Toyota 86 vs Volkswagen Golf

What's the difference?

The Toyota 86 might be a bit of a blast from the past in 2020, especially considering there is a new-generation version just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad car.

In fact, it serves up a fun and visceral driving experience seldom seen in anything other than the most focussed of sports cars, but packaged up with an attainable price.

If you value practicality and straight-line pace, a hot hatch will be the easy choice, but if the driving experience is the most important aspect of a car to you, it’s hard to pass up the Toyota 86.

While some Golf enthusiasts will prefer the lighter, more nimble, front-wheel drive GTI, this Golf R is now an even more serious machine. 

It’s a great touring car, super-sharp in the corners and good value in the context of its competitive set. Cars like Toyota’s GR Corolla and Honda’s Civic Type-R are on notice.

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

There’s no denying Toyota’s 86 boasts classic sports car proportions thanks to a long bonnet, short overhangs and a sleek coupe body-style.

Though some things have changed since the model first came to market in 2012, such as revised bumpers and lights, the 86 is just as recognisable today as it was back then.

From the front, the 86 gives off a purposeful and aggressive stance thanks to its angled headlights, gaping intake and bulging arches.

Move to the side and you will see the wheelbase stretches nearly to the edges of the car, while a strong shoulder- and roofline join at the rear haunches to emphasise the 86’s rear-drive character.

The rear end is probable the least favourable angle for the 86, but the wide tail-lights, large diffuser and dual-exhaust outlets add to its sporting character.

Our test car was fitted in the eye-catching Apollo Blue colour, as well as 17-inch wheels, mirror caps and a rear spoiler finished in black.

After eight years on the market, we still think the 86 is one of the better-looking sports cars on the market, largely thanks to its purposeful and no-frills approach to styling.

It’s not quite as over-the-top as something like a Honda Civic Type R, but you still know it means business if it showed up to a track day.

Step inside though, and the cabin has not aged as well as the exterior.

The centre stack houses a 6.1-inch multimedia touchscreen that looks like it was picked out at a Repco sale, while you can practically see the pixels on the digital clock and temperature readout screens.

It’s not all bad though, as the chunky switchgear and large push-button starter add a little character to the interior.

We also like the instrumentation, which puts the tachometer front and centre for the driver while also incorporating a 4.2-inch display to add a bit of modernity.

In terms of exterior design, at the front there’s a relatively mild cosmetic makeover with some changes to the headlights and the bumper as well as a horizontal line across the grille, which, along with the VW roundel, is illuminated.

From the side the ride height is 20mm lower, and cosmetically there are matt silver housings on the exterior mirrors, blue calipers behind new design 19-inch rims and in the centre of the wheel there’s an R logo rather than the traditional VW branding.

At the back, you’ve got new customisable LED tail-light clusters with welcome and goodbye effects, which can be programmed via the vehicle settings in the multimedia system, as well as a larger spoiler at the back of the roof on top of the tailgate.

Inside, the ‘big’ change is an appreciably larger central multimedia screen running new program software. It has physical touch bars along its lower edge for audio volume and climate control adjustment.

The driver’s display now includes a G-meter and GPS lap timing. The steering wheel has its own look and feel and the sports seats feature integrated headrests. There are alloy covers on the pedals and ‘Carbon Grey’ decorative inlays around the dash and doors.

It’s a classically restrained and subtly sporty design treatment inside and out.

Measuring 4240mm long, 1775mm wide, 1320mm tall and with a 2570mm wheelbase, the 86 coupe is dimensionally smaller in every measure to its Corolla hatchback sibling.

Despite this, Toyota says there is enough seating for four, but the 86 is much closer to a 2+2 than it is to a proper four-seater.

Front occupant space is ample enough, with plenty of adjustable in the seat and steering column for drivers to get into the perfect position.

There’s cupholders in the centre console, storage and the door pockets will even take a water bottle.

Front occupants also have access to a very, very small tray just in front of the shifter, though what it could accommodate is unknown.

We will also mention that when in odd-numbered gears, it can get tricky to use the climate controls, though it wouldn’t be a problem in auto-equipped cars.

Flick the front seats forward, contort yourself into the rear and, well, its more akin to a medieval torture device than passenger-friendly seating.

Headroom is especially limited, though we were surprised with the better-than-expected legroom due to the bucket-shape of the rear seats.

