Ram 1500 vs Toyota GR86

What's the difference?

In performance terms, the new Hurricane twin-turbo six is more than a match for the Hemi V8 it replaces. So, for a tradie that fancies a powerful US pick-up with 4.5-tonne towing, lots of load tub space and ample room to cart up to five crew in loungeroom comfort, the Ram 1500 Laramie Sport has plenty to offer.

If you’re expecting a faster, angrier and more focused version of the original 86, you’re going to be happy with this car. If you’re expecting it to be as fun and chuckable as the first one, you might be upset.

It has a different character, this GR86 - certainly with more GRRRR than ever before - and it still represents a strong sports car option for buyers, even if it is a fair bit more expensive this time around. It'd be hard not to recommend the GTS version to anyone considering it.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel and meals provided.

This is a BIG pick-p which may present challenges for tradies trying to access worksites with confined access. Measuring almost 6.0 metres long (5916mm) and just under 2.5 metres wide (2474mm with mirrors), it has a vast 3672mm wheelbase which results in an expansive 14.4-metre turning circle.

Its length and front/rear overhangs limit hardcore off-road ability with relatively shallow 20.2 degrees approach, 18.7 degrees ramp breakover and 21.7 degrees departure angles, along with 220mm of ground clearance. Not that owners are likely to tackle Gunshot Creek, but it would cope fine with rugged worksites.

Built on a massive ladder-type chassis frame, it rides on twin A-arm coil spring front suspension and multi-link coil-spring live rear axle, with four-wheel disc brakes and electric-assisted power steering.

The MY25's styling is enhanced with a redesigned front fascia, new LED headlights and LED tail-lights. The interior design and its quality of finish are outstanding, particularly the locally installed RHD dash module which looks superb and seamlessly transitions a vast number of LHD features and functions to RHD.

The full-length sunroof adds to the spacious feel and there’s a sumptuous mix of real leather seat trim, synthetic woodgrain infills, satin chrome, Laramie insignias embroidered on the seat facings and lots of exposed stitching along flawless seams.

The GR badges mean a lot, here. Not just because they signify that this is a proper Gazoo Racing product for Series 2, but also because they help you pick it as the Toyota and not the Subaru BRZ.

They are even more closely aligned in terms of exterior design this time around, and while both are good looking sports coupes, I wish more had been done to differentiate the two.

Sure, if you’re paying attention you’ll see the shape of the intake / grille area is different, and it has a different bumper shape to the BRZ, too - and both of them are bloody good looking cars, if you ask me.

The rear is particularly smart, I reckon - a more sporty and sleek appearance than the last one, and even if the tail-lights are somehow familiar, I think it’s a neat rear end. Can’t wait to see who makes the best looking aftermarket rear spoiler for it.

If you’re curious about the size and dimensions of the new GR86 compared to the old one, Toyota says it measures 4265mm (up 25mm) on a 2575mm wheelbase (up 5mm), sits 1310mm tall (down 10mm), and has the same overall width of 1775mm excluding mirrors.

There have been some big design changes in the cabin, though the overall layout is tremendously similar to the last car. It has similar controls for the air-con, a new touchscreen above, and similar layout to the storage, too. 

The interior design is a bit plain, though - the screen is big and colourful, and I’m thankful for that. Because unless you option the GTS with the red carpet, it’s a bit bland in there.

With its hefty 2642kg kerb weight and 3505kg GVM, our test vehicle has an 863kg payload rating, which is modest when compared to numerous smaller utes with higher ratings.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3500kg on a 50mm tow-ball and up to 4500kg on a 70mm ball. And with its 7711kg GCM rating (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) it can carry its maximum payload when towing 3500kg.

However, the payload must be reduced by almost 300kg to tow the maximum 4500kg, which would only leave about half a tonne of payload most of which could be used up by the weight of a full crew, so it’s important to be aware of these numbers if planning to tow that heavy.

