This may sound crazy by all means. You may be thinking I have a few bolts loose in the head but hear me out. The new Supra may be faster and have a larger engine from BMW and more technology, etc but it’s just not as good as the purist Toyota 86 or Subaru BRZ.
The Toyota 86 was launched back in 2012 with its twin the Subaru BRZ. The BRZ will be replaced in 2021/22 with a new car which is very similar to the one sold today, just with a fresh interior and more power. The same will happen with the Toyota 86. Both companies have said they will still continue to do business together regarding the 86 and the BRZ.
The Toyota 86 is a very unique sports car. It feels very old-school and it’s also very simple. The engine is what’s known as a boxer-4. It’s essentially the same used in the Subaru Impreza, the Subaru Forester, and the Subaru Legacy. So then the boxer unit is very popular with Subaru and it’s a brilliant engine. It works by its cylinders moving side to side. In a normal engine such as an inline-4, the cylinders move up and down.
The boxer engine is very unique and it’s not very common due to just how complex it is and it’s also a tad hard to maintain. Parts are far more expensive too. It is an engine though that has great balance and added boost since there is a lot less pressure on the crankshaft.
Under the hood of the 86 is a 2 liter Boxer-4 (same as the Subaru BRZ) which pushes out 205hp and 156 lb-ft of torque which may not sound like a lot but it’s enough. The 0-60 is around 6 to 6.2 seconds with a top speed of 145 mph. Again not the best performance figures but it’s not about that. The 86 weighs a maximum of 1298 kg which is very light indeed. It is also RWD which is the most important feature of this car and it’s the main thing that made it so popular. It is one of the cheapest RWD cars on sale today and it’s very popular amongst drifters.
Why Is The 86 So Great?
The Toyota 86 is a brilliant little car. It’s so agile and easy to drive fast. It feels old-school like a 1990s Japanese sports car in and out. The interior may look and feel very old even back in 2012; it’s a very nostalgic interior. The mix of leather and suede feels very retro and the audio system, the steering wheel, and the seats themselves take you back to a time where things were more simple.
It’s a simple car. It has no turbos. No fancy boost systems apart from what comes from its engine. its exhaust doesn’t pop and bang and it hasn’t got the most power either. It’s made to simply drive. It has what you need and that’s it. The interior is free from distraction, even the new 2021 BRZ model. The 2021 BRZ (which will be the new Toyota 86) has what you need. It has Carplay, sat-nav, digital dash, etc. It even has a proper handbrake for proper handbrake turns and drifts. It also has a 6-speed manual gearbox.
The Toyota 86 is a car that you can have heaps of fun in. It’s just so plucky and so nippy hence why it’s great around corners. It’s a great car for mountain roads as it is just so nimble and agile. Plus the RWD setup makes it so easy to drift. This feels like an old-school sports car when you drive it as it’s just so simple and controllable. Anybody can drive this car fast regardless of how much driving experience they have. It’s a very friendly car and it encourages you to drive fast but in a safe way. You can drive this car fast without risking your life away. How is that possible? Control. This car is easy to control and when things go wrong it’s not the end of the world. Things can easily be corrected, unlike other sports cars.
It’s a safe car. It can easily be used every day and the gas mileage is great. It’s cheap to service and easy to work on. In fact, if you are into DIY mechanics and you do want a project car, this is a perfect shout. There are also so many mods that you can do very easily on the 86 and they are mainly reasonably priced.
Why Is The 86 Better Than The New Supra
The new Supra is a great car. No doubt about that. It’s a great sports car in its own right but it’s just not as good as the 86. It doesn’t feel as nimble or as nippy as 86 at all and that’s because it’s a heavier bigger car. The engines used in the Supra are from the BMW which are a 2.0 turbo inline-4 and a 3.0 turbo inline-6. Both engines are far more powerful than the one used in the 86 but they’re not as unique or as fun.
The 86 also seats two more people and it has a bigger trunk. Plus it’s far better on gas too. It’s also far cheaper and it’s easier to insure. In the real world, you will never do the manufacturers claimed 0-60 or really the top speed. In fact you in most cars you will never use all of the power. In the 86 you will use a lot more of its power than you would in the Supra. The 86 is easier to handle which is vital because not everyone is Micheal Schumacher and can drive blisteringly quick in the corners. People want to drive fast in the corners by all means but the thing is the car. A lot of sports cars are actually hard to drive in the way car enthusiasts want to drive. Car enthusiasts want to power-slide and have fun with the traction control off. Sadly that’s quite hard to do in most sports cars and that’s due to control and power.
The Toyota 86 though is a sports car that most car enthusiasts can control hence they can absolutely rag it around with confidence that they won’t crash and die. The Supra on the other hand because it’s bigger, heavier, and more powerful is a lot more of a handful.
The 86 is perfect for younger drivers. It’s cheap to insure and cheap to run. It’s also simple to drive. You want a car that you can easily control as it makes you more confident to try out new things and have more fun. What’s the point of buying a car that isn’t as fun, a lot harder to control, and also a lot more expensive. Course it’s more powerful than the Supra but it’s not like that matters. Most drivers cant handle a lot of power anyway and for what car enthusiasts want, the 86 provides that a lot more than the Supra does. It’s lighter, RWD and you can easily track it. Course it’s not the fastest in a straight line but who cares? Life has corners and this car takes them well. It’s just so rewarding and fun.
Featured image credits via: caradvice.com.au