Discussion
I run a GTS but was reading about the new Toyota GR86. Been out in USA for a few months and gets cracking reviews. 100kg less than a Cayman. aluminium roof wings etc. race series to follow. After the Yaris GR are Toyota doing something right. And the price £29995!! That just seems so cheap. 10 year warranty as long as you service at a dealer every year. Seems a cracking deal
Andyoz said:
I think they are good value and great see Toyota back in form.
I've my eye on them as a front engined/RWD car to match with the Cayman as a car to get the back out a bit.
Look underneath one at all the pressed metal suspension bits and you'll see how they meet that price point...
Fair point. Putting decent tyres on it Michelin pilot sport 4. Base Cayman similar spec £55k ? Almost double the price so great profit in there for Porsche. Like to see manufacturers bring out affordable sports cars all credit to them. PCP £299 pm with small deposit I've my eye on them as a front engined/RWD car to match with the Cayman as a car to get the back out a bit.
Look underneath one at all the pressed metal suspension bits and you'll see how they meet that price point...
Mrs Twinfan had a GT86 when they first came out. Great car, handling was fun and with the rock solid Prius tyres you could get the back end out on every roundabout. Engine was rough as a badger's arse and gutless. Completely chalk and cheese compared to the grip, speed, finesse and polish of a Cayman.
I'd have another, but only if money was such that I could no longer afford to run a Cayman. They're cheap, compared to a Porsche, for a reason.
I'd have another, but only if money was such that I could no longer afford to run a Cayman. They're cheap, compared to a Porsche, for a reason.
Shame they had to obviously hobble the GR86 a bit to meet the price point and to not interfere with the Supra (BMW lol)
If they'd been allowed say a £5k higher price point, I wonder what the engineers would have pulled out of the bag with that chassis and interior.
The GR86 and Lotus Emira are pretty much the only two new cars I'm keen to test drive. Most stuff now is as dull as dishwater....including many Porsche LOL. Bet Toyota don't want an extra £1700 for fancy blue paint either...
If they'd been allowed say a £5k higher price point, I wonder what the engineers would have pulled out of the bag with that chassis and interior.
The GR86 and Lotus Emira are pretty much the only two new cars I'm keen to test drive. Most stuff now is as dull as dishwater....including many Porsche LOL. Bet Toyota don't want an extra £1700 for fancy blue paint either...
Edited by Andyoz on Tuesday 5th April 15:06
Think I might drop in and order one for a bit of fun just can’t go wrong at that money and can use it in places I wouldn’t take a Porsche.
Have a mate who has a Yaris GR that’s a bit of a riot and surprisingly well finished. Also has the 10 year warranty just have to pay for a service! Amazing
Have a mate who has a Yaris GR that’s a bit of a riot and surprisingly well finished. Also has the 10 year warranty just have to pay for a service! Amazing
cc3 said:
Think I might drop in and order one for a bit of fun just can’t go wrong at that money and can use it in places I wouldn’t take a Porsche.
Have a mate who has a Yaris GR that’s a bit of a riot and surprisingly well finished. Also has the 10 year warranty just have to pay for a service! Amazing
Yeah, If my kids were a bit older I'd be seriously considering ordering one as my runabout and ditching the Estate. From my drives in a GT86 three years ago I recall the driving position being a real highlight. Toyota top man is a Motorsport dude. Have a mate who has a Yaris GR that’s a bit of a riot and surprisingly well finished. Also has the 10 year warranty just have to pay for a service! Amazing
Cross post I made yesterday in another thread sits better here:
Beyond that, every single thing about the Porsches, and the driving and ownership experience is more pleasant. While there was genuine competition in my mind about which I enjoyed driving most, I knew the base 718 I had traded was objectively better in almost every way; the GT86 was never less than great fun to drive though. Those "rock hard Prius tyres" were never fitted to any Prius other than a sports version for the Japanese market, and were actually a pretty decent all round sporty tyre. I didn't think my one had the power to cope with anything much grippier and be as enjoyable to drive though.