The load tub is 1702mm long, 1270mm wide and 543mm deep, resulting in 1.5 cubic metres of total load volume and enough space between the sidewalls to carry either an Aussie or Euro pallet.

Lockable RamBox storage compartments on each side have a combined load volume of 420 litres and given both are equipped with rubber plug-sealed drain holes they are tailor-made for carting lots of ice and cold drinks.

A two-way powered tailgate saves a lot of physical effort and the load tub is protected by a spray-in liner. There are fixed load-anchorage points front and rear near floor level and slide-adjustable hooks near the top of the tub, so loads of all heights are catered for.

The tub also has internal lighting and its folding soft tonneau cover is easy to remove and refit. There’s also a spring-loaded step which swings down to ease rear load-tub access and when retracted is largely hidden behind the left rear wheel. Our test vehicle was also supplied with a sturdy and adjustable partition that can divide the load tub into two compartments.

Driver and front passenger enjoy spacious comfort, which is shared with rear passengers thanks to doors than swing wide open to access a plush bench seat that offers palatial head, knee and foot room even for tall people.

The cabin’s vast rear floor is also flat which ensures even a tall middle passenger can be comfortable on longer journeys without having to straddle a transmission tunnel.

There’s heaps of cabin storage available, starting with a big bin in the base of each front door plus a large glovebox on the passenger side.

The centre console, in addition to its twin wireless phone chargers, single HDMI and multiple USB ports, houses a huge storage box topped by a padded lid/elbow rest and an internal sliding tray equipped with two small-bottle/cup-holders.

Rear passengers also get storage bins in the doors plus pockets on each front seat backrest. The rear of the centre console, in addition to adjustable vents, seat heating controls and multiple USB ports has two small-bottle/cup holders for rear passenger use.

The 60/40-split bench seat’s base cushions can swing up and be stored vertically if you want more internal carrying space, or to access two storage compartments underneath. Plus there’s storage bins with removable liners underneath the floor on each side.

The centre seat’s backrest also folds forward to reveal a large centre console for two, which offers yet another pair of small-bottle/cup-holders. Its padded lid is wide enough to provide elbow rests for both sides and when raised reveals a storage tray ideal for storing phones or tablets.

You’re not buying a sports coupe if you value practicality as a primary purchase consideration, but rest assured, the GR86 has a decent level of usability to the interior.

There are bottle holders in the doors, storage sections in front of the gear selector, and a pair of cup holders with a closing lid that doubles as a centre armrest, if you don’t have drinks. Thing is, the one on the car I drove at launch was pretty hard to open with a single press of the button.

The 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen is straight from Subaru, with Subaru graphics and fonts still included. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the screen is colourful and has easy menus and controls, and thankfully there are still knobs and dials for things like volume and tuning.

It has the requisite Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone mirroring tech, but I had the system lose connection with my iPhone 13 Pro on the launch. (Note: I have a long-term Subaru WRX Sportswagon that drops the phone connection all the time, so it’s a bit annoying to see this characteristic mirrored on other models.)

Below the screen are the ‘they-look-familiar’ air-con controls, with dials for temp and fan. They’re nice and chunky so you can easily locate them when you’re focusing on driving. I like that.

The newly designed folding seat mechanism is supposed to allow you easier access to the back seats, not that you’ll want to be in there if you’re an adult. Or anyone over, say, 10 years old.

I got in there (for scientific research purposes) and found it was, as you’d expect, not very comfortable for someone my size (182cm / 6’0”). My head was at an awkward angle, I had little leg or toe room even with the seat ahead of me pitched way forward, and there’s not much in terms of rear-seat amenities, either.

But, if you have younger children, there are ISOFIX points and top-tether points for both of the rear seat positions.

Boot space is 237 litres - which isn’t enormous. But the opening is wide enough to easily slide suitcases in, and you can fit four wheels and tyres in with the back seat folded down (according to Toyota - and it folds down in a single piece, there’s no split-fold rear seat).