Don’t expect any mod-cons in the rear though, as the only thing to keep yourself entertained back there is the seat belt.

The boot accommodates just 237 litres of volume, which is just about enough to fit a large suitcase, though because of the short space, it will have to go in sideways leaving not a lot of room for much else.

Boot floor is also quite high, meaning tall objects will struggle to fit, but the rear seats can be folded flat to accommodate longer items.

While early versions of the 86 came with a spare wheel, in 2020, all new cars come with a puncture-repair kit.

For reference, the Golf R is just under 4.3m long, close to 1.8m wide and a bit less than 1.5m tall with a 2630mm wheelbase. Right in the middle of the medium hatch footprint.

In the front there’s plenty of breathing room for the driver and co-pilot. And in terms of practicality, you’ve got big bins in the doors with room for large bottles. There’s also a box between the seats with a lid that doubles as an armrest, which also adjusts for height and length, which is nice.

If you need more, there are two cupholders in the centre console, one of which is adjustable for smaller cups, plus a long oddments tray as well as a more powerful ventilated wireless device charging tray at the front end of the console.

There’s also a decent glove box and two USB-C ports for power and connectivity.

In the back, sitting behind the driver’s seat set for my 183cm position, I have ample headroom, legroom and more than enough foot room.

That said, three abreast for full-size adults would be very squeezy. Even a trio of middle teenagers might find it a bit tight. Best as a two-seater in the rear.

Then for storage, you’ve got big bins with room for bottles. Fold down the armrest and you’ve got not one, not two, but three different size cupholders in it.

There’s a nifty double pocket set-up on the front seatbacks, each just right for a phone or hand-held game console, as well as a more conventional map pocket lower down.

There are individual ventilation outlets as well as climate control for the rear section, plus two USB-C outlets.

With the 60/40 split-folding rear seat upright the 8.5 Golf R boasts 341 litres (VDA) of boot volume, which is decent, and that number expands to nearly 1197 litres with the seat down. 

There’s a load-through hatch, tie-down anchors, a 12-volt outlet, multiple bag hooks, specific lighting and storage compartments to the side.

No spare of any description, however, with a repair/inflator kit your only option.

The new Golf R is priced at $70,990, before on-road costs, which is a $500 bump from the version it supersedes. A new limited run Black Edition model, the details of which we’ll get to shortly, weighs in at $72,490.

At that money the Golf R lines up against a diverse group of properly hot hatches like the related Audi S3 ($78,800), Honda Civic Type R ($74,100), Lexus LBX Morizo RR ($76,490), Mini JCW ($56,990) and the Toyota GR Corolla ($70,490). Even higher-priced outliers like the BMW M135 xDrive ($83,600) and Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic ($87,900).

So, the heat is on, and at 70-odd kay it’s fair to expect a decent basket of standard fruit. Aside from the performance and safety tech covered later the Golf R features list includes auto LED matrix headlights, LED tail-lights, Nappa leather-appointed trim, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, three-zone climate control, 14-way electric driver’s seat (with memory), 480W nine-speaker Harman Kardon audio (including digital radio), a 12.9-inch multimedia screen (with built-in nav) and a 10.2-inch digital instrument display.

There’s also keyless entry and start, 30-colour ambient lighting, adaptive cruise, a head-up display, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, auto rain-sensing wipers, surround lighting, a (more powerful) ventilated wireless charging pad, a 360-degree overhead view, ‘Park Assist Plus’, metallic paint, fog lights and 19-inch alloy rims.

Not bad at all in the context of this category.

VW Australia has also announced an optional ‘Warmenau Package’ for the standard R - named after the location of the R division’s headquarters in Wolfsburg - for $6500 bundling up 19-inch forged alloy wheels (developed in-house by Volkswagen R, reducing the weight of each wheel by 8.0kg or 20 per cent), carbon interior trim elements and an ‘R-Performance’ titanium exhaust system from Akrapovič.

Limited to 300 examples, the Black Edition features dark accents throughout, including the wheels, badges, mirror housings, brake calipers and tailpipes, as well as darkened headlights and the lighter 19-inch forged alloys. It’s available in all three Golf R colours - ‘Pure White’, ‘Grenadill Black’ and ’Lapiz Blue’.

Powering all Toyota 86s is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder Boxer petrol engine, outputting 152kW/212Nm when paired to a the six-speed manual gearbox.

