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ApexGT

Test drove GT86 - not inspired, what have I missed?

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Hello all, new to the forum, first post...

So I have been an admirer of the GT86 since release... and last weekend reserved a 67 plate, 10k miles (around £17.5k), fully with the intention of a confirmatory test drive and purchase. 

There were only 2 issues with the car, the arm rest unit front hinge had broken, not a major issue but when you're paying 17k for a car it's not ideal. They offered to pay for the repair. Also, a factory fitted side skirt decal was just starting to peel. So very minor issues. 

Took it out for a spin and it just did not capture my interest at all. I was dying to like the car. Ended up taking it out again to give it a bit more welly but just didn't see what the fuss is about. I should add that I have never had a "nice" car, so I've not got a great deal to compare it to.... at the minute I'm in a 1.2 Clio! So I should have been impressed, but I just wasn't. 

I'm planning to give it another go. Clearly that wasn't the particular one for me or I'd have bought it. Once I look again, what advice can anyone give me so that I "get it"? 

 

Hope you understand what I'm getting at, anyway hello!

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Welcome!

I guess your expectations and the car's performance don't match. To me it's the combination of the go-kart-like handling and the pricing. I left my 2017 car completely stock and enjoy it every day, commuting to and from my work, 18 miles from where I live.

A few of my former cars: Audi 90, 2.3 5-cylinder, Audi 100, also a 5-banger, Alfa Romeo 164, 6-cylinder, Mercedes E280, Lexus GS 300 and Lexus GS 430. So why did I buy a GT86? First of all, I don't need a family car anymore. Secondly, I want some fun in a lightweight car. The sheer feedback, the low position and the rev-happy engine make my day.

Don't expect a factory standard car to be extremely fast, as it just isn't. However, it can be easily transformed to a competitive track car, as a wide variety of tuning parts is available.

No, I'm not trying to sell you a GT86, just giving my opinion on the car.

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My guesses are:

It may depend a lot on where and how test drive happens. It indeed is not that uber car for daily driving in city or in long straight highways. Less practicality & comfort, no push-in-seats acceleration, sucky stock audio, noisy with little insulation. Other thing if on twisty back roads or track, dropping down two gears. It's high revving engine, that has no power down low, it should be spun, cogs rowed through, to keep in powerband

It may depend on when testdrive happens - if now, then it's possible on all seasons or winter tires, which add lot of lagginess, rob a lot of directness in steering feel. If driving w/o pushing due little grip in wet/cold , again it may feel dull/powerless, not in powerband and such. Was a bit funny to see, when i let friend, who got along to trackday, to have one session, how he upshifted by habbit too soon, driving 2K-5K, never braked hard .. of course, car will feel less capable, and right at torque dip.

Was car stock? Wasn't it overmodded in some ways by chance? Like dropped low, with too sticky & wide wheels & tires (many may shun stock primacies, but they indeed are well balanced with car) or maybe even staggered setup? You did mention few minor visual issues, but how with things that do matter, what is car mechanical state and what tires are? Some may install tires, on which car is "tramlining" (at least at legal speeds) .. that certainly changes character vs car that chirps tires here and there, rotates rear and such

Testdrive itself, if with owner or dealership manager as passenger, may also put shackles a bit on really pushing it in twisties and redlining :). One shouldn't hoon too much at such after all.

That aside .. car really and certainly is not for everyone, and daily driven with comfort & economy in mind may more show it's faults/shortcomings in comparison to other cars. About the only thing better then most, that should be there all the times, imho is ergonomics for driver, how controls are placed, seat/steering wheel/pedals/shifter. When it should give "those smiles", is on twisty roads and track, when you enjoy that high redline, communicative & direct steering, less roll in roundabouts, that slight grip give-in/play when driven closer to limit (not that high if on stock primacies, which should ease getting more fun at more legal speeds :)). In winter - on ice track, sideways :).

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If you test drove it around town, I can understand your being underwhelmed.  You can't assess handling that way and the lack of torque in the stock car would become apparent.