Oh, and the last one used to be available with a spare - this one isn’t. Just a repair kit.

I was there, that fateful day in June 2012 when Toyota Australia announced that the base model 86 manual was going to come in at less than $30,000. My jaw dropped, as did almost everyone else’s in that shed near the track where the launch was being held.

Fair to say my jaw also dropped when the price of the new 2023 Toyota GR86 was announced in the shed near the track (this time it was Phillip Island, not the Sutton Road driver training centre outside Queanbeyan).

That’s because the new model is between 15 and 35 per cent more expensive than the original 86. 

The GR86 GT six-speed manual is now $43,240 (MSRP - before on-road costs). The price for the six-speed auto is identical, meaning - depending how you look at it - the manual is a rip-off, or the auto is compellingly priced. 

The GR86 GTS model also employs the manual-or-auto-for-the-same-price strategy, listing at $45,390 (MSRP).

You get a few worthwhile items to justify the extra $2150 over the GT, and you can read all about the standard equipment inclusions here.

But it’s fair to say the GR86 might well be angrier in a lot of ways, but customers might be angry about the increase, too. Toyota even admitted that if it had kept the original price in line with inflation, it would have only cost $38,000 for the base GT grade. But it argues there’s a lot more value for buyers in this new model, by way of the drive experience and upsized engine, primarily.

However, there are some startling safety equipment exclusions that you might want to consider. More detail below.

OK, so what about rivals and pricing? Well, you can get the mechanically-identical Subaru BRZ for less. It starts at $40,290 for the manual (and has additional standard safety kit), but you have to pay extra for the auto, which starts from $44,090.

Or you might wish to think about a Mazda MX-5, which has the added cool factor of being a convertible, and starts at $37,990 for the base manual soft-top, or $42,300 for the hard-top.

The ‘Hurricane’ 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged straight six is a modern and robust design featuring aluminium alloy cylinder block and heads, dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods.

In the Laramie Sport’s 'SO' specification its 313kW of power at 5200rpm and 635Nm of torque at 3500rpm represents 7.6 per cent more power and 14.2 per cent more torque than the previous Hemi V8.

This is paired with a smooth-shifting Torqueflite eight-speed torque converter automatic which offers a new suite of switchable drive modes comprising Auto (default), Sport, Tow/Haul, Snow and Off-Road which optimises vehicle performance in each setting.

In addition to the Tow/Haul mode, there’s Electronic Range Select (ERS) controlled by steering wheel buttons which allows selection of a lower gear. This is particularly handy if a ‘downshift’ is required to employ engine-braking on steep descents when towing and/or hauling heavy loads.

The transfer case also offers several drive modes including 2WD, 4WD Auto (only sends drive to the front axle when loss of traction is detected), 4WD High and 4WD Low. For off-road use only, the centre differential can also be locked to distribute drive in an even 50:50 split between front and rear axles.

It’s a bigger engine - now a 2.4-litre horizontally-opposed ‘boxer’ four-cylinder petrol unit - and that increase of 20 per cent engine capacity has yielded some good horsepower increases, too. And it has a Subaru badge on the engine cover. Because it’s a Subaru engine.

The new model pushes out 174kW of power (at 7000rpm), which is up from a max output of 152kW on the old model.

It’s the torque figure that’s interesting, though. There’s 250Nm at 3700rpm, which isn’t huge. But Toyota claims there’s 240Nm available from 3500-6500rpm, meaning a long flat torque build-up. The old model had 212Nm for the manual.

Now, both the six-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmission have the same power and torque outputs - in the last gen, the auto was held back by 5kW and 7Nm compared with the max-power manual.

Of course, it’s rear-wheel drive, and has a Torsen limited slip differential in the mix. 

Toyota says the 0-100km/h time for the manual is 6.3 seconds, which is 1.8sec faster than the last manual. The auto’s 0-100 is claimed at 6.8sec.

