2017 Toyota 86 vs 2018

What's the difference?

The 86 GT is still the best value, most fun sports car on the market. Before 2012, there was nothing but tumbleweeds if you wanted a rear drive fun mobile under $40,000. The 86 was a game changer because nobody could get away with charging 10 grand more for the same sort of thing. Could they, Mazda?

The only real dilemma facing the 86 owner is whether the money is best spent on the GTS's extra kit or your own idea of what the 86 needs. Most owners seem to take the former route, but you're not missing anything (much) by going with the GT.

The overall score doesn't really reflect how good this car is. It's let down by silly things like the lack of a decent stereo head unit, a ho-hum warranty package and a lack of advanced safety features. Those things sort of miss the point for most 86 buyers as the sales figures suggest.

It's old school fun without all the reliability and usability issues. It's a better proposition than any bargain sportscar for decades and is never not a barrel of laughs. The best value - and most fun - is a manual GT with the Dynamic Performance Pack. It's still good value, has a bit more oomph in the brakes and suspension and adds just a little bit of spice to the 86.

The 86 has looked pretty good from day one, but being a sports car, it attracts the usual passionate fans and detractors. The lovely low, long bonnet comes courtesy of the horizontally-opposed 'boxer' engine which is able to sit lower down in the car, meaning everything can sit closer to the deck, including you. It's a tiny car and even though I've driven a few of them, on reacquaintance, it's always a surprise to be reminded just how small it is.

It's so small that on either 16s or 17s it never looks under-wheeled, although the dull 16s are still with us five years on from launch. Perhaps, like the stereo, Toyota expects owners to spend money on wheels and tyres elsewhere, so isn't bothered to change them. For the MY17 update, front and rear bumpers were tweaked for more of an organic feel, badges moved around and the LED headlights became standard across the range.

Inside is the same with just a few tweaks, the 'biggest' one being a steering wheel Toyota claims is the smallest ever fitted to one of its road cars.

The seats look a bit different, but thankfully, aren't, with the best-selling GTS scoring Alcantara inserts. The new 4.2-inch electronic dash on the GTS replaces the right-hand third of the instrument pack and also intersects with the central speedo, a bit like a BMW 3 Series' information panel. It's lovely and clear and a huge improvement over the GT's dash.

As ever, the 86 exterior design is tasteful - low-slung and with a mild body kit including side skirts, a modest front spoiler and a metal rear wing that nobody seems to like. The 86 has those classic sports car proportions despite its diminutive dimensions.

The rear diffuser looks good but is unlikely to do much other than house the fog light and reversing lights. The big twin exhausts look terrific, so if you want a quad exhaust, I will only ask why.

Inside is as minimally thoughtful as ever. There's nothing especially wrong with it but there is little to commend it with a mix of materials and various cop-outs to save money. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, given the car's intentions, but if you're expecting a premium interior, you're of out luck. Having said that, the suede-like panel in the GTS looks pretty good.

If your only requirement is the ability to sling four wheels and tyres in the back with the seats down, you've come to the right place. For such a tiny car, there is a reasonable amount of space for front seat passengers, again our Tim Robson, who's a tall unit, fits quite happily.

Rear seat room is a completely different story. The back seat isn't much more than a glorified parcel shelf. You can squeeze small kids in there and a forward facing car seat will go in. Rearward facing ones are a rather more snug fit, so the front seats will have to go forward to make room.

Front seat passengers have a few slots and trays for their odds and ends and a removable cupholder unit snaps into the centre console to hold two cups. Each door will hold a bottle.

The boot houses a space-saver spare tyre and with the seats up will contain 237 litres of cargo, which isn't startling but isn't terrible either, comparable with a small hatchback.

Interior photos reveal a cosy space for driver and passenger. The rear seats are almost entirely pointless, although you can get small kids in. Like really small - I'm just on 180cm and drive closer to the wheel than most but I could still only slot a laptop computer in the 'legroom'.

The front seats are split by a narrow console with a moveable tray with two cupholders and a slot that holds a smaller iPhone or Android phone. There is no armrest, but that's for practical gear-shifting reasons. Those in the rear don't get a cup holder at all.

People always ask how many seats Toyota has crammed in, and the answer is four, but it's really a 2+2.

Boot space isn't terrible at 223 litres and if you fold down the rear seats, you've capacity for a set of four wheels and tyres. Which might be handy given there is no longer a spare tyre, so a tyre repair kit might be in order...

As you might imagine, ground clearance isn't off-road spectacular but the 86 does pass my driveway test. In other words, I can get it up my driveway - some SUVs don't even manage without that stomach churning scraaape.

There are still only two trim levels these days, if you discount the racing version. The Toyota website suggests the 'Apollo Blue' is a separate model, but you'll soon see that's a bit cheeky. Our brief comparison features RRP straight off the price list. The drive-away price is obviously between you and your dealer.