If I was more budget conscious, my order for a GR86 would have been placed when the new model was announced. I replaced the GT86 with another new 718 Cayman base model last year (and I am very fortunate that I can afford to hang onto the 981 GT4 for the time being). I honestly don't think the GR86 will genuinely compete even with the base 718 Cayman for driving experience, let alone the 718 GT4. Grins per pound spent? I bet the GR86 will win that one, but ultimately it depends how much budget matters. A Porsche 718 will be better in every way.
Liam
renga said:
GR86 a bargain alternative...
I loved my 2012 GT86 so much that I bought it back shortly after trading my 718 Cayman in for a used 981 GT4 back in 2018. GT4 for summer, GT86 for winter was the plan. Worked OK for a while, but the Porsches really do have so much going for them. I'm sure the GR86 is better than the GT86, and there really wasn't too much wrong with the original car; loved it and owned the same one for over 9 years on and off. Ultimately it was the "dealer experience" that swung it for me, when the Toyota developed some reliability issues after recall work. I paid out almost without limit on remedial work, but they just didn't seem to care that much whether I ended up with a car that could get me to work reliably.Beyond that, every single thing about the Porsches, and the driving and ownership experience is more pleasant. While there was genuine competition in my mind about which I enjoyed driving most, I knew the base 718 I had traded was objectively better in almost every way; the GT86 was never less than great fun to drive though. Those "rock hard Prius tyres" were never fitted to any Prius other than a sports version for the Japanese market, and were actually a pretty decent all round sporty tyre. I didn't think my one had the power to cope with anything much grippier and be as enjoyable to drive though.
If I was more budget conscious, my order for a GR86 would have been placed when the new model was announced. I replaced the GT86 with another new 718 Cayman base model last year (and I am very fortunate that I can afford to hang onto the 981 GT4 for the time being). I honestly don't think the GR86 will genuinely compete even with the base 718 Cayman for driving experience, let alone the 718 GT4. Grins per pound spent? I bet the GR86 will win that one, but ultimately it depends how much budget matters. A Porsche 718 will be better in every way.
Liam
Edited by LiamH66 on Wednesday 20th April 23:49
CABC said:
funny how this thread didn't take off.
it's a valid question and boils down to fun vs polish.
I suspect most people want the badge rather than driving pleasure.
they're both great cars and complementary in many ways.
Agreed on the fun vs polish up to a point / in certain narrow circumstances. it's a valid question and boils down to fun vs polish.
I suspect most people want the badge rather than driving pleasure.
they're both great cars and complementary in many ways.
Suspect the GR will likely be a total blast in the moment on exactly the right bit of road. But also suspect the Cayman has far more bandwidth and will give more driving pleasure, far more of the time, including on most good driving roads, not just on big, flat roads and cruising around. But there will be the odd exception where the GR will be more fun.
For more mundane driving, it's hard to imagine the GR will come close to one of the better manual F6 Caymans from various generations.
What a thread revival.....!
2 years later, and I'm wondering the same thing. I'm hoping writing this might make up my mind.
I'm lucky enough to own a GR86 and 718 GTS 4.0. Both manual.
The Porsche is, in theory better than the Toyota in every single way.
It's better built, it's more powerful, better sounding, more torque, better ride, more refined, more grip, etc etc etc.
However, as we all know; sometimes more power and more grip can be a downside to driving enjoyment.
I think the Toyota can be more of a fun experience when it's being given a thrashing. You can give the gears a good row and not massively trouble the speed limit, whilst being far closer to it's friendly grip threshold. Both of these factors are grin inducing on a clear and twisty bit of road.
The Porsche on the other hand will do over 70mph in 2nd gear and has a huge amount of grip. So to feel like you're properly driving the car, you need to be really pressing on. Which, let's face it, for many reasons is pretty difficult to achieve on today's busy roads. But when the correct stretch of quiet tarmac presents itself, there's a large portion of fun to be had. To add to this, when you're not tearing about with your hair on fire, the German car is a much nicer place to be.
Almost all of the above can be said for both cars on track too.