Wondering about weight? The new one has four different masses to consider: GT manual - 1287kg; GT automatic - 1308kg; GTS manual - 1291kg; GTS automatic - 1312kg. Toyota says the bulk of the additional circa-44kg increase across the board is down to the larger capacity engine.

Ram claims official combined consumption of 10.7L/100km but the dash display was showing a much higher 14.7 figure at the completion of our 290km test, which included our usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about one third of that distance was hauling a heavy payload.

Our own figure, crunched from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, came in slightly lower at 14.1 which is just outside the usual 2-3L/100km discrepancy between official and real-world figures but typical of the mid-teens consumption we usually achieve in US pick-ups on local roads.

Therefore, based on our numbers, you could expect a realistic driving range of around 700km from its big 98-litre tank.

Official combined cycle fuel consumption is also a matter of spec-by-spec: GT manual - 9.4L/100km; GT automatic - 8.7L/100km; GTS manual - 9.5L/100km; GTS automatic - 8.8L/100km.

On test, the GTS manual I drove on the road loop at the launch was showing 9.8L/100km on the display after a mix of mostly higher-speed country road testing around Phillip Island and surrounds.

The fuel tank capacity is 50 litres, but keep in mind you’ll need to be fueling up with 98RON premium unleaded. 

The powered side-step extends automatically when you open the door, which combined with the large assist handles on the A (and B) pillars makes it easy to climb aboard.

The driving position is extremely comfortable, with the big door mirrors backed by blind-spot monitoring providing reassurance when driving. However, traffic sign recognition (the latter standard in Limited) should also be included here.

Ram’s switch from a Hemi V8 to a straight six will no doubt be regretted by those hooked on the unique soundtrack and character that only a deep-chested V8 can deliver.

However, the Hurricane engine brings a new character to Ram 1500 ownership, with the twin-outlet exhaust emitting a satisfying burble at idle and a snarling, raspy roar under hard acceleration that’s delivered with a smoothness that showcases its refinement.

There’s not a hint of turbo lag in its delivery either, with a big fat serving of torque starting from well below its 3500rpm peak. On several occasions, when accelerating out of corners in 2WD mode, the unloaded inside rear tyre momentarily beat the traction control with a loud chirp. Rest assured, the new Hurricane engine’s performance will not disappoint.

The ride quality, handling, steering and braking feel are commendable for a vehicle of this size and weight, which could easily feel ponderous without local engineering inputs that tailor these chassis dynamics to suit Australian roads and driver preferences. They’re a key reason why these full-size US pick-ups feel like they’re getting smaller each time we drive one.

To test its GVM rating, we loaded 650kg into the load tub, which with driver was a total payload of 750kg that was only about 100kg under its legal limit.

The rear coil-springs compressed about 60mm but that still left enough static bump-stop clearance to ensure no hard thuds from bottoming-out on a test route. The ride was slightly firmer as you’d expect, but still supple enough to soak up the bumps.

The twin-turbo six scoffed at our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb when hauling this payload, with its ample torque and ability to accelerate at any point making it feel like the load tub was empty. The ERS feature, which allows manual shifting to a lower gear, contributes to similarly strong engine-braking on descents.

It’s also an effortless highway cruiser requiring less than 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h, with effective noise suppression ensuring a pleasantly quiet cabin environment. Having the choice of adaptive or non-adaptive cruise control at the push of a button is another plus for long hauls.

Have you ever been cutting veggies for dinner and realised you need to sharpen your knife? And then, once you’ve done it, you realise what the knife is really capable of?

That’s kinda the feeling between the last generation of the Toyota 86 and this new Toyota GR86.  

I loved the old 86. Still do. Would have one in a heartbeat. But this - as the analogy suggests - is a much sharper tool.  