The GT opens the range at $31,440 for the manual and $33,740 for the auto. It's not the sub-$30k bargain it used to be, but remains cheaper than its Subaru BRZ sister car and the Mazda MX-5.

The second level of the road going range is the GTS, starting at $36,640 for the manual and $38,940 for the auto.

Standard features include 16-inch alloys, a limited-slip diff (manual only), LED headlights and daytime running lights, reversing camera, 6.1-inch touchscreen, AM/FM radio, power windows and mirrors, electric power steering, air-conditioning, floor mats, hill start assist, a sound system with six speakers, Bluetooth and USB, cruise control and cloth trim.

The second level of the road going range is the GTS, starting at $36,640 for the manual and $38,940 for the auto. To the base model you can add bigger rims at 17 inches, dual-zone climate control, an info display in the dashboard between the gauges, privacy glass, heated front seats, stereo controls on the steering wheel, keyless entry and push button start, fake leather seats with Alcantara trim inserts and GPS navigation system with SUNA traffic info.

The GTS's tyres are markedly better Michelins.

For the GT and GTS you can choose from six colours: 'Tornado Grey', 'Storm Black', 'Ice Silver', 'White Liquid', 'Gravity Blue' and 'Ignition Red'. If you go all in on a GTS, you can also have Apollo Blue. Fans of orange and yellow are out of luck. Only Ignition Red is a freebie, the rest will stick you with a $450 bill.

The GT and GTS also offer the 'Dynamic Performance Pack' option. How much does it cost and what do you get? Sadly, no turbo or increase in engine size or improvement in engine specs for a bit more speed. I know many of you pine for more horsepower to improve the 86's stats, but Toyota won't help out.

So, the $2200 (GT)/$2900 (GTS) pack includes a darker set of alloy wheels, SACHS suspension and a set of Brembo brakes. GTS buyers can also specify Apollo Blue as the exterior colour, raising the price again to $39,950 for the manual and $41,890 for the auto.

The waiting time for your 86 is a thing of the past - stock levels appear solid around the country.

The 6.1-inch infotainment screen that runs the sound system is an ongoing disaster. Too small, terrible software, it's an afterthought. To add insult to injury, there is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto despite the Subaru version managing to fit a stereo with exactly that feature. It's a perplexingly bad decision to leave them out, especially when it's a basic double DIN unit that's easy to replace.

Accessories include interior lighting, rear parking sensors and a bootliner. Missing from the list are a towbar, HID headlights (the standard LEDs are excellent) and, unsurprisingly, air suspension.

Conspicuous by their absence are a roof rack and sunroof. Despite a soft top concept a few years back, there isn't a convertible either. If you want a subwoofer, you'll have to go aftermarket.

The waiting time for your 86 is a thing of the past - stock levels appear solid around the country.

As ever, a Subaru-sourced 2.0-litre boxer four lives under the bonnet. In manual form, it produces 152kW and 212Nm, both high in the rev range.

Sadly, the six-speed auto goes without the little power bump, sticking with the old 148kW/205Nm state of tune from the car's 2012 launch.

The 86 is all about the drive. The engine is a bit raucous, especially when cold, and there's not a great deal in the way of sound-deadening.

Power reaches the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox and the limited slip differential, which from November 2016 has a shorter ratio of 4.3:1 for the manual.

There are no know common issues with the 86's boxer four and the engine is driven by a timing chain rather than a timing belt, meaning low long-term ownership and servicing costs. The manual transmission doesn't seem to suffer any widespread complaints or issues and the automatic gearbox seems similarly reliable.

The Subaru-sourced 2.0-litre 'boxer' four soldiers on and in the six-speed manual produces 152kW/212Nm, both high in the rev range. Annoyingly, when paired with the six-speed automatic transmission, you only get 148kW/205Nm.

One of the reasons for the boxer engine is that it sits nice and low, which works for styling and packaging. Even getting the battery lower in the chassis means an improvement in handling.

The power heads rearwards (purists love rear-wheel drive) and is apportioned by a limited-slip differential.

There are no known common issues with the 86's boxer four. As to whether the engine features a timing belt or chain, the good news is that it's a chain, meaning lower long-term ownership and servicing costs.

The engine has been around forever and there are no common engine issues that I could identify, except perhaps the lack of a turbocharged option or supercharger.

The manual transmission doesn't seem to suffer any widespread complaints or issues and the automatic gearbox seems similarly reliable. If you needed to settle the manual vs automatic argument, that's yet another reason to go with the manual gearbox. As well as the lighter weight. And better performance figures.

The 86 does the 0-100km/h dash in a swift seven-ish seconds.

There is no 4x4, front-wheel drive or AWD version, nor is there a diesel motor available. Although that would be interesting...

For some reason, the 86 comes in for criticism for its 0-100km per hour acceleration time, which is a swift seven-ish seconds.