Drive it on open country roads and the handling and performance become what the car was designed for.  Go back to a hatch-box afterwards and its typical front-wheel drive understeery nature will start to annoy.

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Go for a longer test drive and take it down some flowing A-roads and B-roads where there are plenty of corners. National speed limit roads are what you want. I expect the problem was your route. Get a feel for the chassis and an opportunity to work the engine and chassis. See what you think then. 

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I brought my BRZ coming from a 300hp focus st 2.5 which I got rid of due to the horrendous fuel bill every week and in all honestly the brz is just as quick / fun on the way to work but then it's 20 miles cross country. It's still standard ATM complete with premacies. Maybe find another one to go look at

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

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Thanks for the detailed replies. The car was stock. 

 

Yes the route was underwhelming, pretty much a couple of town roundabouts and two straight stretches up to a motorway junction. I did explain that I'd rather take it for a more appropriate drive but the dealership (CarShop) didnt seem to be doing much to persuade me. 

 

Needs wise... we have a young family but the main car is an SUV so we've got the practicality covered. I commute a long way each weekend and then work away all week. Circa 200 to 300 miles each way. Now most people would say I'm bonkers buying a sports car or even spending decent money on a car. The way I see it I'm going to be doing this driving for the next decade probably. Now in my mid 30s, I'm not waiting until retirement to have something like a nice car. Not interested in a typical motorway warrior (merc/bmw/mondeo/insignia etc). Economy wise the GT86 seems fine on a run. I can then also have some fun with it during the week. Call me crazy but my other option is an Elise and this is me aiming for the more practical car lol! 

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I was exactly the same. I drove a manual Dark Grey 86 back in 2012 when the dealers first got their demo’s and I thought it was alright but didn't blow me away. Sure it was very light and nimble but I wouldn’t have traded in my Celica GT4 at the time for it.

Then 5 years later I drove my wife to Toyota in my Monaro VXR to take delivery of her new Aygo she ordered. Whilst there I sat in their showroom 86 (just for something to do) and before I knew it I was talked into having a go in an Orange Auto PreFacelift car - No strings attached. I drove it very hard (as I scoffed at the little 200bhp 2.0 next to my 500bhp 6.0 LS2) but was blown away with how much faster overall I could drive it compared to the Monaro. The flappy paddle auto just blew my mind. I was able to keep the engine right on the boil through the gears without backing off. I could see that the 86 was clearly a better track car than the Monaro and just needed slightly stickier tyres to turn it into maniac. I loved it so much, I bought that Orange 86 there and then.

You can exploit 100% of the 86’s power 100% of the time if you wish. If I tried to do the same in the Monaro I would die very quickly.

The 86 is a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing if you ask me. Its greater than the sum of its parts and the figures would have you believe.

I find at all the track days I go to the stock 86’s are matching the stock E46 M3’s and 231PS RX8’s and in some cases showing them up. The figures on paper dont suggest this is possible. But its just such a great chassis and weighs so little.

Also if fuel economy is important for you on long journeys then this is a great car for you. On long motorway journeys cruising at legal speed I reset the trip and am always averaging over 50mpg.

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1 hour ago, ApexGT said:

.... I commute a long way each weekend and then work away all week. Circa 200 to 300 miles each way. .... Not interested in a typical motorway warrior (merc/bmw/mondeo/insignia etc). Economy wise the GT86 seems fine on a run. I can then also have some fun with it during the week....

This is very similar to my use-case. Occasionally I will need to work away from home, often covering similar mileage (I just spent 9 weeks doing a 230 mile commute each way).

I swap to the 86 for the same reasons. It's competent on the motorway (upgrade the stock speakers, add some sound deadening) and it does get fairly good mpg. Once I'm at the destination, then I've got a much more fun car for the short hops between hotels and sites and on the weekend or none-motorway roads then I can push on.

I'd also agree with the people above. The car isn't going to shine bimbling around town. Whereabouts are you based? You may find someone locally who can let you have a more informed ride, or check out the events subforum on here. There's some videos posted that show the car out on track.