The engine is a big improvement on the old 2.0-litre - it feels considerably more urgent, and it gathers pace without fuss. You can really rely on the torque of the engine more in the new GR86 - that wasn’t so much the case in the last car, which you had to row through the gears more in. Now you can leave it in fourth and allow the engine to do the work, whereas in corners in the old car, you’d probably have elected to downshift to third, maybe second. 

The manual transmission is good, for the most part. It’s easy enough to operate, though the shift action can still feel a little bit notchy (first to second, fifth to sixth in particular in the car I drove). The clutch feel was reasonable, but not stall-proof at low speeds. 

The sound of the engine is a bit more pleasant now, too. It doesn’t have the nasal overtones of the last one - with a deeper, more enjoyable noise. It’s not the best sounding boxer engine, but it’s not the worst, either.

I only had a short amount of time in the GR86 automatic, and it was on the Phillip Island race track. It has paddles, which I appreciate - but the gearbox will overrule you if you try and downshift and haven’t managed to get the engine revs down. Self preservation at the expense of outright fun? Yeah. A bit. A dual-clutch auto would be an interesting development in this car - but it’s not going to happen.

Drivers who live in areas where there are lots of potholes and bumpy sections of road - so, most of Australia, then - might feel the now-stiffer chassis is a bit too rigid at times.

It feels much more like a sports car than a sporty car, with Gazoo Racing having honed the suspension to the tastes of Toyota president and master driver, Akio Toyoda. I’ve been to Japan. I know the roads there are a heck of a lot more agreeable than here.

Look, it mightn’t be a deal-breaker for the enthusiast, but the curious customer might find the ride a bit hard. 

The trade-off, of course, is terrific handling. It tucks into corners nicely, and with the reworked suspension (Macpherson front, multi-link rear), there’s less of that playful “please keep pushing me so we can have some slidey oversteer” character to it. It will drift, no doubt. But in the last 86, it didn’t take much effort to make that happen.

The steering is excellent, with terrific accuracy and weight, and decent feel through the wheel, too. You don’t feel every single thing at the front axle, but you do have a better gauge of it than you might have in the last GT grade, which famously ran those Prius tyres that were part of the reason sliding it around was a lot easier, too. The rubber on the new GR86 is far better - the GT runs Michelin Primacy HP (215/45/17), and the GTS has Michelin Pilot Sport 4 (215/40/18).

Look, it's still a lot of fun. But it’s fun in a different way. I actually prefer the last one in terms of the drive experience - even though this one is technically more impressive in all the important ways.

If you buy the manual version of the Toyota GR86, you’re getting a car that isn't as safe as the auto. It’s that simple.

That’s because the manual models miss out on now-expected (and, frankly, embarrassingly absent) potentially life-saving safety features like forward autonomous emergency braking (AEB) or lane keeping assistance.

You get AEB in the auto, as well as a form of rear AEB (parking support brake) with rear parking sensors, and adaptive cruise control, as well as lane departure warning.

Another kicker? You have to choose the GTS if you want blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, which is on both manual and automatic models.

The BRZ gets that rear-facing safety gear on all versions. Advantage Subaru, I guess.

There’s no ANCAP crash test safety rating for the new GR86. 

It comes with a three-year/100,000km warranty, which looks underdone compared to five-year/unlimited km deals for local rivals like the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra. However, it does include roadside assistance. Scheduled service intervals of 12 months/12,000km whichever occurs first. No capped-price servicing is offered.

Toyota’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty runs to the GR86, too. And if you maintain your car with the brand, that extends out to seven years for the powertrain.

The brand offers a capped-price servicing plan for five years/75,000km - meaning servicing intervals of 12 months/15,000km. 

Is it fairly priced when it comes to maintenance costs? Well, at $280 per visit for the first five services, it represents an annual saving of about $215 over the equivalent Subie. So that’s a nice way to recoup a bit of the cost.

There’s no included roadside assist, which you do get if you buy a BRZ.