Toyota does not offer a towing capacity figure, perhaps for obvious reasons.

The claimed fuel consumption figure has risen from 7.8L/100km to 8.4L/100km for the 2017 model.

Recent tests by the CarsGuide team include Malcolm Flynn's 8.4L/100km in a manual GT and Tim Robson's 10.1L/100km in a GTS auto. The 86 likes the good stuff (Premium 98RON unleaded), so it's nice to see it can get somewhere close to its claimed figure (although all bets are off when you go for a thrash).

Fuel consumption is quite different between the transmission types. The manual's claimed combined cycle figure is 8.4L/100km while the automatic's is 7.1L/100km. Usually mileage figures are closer between transmissions, so if fuel economy is at the top of your list, it's the automatic.

Fuel tank capacity is 50 litres and you have to fill it with 98RON premium unleaded.

The official figures, for once, aren't a bad guide - my most recent week with an 86 manual returned 9.3L/100km.

The 86 is all about the drive. The engine is a bit raucous, especially when cold, and there's not a great deal in the way of sound-deadening or infinite attention lavished on noise, vibration and harshness. You've got to rev the (FA20) engine, as all the power and torque is up above 6000rpm, and that sometimes reverberates through the shell. You won't care, though, because you'll be having too much fun.

The MY17 update was all about detail changes. More spot welds, a stiffer rear bodyshell, new springs and dampers and a re-tuned multi-mode traction and stability control system. That means the ride at the rear is a little softer but because the car itself is a bit stiffer, it still has everything that makes it great. The steering is still a feel-filled delight, telling you everything about the road surface and letting you sling the car around with great abandon. You can spend some time working up to that, switching your way through the modes.

The tyres are deliberately skinny - track day slides are terrific fun and easy to start and finish without the conclusion involving a gravel trap. The tyres fitted continue unchanged on the GT and GTS - Yokohama Advan dB and Michelin Primacy respectively.

Mal Flynn and I agree the MY17 update is a winner while colleague Tim Robson is not convinced. "What happened to my 86?" was his cry, although he was driving the auto, which isn't best-suited to the car.

You can read what he thought about it here. He did, however, rather enjoy the T86RS because the lucky sod got to drive it.

Every time I drive the 86, I am struck by the same things. The first is just how small it really is. Its road footprint is tiny, the Toyota dwarfed by just about everything. That means it's great in the city for ducking in and out of gaps and if you keep the left arm busy on the shifter, you'll be able to use its momentum to carve through the dawdling idiots infesting our roads.

The steering is always a delight - fast and direct, you know what's under those skinny front tyres and the weighting is near perfection. Coupled with the finely-tuned chassis, it's super-predictable and a huge laugh out of damp roundabouts.

The best bit is the balance - you can really feel the car underneath you. When you strip it all back, ignore the rackety engine and plasticky interior, it really feels like a car twice the price. The whole experience is centred around fun but without abandoning the needs of daily driving - the soft suspension allows for body roll which is both fun when you're thrashing but delivers a bearable ride on the school/work run.

It's a bit tinny, it's missing some obvious bits and pieces but few cars put you in touch with the purity of driving like a manual 86.

The automatic - largely ignored - is still fun, but it's not really what the 86 is all about. For me, I once had an auto 86 and it was an opportunity to show my manual-shy wife what she's been missing.

The 86 arrives with a decent level of safety features. They all have an airbag count of seven, ABS, stability and traction controls, reverse camera and hill start assist.

If you can squeeze in a baby seat, there are two ISOFIX points and two top-tether points.

The maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating dates way back to 2012.

The 86 has a three-year/100,000km warranty and capped-price servicing covering the first four scheduled services. Each service is $180 and dealership visits are due at either 15,000km or nine months, whichever comes first.

Resale values for a three-year old 86 range between 68 and 74 percent privately and 54 and 62 percent when traded to a dealer. Models from 2012 are allegedly changing hands for around $16,000 privately and trading in for around $13,000, not bad for a five year-old niche car.

Toyota still offers a three-year/100,000km warranty and roadside assist is an extra cost. Many customers understand that a key Toyota value proposition is reliability, but the three-year warranty club is almost as small as the full-term Prime Ministers club has been in the last decade.

Resale value appears strong, no doubt helped by a distinct lack of common problems, gearbox problems, issues, faults or complaints about the car. A second hand 86 should be easy to come by - since its launch in 2012, Toyota has shifted around 20,000 cars.

Service cost is capped at $180 per service and you're expected to visit the dealer every nine months or 15,000km, which is kind of odd.

The owners manual is packed with useful details like oil capacity and type.

Another question I'm often asked is "Where is the Toyota 86 built?" - the answer is Subaru's Gunma plant in Japan. Some also ask "Is the Toyota 86 discontinued?" - that's a firm no, although the US Scion sub-brand version, the FR-S, is no more.