For me, on paper the Porsche has more of everything going for it. But if you look at it solely from a driving enthusiast's point of view, the lines between the two become very blurred.
Either way, I need to make room in the garage soon, so one of them has to go. At the moment I'm leaning towards waving the Toyota off, but that stance changes daily.
2 years later, and I'm wondering the same thing. I'm hoping writing this might make up my mind.
I'm lucky enough to own a GR86 and 718 GTS 4.0. Both manual.
The Porsche is, in theory better than the Toyota in every single way.
It's better built, it's more powerful, better sounding, more torque, better ride, more refined, more grip, etc etc etc.
However, as we all know; sometimes more power and more grip can be a downside to driving enjoyment.
I think the Toyota can be more of a fun experience when it's being given a thrashing. You can give the gears a good row and not massively trouble the speed limit, whilst being far closer to it's friendly grip threshold. Both of these factors are grin inducing on a clear and twisty bit of road.
The Porsche on the other hand will do over 70mph in 2nd gear and has a huge amount of grip. So to feel like you're properly driving the car, you need to be really pressing on. Which, let's face it, for many reasons is pretty difficult to achieve on today's busy roads. But when the correct stretch of quiet tarmac presents itself, there's a large portion of fun to be had. To add to this, when you're not tearing about with your hair on fire, the German car is a much nicer place to be.
Almost all of the above can be said for both cars on track too.
For me, on paper the Porsche has more of everything going for it. But if you look at it solely from a driving enthusiast's point of view, the lines between the two become very blurred.
Either way, I need to make room in the garage soon, so one of them has to go. At the moment I'm leaning towards waving the Toyota off, but that stance changes daily.
Had one of the Toyota's as rental car. A fun car to drive and enjoying a dab of oppo in. The engine is rather gruff and no match to the Cayman. The latter is much more of a quality item on all dimensions, reflected in its original purchasing price. To me it would be the decision between a focused weekend toy (Toyonta) vs. a great daily that is very enjoyable when roads and traffic allow (Porsche)
I have a GR86 and apart from soft paint and plastics I adore it. It's a keeper and I've done a few bits to it, lighter wheels on order. Brakes I'll be changing at some point. Wealth of knowledge out there and good aftermarket support. I'd love a Porsche one day but I'd need to upgrade my 2nd car (Swift) to something newer and more practical first and currently I can't see the 86 going anywhere but as with life, who knows.
rosejem said:
Interesting comparison , I own a GR86 which I am very pleased with and enjoy the drive. Having read you review comparing it to your GTS Cayman gosh the GR86 is really is that good.
I suppose they're both enthusiast/driver's cars so very comparable in that way. But more so in my case because I have both and need to get rid of one 
Dr S said:
Had one of the Toyota's as rental car. A fun car to drive and enjoying a dab of oppo in. The engine is rather gruff and no match to the Cayman. The latter is much more of a quality item on all dimensions, reflected in its original purchasing price. To me it would be the decision between a focused weekend toy (Toyonta) vs. a great daily that is very enjoyable when roads and traffic allow (Porsche)
Yes, totally agree about the engine. It sounds crap. I stuck an HKS exhaust on mine to liven things up a bit, but it has barely made a difference due to the pesky GPF!Fortunately, I have a different car for daily duties so I'm looking ay both of these from the perspective of the occasional blast to work in the morning, and longer fun evening/weekend drives.
KobayashiMaru86 said:
I have a GR86 and apart from soft paint and plastics I adore it. It's a keeper and I've done a few bits to it, lighter wheels on order. Brakes I'll be changing at some point. Wealth of knowledge out there and good aftermarket support. I'd love a Porsche one day but I'd need to upgrade my 2nd car (Swift) to something newer and more practical first and currently I can't see the 86 going anywhere but as with life, who knows.
Which wheels are you going for?I have the AP racing BBK from Reyland Motorsport on mine so it now stops properly. Track days were becoming a pain on the standard brakes.
If you end up going down the aftermarket suspension route, do let me know if you find a good solution.
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