Automatic transmission versions are downgraded to 147kW/205Nm.

Peak power comes in at a heady 7000rpm, while maximum torque is available from 6400-6600rpm for both manual and automatic versions.

Tipping the scales at around 1258kg means the manual 86 can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 7.6 seconds, while the automatic version is 0.6s slower to the landmark time.

This updated Golf R is powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine VW enthusiasts around the world know by its ‘EA888’ code name.

In this guise it now produces close to 245kW (+10kW) and 420Nm (+20Nm) with the maximum available across a broad plateau from 2100 to 5500rpm.

The 2.0L EA888 features a cast iron block and alloy head, with direct-injection, water-cooled exhaust gas routing to the turbo (in the cylinder head) and variable valve timing with double camshaft control.

Power goes to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission and an all-wheel-drive system using a twin-clutch pack to manage front-to-rear drive distribution as well as torque across the rear axle.

Official fuel-consumption figures for the 86 is 8.4 litres per 100km with the six-speed manual.

However, we managed an 8.3L/100km figure after a week’s worth of driving, which is especially impressive given most of our time was spent in Melbourne’s inner-city.

Of note, the 86 requires 98 RON petrol.

VW is proud to point out that thanks to an electronic coolant regulator unit, the Golf R’s 2.0L engine “features very efficient thermal management with a short warm-up phase” which it says reduces friction losses for better fuel consumption.

Its official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel economy figure is 8.3L/100km, which isn’t out of order for a hot rod hatch with this much performance potential.

Over the course of a 200km-plus road drive on the launch program, covering mainly twisting B-road and highway sections, we saw a dash-indicated average of 9.9L/100km.

With a 55-litre tank those figures translate to a theoretical range of around 660km, and a real-world number closer to 550km between fills.

Front engine, rear-wheel drive, it’s a tried-and-true formula for an engaging driving experience and the Toyota 86 certainly doesn’t disappoint its spiritual predecessors in this regard.

Sure, the engine is a little underpowered, but the free-revving 2.0-litre will happily be wrung out until the 7600pm cut off.

The slick six-speed shifter is also an absolute joy to move, offering satisfying ‘snicks’ with every gear change, and a positive and natural throw that makes it hard to mis-shift.

Pedal placement, a crucial element in a manual car, is equally excellent, with just the right amount of spacing between the clutch, brake and throttle.

Don’t get us wrong, we aren’t heel-and-toe devotees, but it's nice they are positioned well, and offer the right amount of feedback and engagement.

From the driver’s position, looking out over the long bonnet can be a bit daunting, but with the bulging front wheelarches, you can actually tell exactly where the front wheels are, making apex-clipping a breeze.

The fantastic steering response helps with that too, as does the communicative chassis that conveys exactly what the rear axle is wanting to do.

Balanced, neutral handling is the name of the game here, with MacPherson struts up front and a double wishbone rear.

Our test car was also fitted with the up-rated Brembo brakes and Sachs-branded dampers that are designed to improve stopping power and handling respectively.

However, without driving this car and an 86 without the Dynamic Performance Pack fitted, it’s hard to make comment on how much the handling characteristics have changed.

We can say that the Brembo brakes are excellent at scrubbing speed from the perky Toyota coupe, thanks to larger callipers and rotors.

The Golf R weighs in at 1517kg and Volkswagen says it will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.6sec, which is quick, and the car’s broad torque band makes it super-usable. The maximum 420Nm is available from 2100rpm all the way to 5500rpm. 

A blue ‘R’ button on the steering wheel is your short-cut access point to various modes - ‘Eco’, ‘Comfort’, ‘Sport’, ‘Sport+’ and ‘Race’ - and in the racier settings what VW calls ‘Turbo Pre-load’ steps in. More or less an anti-lag set-up for smoother power delivery.

Even from low revs in a (manually-selected) high gear, squeeze the throttle and it quickly builds up a head of steam. Power delivery is impressively linear.

The transmission is super slick and manual shifts are rapid. Refreshingly, manual mode is exactly what it says on the tin. Select a gear with the wheel-mounted paddles and it will stay in that ratio until the rev limiter makes its stuttering presence felt.

And if you’re going into a corner under brakes just keep the left-hand paddle pulled in and the transmission will automatically cycle down to the lowest ratio available, which is handy if you’ve really got the bit between your teeth.