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Same, when I first drove one. It needs revving high to move forwards and to do that you need confidence and the right roads - neither appear on a test drive around town.

If you're buying it for the looks and the unique approach to car design (lightness, foccus etc) then you won't be disappointed. The drive will grow on you the more you experience it.

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I was the same. Drove one thinking it was the car for me and really didn't get it.

 

Strange as I came from  modified civic type r so was used to whipping a car up to get progress and a raw drive.

 

Few months passed and I drove my other choices 135i, M3 (E92) and came full circle back to the GT86. Took another aero one out from the other local dealer and gelled with it :)

I think it was the route really. First time was on roads which weren't the cars strong point. 2nd time was a GP circuit of the local roundabouts and joining sweeping roads :D

 

Maybe drive some other cars and see if you find something that ticks your boxes or if you end up coming back to it like I did. As we all know they are not the car for everyone. Definatly a bit marmite haha

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Thanks for all the advice. Think I'll keep my eyes out and try and get out on another drive. Like I said in all ways the car ticks the right boxes so I just want to like it... car dealerships like the Car Shop don't help though really, as they aren't used to people caring about the "feel" of the car, might need to find one from a smaller place.

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ApexGT: Well, don't go to lengths to force yourself to that. There is no obligation for you to go that far. There are people that have different priorities/taste. And even if car shines for specific use, what good is if in actual use for some owners it may never see that. For example, twins are nice on track .. i don't think that even one per twenty twin owners been to trackday even once. One's usual roads may also never include "interesting roads/routes" to drive, with just boring city/highway commuting.

While these cars are nice for technical twisty road/track driving .. one is not obliged to force himself to change habbits/routes just for car, nor obliged to have specific feelings for specialized car. Also cars are very subjective thing. One can dislike some specific car even though others say it's good, even if technically 'on paper' it fits the bill of one logically thinks that one should like and cannot put finger on what exactly one doesn't like, doesn't feel similar to what others felt.

This time it seems, that wrong type of driving/routes resulted in different feels about car, after all most reviewers prising it, if one pays attention, did testdrives on track or twisty roads that are forte of these cars, while very few did eg. long multi hour commuting, or spent few hours in city traffic jams in these, and as most here on this forum agree on, twins do shine for different use, even though many do generic daily driving theirs too .. but one certainly should force one for that .. it will rob enjoyment/fun, will result in opposite imho.

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Hi, just a different view from my experience and doing a similar work journey to you for the past 2 years. I stopped driving the 86 and used my BMW m sport auto estate. So much more relaxed on the motorway and more comfortable to jump out of at the end of the commute. Then saved the 86 for weekend fun. Best of both, apart from running costs of 2 cars I guess. So, perhaps one more all round car would suit you? Golf GTi? Docile on motorway but still a bit if fun. Or plenty of other similar options, especially if you didn't fall in love with the 86. Just thought I would offer a slightly different view 😁

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i find the 86 ideal on my 15mile A & B road (mostlyNSL) twisty commute. It's even consigned my FireBlade to permanent residence in the garage. It's these types of road that bring out the best in the 86.

I do from time to time have a 450mile each way commute to Germany - I tend to get off the Autobahn early and use the back roads to get there but I still arrive able to walk and work.

It's a great all rounder.

 

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I have a 30 mile commute each way every day.  When I want some fun I use the A30, although it doesn't have many good curves, and other times I use the M3.  I'd still rather do it in the BRZ than my old BMW 335d M-Sport Coupe despite the latter being less noisy.

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Around town...

On the motorway...

Changing up at 3000revs...

As above,a GT86/BRZ is not good at all.

On the other hand,on a flowing curvy country road,with the engine between 4000 and 7000 revs it’s really great fun like nothing else around the same price or considerably more.

That’s the point of the car.

P.S.

The OP’s  preconception of a GT86 not matching his expectations might just mean the car is not for him and we can’t all like the same.I would say also try a Coupe that has a different sort of appeal,say an Audi TT...some may deride them but if the OP prefers one that’s fine.

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