-generation GR 86 sports car: more power, but there’s a lot more to the story than that.
Petite but packing presence, the second generation 86 sports car, a joint venture between Toyota and Subaru, looks fantastic, somehow cleaning up some of the awkward lines of its predecessor while looking more aggressive, at the same time. Features like the front air channels, which send air through the front fascia and then into and out of the front wheel wells, along with the aggressive duckbill spoiler, not only look sharp, but are functional aerodynamic pieces.
2022 Toyota GR 86 Premium Track bRED first drive review Drivebreakfixrepeat.com Jake Stumph Racing
An evolution of the outgoing model, the new GR 86 features a stiffer chassis, with key reinforcements in the quarter panel and rear structure where the suspension mounts up, which allows the rear suspension to work more effectively.
Some components, like the brakes, are carried over from the previous model, with rotors measuring 11.6-inches (295mm) up front, paired to a sliding two-piston caliper, and rears coming in at 11.4-inches (290mm) with single-piston stoppers.
2022 Toyota GR 86 first drive review 18-inch wheels and brakes Drivebreakfixrepeat.com Jake Stumph Racing
Similarly, 17-inch wheels are standard while 18-inchers are available with the optional GR 86 Premium trim. Amusingly, the seventeens are shod in the same low-grip 215/45R17 Michelin Primacy “Prius tires” that had the original 86 (née Scion FR-S) was fitted with. The available 18s come with grippier 215/40R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber.
ALSO SEE: Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4 Tire Review
But you, me, and everyone else don’t care about the small details, you care about the engine.
2022 Toyota GR 86 first drive review Drivebreakfixrepeat.com Jake Stumph Racing
The FA20 flat-four engine in the original 86 was much maligned for a multitude of reasons, from the grumbly uncharismatic sound, to the infamous “torque dip” where the already limited amount of available torque fell quite harshly from 3,000 to 5,500 rpm (peak torque arrived at 6,400 revs) making the car fall on its face if the driver didn’t zing it right out to the red line constantly.
Now sporting 228 horsepower, a bump of 23 ponies over the outgoing 86, the new GR 86 sports car finally pulls hard out of the corners that it carves with such poise. But that pulling power is really the result of a nearly 20% increase in torque, from 156 lb-ft to 184, thanks to a new, larger engine.
2022 Toyota GR 86 FA24 Engine Oil Cooler Drivebreakfixrepeat.com Jake Stumph Racing
Dubbed FA24, this new powerplant sports 12.5:1 compression, and a 7,500 rpm redline, but peak torque figure comes in at just 3,700 rpm, making for a wide, tractable powerband. It also makes for a much faster sports car, with the little Toyota’s 0-60 mph figures dropping half a second down to a claimed (and conservative) 6.1 seconds.
It still doesn’t have the raw aural charm of some naturally-aspirated engines, but, crucially, the new engine sounds more refined and no longer wheezes to catch its breath as you zing toward the red line, over and over again.
2022 Toyota GR 86 first drive review Drivebreakfixrepeat.com Jake Stumph Racing || manual transmission shift knob
Toyota and Subaru have also updated the 6-speed manual transmission (the only one worth talking about), with revised internals for greater durability and a new shifter that trades out some of the notchiness for a quicker, slightly slicker action.
On the smooth Monticello Motor Club circuit, the new powertrain is a revelation. Just as agile as the old car, the new GR 86 is a delight to drive on the track, now truly having the guts to pull off delightful third gear slides out of corners. Let those low-grip Michelins do their thing, after all they’re at their best when howling for mercy.
With its low, deeply bolstered seating position, and excellent ergonomics, right down to the perfectly spaced for heel-and-toe downshift pedals, the GR 86 is all function from behind the wheel.
And don’t worry, you can drive the wheels off the GR 86. The brakes may not look big or flashy, but are more than up to the job of track day abuse, even with the boost in power, because the GR 86 weighs just 2,833 pounds in Premium trim (or 2,811 for the base) and the exceptionally low center of gravity (1.6-millimeters lower than before) means that the car is easy on brakes and as easy on tires as the driver wants to be. The GR 86 affords its pilot the ability to feel all four tires individually, and make delicate adjustments to the car’s balance via the throttle, something less common than you would think, and it is delightful.
You don’t have to worry about the engine, either. Controlling oil temperatures was a weak spot with the old 86, and while the new GR 86 may not have a full on oil cooler (look to the aftermarket for that), it does utilize a heat exchanger in the oil filter housing, similar to what is found on the WRX STi, that has engine coolant pass through and siphon away some of the heat out of the oil. On track, the GR 86 consistently showed coolant temps under 200° Fahrenheit and oil temps about 10-15° cooler than its predecessor, peaking at 254° after repeat hot laps, and usually hovering around 240.
2022 Toyota GR 86 first drive review Drivebreakfixrepeat.com Jake Stumph Racing
There is much to be said about the new GR 86, but, as far as the driver is concerned, that it improves upon the outgoing 86 in almost every way is quite the feat. This is one of the few new cars going on sale that will raise the collective pulse of automotive enthusiasts the world over, and for damn good reason. Don’t be surprised if a GR 86 ends up in the DBFR garage sooner rather than later. How much more endorsement can you get than that?
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