Even with the standard exhaust, once you’ve dialled up the sporty modes, you get that snap, crackle and pop on full-bore upshifts and on the over-run, which also enhances the experience.

Suspension is by struts at the front and multi-links at the rear, and the ‘Adaptive Chassis Control’ system monitors acceleration, braking and steering to fine-tune the set-up.

We drove on some rough B-road sections, in the wet, and the R remained surprisingly refined. Given how hard it grips and how much it communicates back through the seat of the pants it is a comfortable touring car. It’s like a GT in hatch form, eating up the kilometres without fuss or putting too much stress on the driver.

Worth noting we spent much of our time in ‘Nürburgring’ mode, accessed through the Race menu, which, no surprise, was developed on the famous Nordschleife. It’s tuned to optimise dynamic performance on undulating patchy surfaces and is a superb set-up sweet spot for the road and track.

Progressive ratio steering delivers good road feel without too many jitters coming up to your hands. And turn-in is precise without being jagged. Just point the car and it goes exactly where you want it to.

The drive system splits torque between the front and rear axles and across the rear. If, for example, it senses the car wants to turn more but might push into understeer, it calmly manages drive distribution to keep everything under control.

Tyres are Bridgestone Potenza S005 (235/35) and over even coarse chip surfaces they remain quiet and grip with admirable determination.

Braking is by ventilated discs all around and on twisting backroads we occasionally leant on them hard and they were well up to the task. A firm pedal with progressive application when getting on or easing off the brakes. 

They even stood up to a race circuit pressure test without raising a sweat, because day two of the launch included a track session at Sydney Motorsport Park. And we can confirm the car is properly fast, balanced and predictable in that environment. 

SMP’s dipping, then uphill, off-camber right-hand turn four highlighted the R’s grip and the sophistication of its torque vectoring set-up. We also went sliding on the skid pan in the car’s Drift mode, which biases the rear axle, and is huge fun.  

In terms of lower speed manoeuvring, you’ve got a 12-metre turning circle, which isn’t vast but isn’t tiny, so be ready for that.  

You’ve also got a 360-degree overhead view, which is very handy in tight spots. And if you want some extra support, ‘Park Assist Plus’ will help you slot the car into the space you’re aiming for.

Under the heading of miscellaneous observations, the sports front seats deliver solid lateral support yet remain comfortable over long periods behind the wheel.

Speaking of the wheel, it’s just the right thickness, with perforated leather at the quarter-to-three positions helping with that lovely connection to the front tyres.

As well, from an ergonomic point-of-view, working through the central multimedia screen and driver’s display is straight-forward, with the latter able to be configured via the steering wheel. 

The current Golf range picked up a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment in 2022 and VW’s ‘IQ Drive’ driver assistance tech package includes highway speed auto emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian detection as well as junction assist, adaptive cruise control (with stop and go), intersection assist auto-braking, low-speed manoeuvre braking, lane keeping assist, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, driver fatigue monitoring and tyre pressure monitoring,  

The airbag count runs to nine - dual front, front and rear side, side curtain and a front centre bag. Then multi-collision brake minimises the chances of subsequent impacts after an initial crash. And as the name implies ‘Emergency Assist’ will take control to slow the car if the driver becomes unresponsive.

There are three top tethers for child seats across the second row, with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions. 

Like all new Toyota vehicles, the 86 comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is also accompanied by a seven-year anti-corrosion assurance.

The first service is due in the first month of ownership and is free, while scheduled servicing is usually every 15,000km/nine months, which every comes first.

Each of the next four services covering up to 36 months/60,000km is capped at $200 per servicing, while the next service rises to $391, $1860 and $391

Therefore, the first 63 months/105,000km of ownership will set buyers back $3051 in servicing.

The Golf R is covered by Volkswagen Australia’s five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is a match for most mainstream brands, although an increasing number are nudging up to seven and even 10 years.

There’s also a 12-year corrosion perforation warranty, which is a plus, and the recommended maintenance interval is 12 months/15,000km with ‘Assured Service’ pricing averaging $840 per workshop visit over the first five years.

Three- or five-year pre-paid ‘Care Plans’ reduce that number, with the latter working out to an average of $658 per service. Far from over the top for a performance hatch like this one.