Toyota 86 2017

Designed as a no-compromise sports car, everything is optimized for a superior driving experience. Control and feel derive from a low center of gravity and the lightweight 4-cylinder 2.0 liter horizontally opposed engine, the unique design of which allows a lower hood height. The 2+2 interior is snug, with sports seats and interior styling that complements the exterior styling’s promise of performance.

The GT86 comes in three versions, all designed to satisfy your passion for sports car perfection. Get their full details here. Choose the GT86 that is right for you. With three models and a choice of transmissions to choose from, you’re bound to find the ideal GT86 for you.

The Toyota GT86 is the car we've been asking for since British manufacturers stopped making roadsters. And by "we" I mean the kind of people who want – or claim to want – a rear-wheel-drive, front-engine two-seater with sharp handling and a sporty vibe. It’s here, freshened up with a facelift after five years on the market, and it's still one of the best driver's cars you can buy.

It was never meant to be particularly fast or powerful. With just shy of 200bhp, it's got less oomph than a top-spec family estate and will be comfortably beaten by the latest generation of hot hatches. Instead of outright brawn, the GT86 brings playful driving (that is to say, sliding the back end around and generally being a bit of a hooligan) to well within the speed limit. It sets out to deliver a pure, affordable, rewarding driving experience, and largely succeeds.

Toyota GT86 2017

The GT86 is erroneously marketed as a four-seater. There’s no possible way that four adults, or even two adults and two children, could comfortably travel in this car, so it’s better to think of it as a two-seater with four seatbelts. The driver and passenger have reasonable legroom and elbow room, but the roof is low and so head space is constrained. Combined with the gloomy black interior and you end up with a slightly cramped-feeling cabin.

There’s stowage space and an adequate glove box, though, as well as a lidded compartment under the central arm rest that contains two cup holders. As with some other ‘keyless go’ cars, there’s nowhere obvious to leave the key fob – it’ll rattle around wherever you stash it.

The low, firm bucket seats offer support under enthusiastic cornering conditions, but give little by way of comfort on longer journeys. The low roofline is a little oppressive for taller drivers and while the door frame is generously padded, you can still expect to make contact with it on a regular basis.

It’s the ride that makes this an uncomfortable ride, though. With suspension optimised for going around bends rather than going over bumps, the GT86 is a tiring car to drive in town, on motorways and in the countryside. The fantastically communicative chassis does an annoyingly good job of conveying the minutiae of the road surface directly into your coccyx.

Toyota GT86 2017

There’s something exciting about the interior of the GT86, even if it isn’t conventionally attractive in any way. Big orange LCD readouts look like something from a late-80s action film, even though they only tell you the dual-zone air conditioning temperatures for you and your passenger. Chunky switches control all the other functions and the various dials and nobs, while plasticky, have a pleasing enough weight to them. The whole thing has the feel of a well-built toy.

That’s apart from the touchscreen, another relic and this time not in a good way. The sat nav functions are weak, but most frustrating are the slowness with which it operates. Changing the radio station can be a tricky task and the small buttons on the screen make it hard to use on the move, especially considering how much the GT86 bumps around.

Toyota GT86 2017

The GT86 is a very low car, an attribute which puts you at a disadvantage in some driving situations. Rear visibility is meager so the optional parking sensors are essential if you plan on reversing. The A-pillars are quite girthy too, which is a distraction to begin with.

The 2.0-litre engine is a tad old-fashioned and requires constant thrashing to make proper progress. Anyone who’s spent time in a modern turbocharged petrol car might find the GT86 a little sluggish, as its 7.7 0-62mph time is slow compared to its price tag. Get used to block changing, too – finding proper torque requires some guesswork at first.