Toyota rekindles its sporting passion

ROADTEST TOYOTA GT86:EVERY NOW AND THEN, a car comes along that reminds you why motoring can offer much more than a means of transport. After months as Mr Sensible, testing affordable hatchbacks and frugal family cars, sitting into Toyota's GT86 is like being woken from your slumber by a Katie Taylor punch.

The GT is the epitome of a new era at Toyota, led from the top by Akio Toyoda, the scion of the founder who harbours a passion for motorsport. When he took the reins in 2009 he granted us an interview at that year’s Tokyo Motor show.

During our time with him he presciently warned of challenging times ahead, no doubt aware of the potential recall issues coming down the track. But he also spoke passionately about the need to spark new life into the firm, to instil desirability to the brand, over and above its family-car reputation. Toyoda is an unapologetic petrolhead and the GT was one of his pet projects. It’s a car built not on the basis of PowerPoint presentations, cashflow spreadsheets or market research data. This is built on passion.

That said, I have to admit to being a bit disappointed the first time I encountered the production model in the metal. The concept cars were jaw-droppingly gorgeous, the stars of every show they attended.

The end result seems a pastiche of the first-generation Hyundai Coupé. Not a major complaint, given the paucity of sports cars on the market, and not without explanation either. In a rain-sodden tent next to a race track in Japan last year the chief designer explained to us that the reason he opted to soften the look was to create a blank canvas for the aftermarket fans. Buyers of this car love to personalise with bodykit features, particularly in the home market of Japan.

Up front, the mellifluous tones of the 2-litre engine are hypnotic. It’s a sound we’ve missed with the Irish addiction to diesel. From the moment you hit the start button it echoes through the cabin. Even in low gears the slightest tickle of the throttle has the engine in high notes.

There’s a raw, blue-collar energy to this car that’s been lacking on the market of late. Hyundai was the last brand to fetch up a relatively affordable sports car with its Coupé, but for all the looks it offered limited performance. The GT86 is much more focused on its role in life. This is not a “hairdresser’s Porsche”, it’s a proper sports car, most certainly in handling if not in full-throttle power. And that means it’s great fun, but perhaps not as much of a lure to the owners of old Coupés. The low set driving position is from a proper racer.

The GT yearns for open road and, while not a redline racer, it still packs a punch, though it could do with more mid-range torque, particularly for overtaking or powering out of corners. In higher gears it lacks the sort of punch you might expect from a fully-fledged sports car, but there are hints that higher performance variants may be in the pipeline. Given the razor-sharp handling of the GT, that’s the sort of rumour to make petrolheads salivate.

Handling is sublime, with wonderful feedback from the front wheels. You feel every inch of the road through the wheel, giving a great sense of control. The ride on the 17-inch alloys is surprisingly pliant, caught out by the worst bumps but otherwise placid around town. Yet for those who do get the chance to try it on track, the car is a little bundle of joy. Its rear-wheel-drive format lets you gradually step out the rear without any dramatics and when you turn off the various traction systems the GT demonstrates a natural balance that’s testimony to its engineering pedigree.

In terms of space, there’s a decent boot for this sort of car and there are rear bucket seats, but given its DNA, they are not built just to accommodate toddlers. The designers made clear, at the briefing last year, that these were included primarily to accommodate race wheels – not passengers. At a pre-launch event, the chief designer proudly demonstrated that the principle behind the relatively spacious bootspace and rear-seat room was to let track fans carry four full-size racing wheels – two in the boot and two in the back. The owner profile they are aiming for is the petrolhead who spends weekends on the race track or at drifting events, then changes from track wheels ones before heading home. It might not be common for Irish owners but for the target market in Japan it’s right up their street.

The interior trim is utilitarian, but admirable for it. There is no attempt to dress it up in the finer electronic whizz-bang of many modern cars; there’s an easy-to-operate audio system, air-con controls and the rest is related to performance. Technophiles will just have take along their tablets to play with. The finish is a little 1990s, but there’s an honesty of purpose about the package.

The GT86 may be a godsend to Toyota, but it’s not without its rivals. The Peugeot RCZ is more of a headturner for those who rank image higher than raw performance. The Audi TT and VW Scirocco have cache in the middle classes that the Toyota badge can’t match, while the Hyundai Veloster, though not quite a sports car format, is significantly cheaper. We would have liked the GT to pack a little more punch and for the design to be as dramatic as the concept cars we drooled over. Yet those reservations aside, it’s fantastic to see Toyota showing its fun side. The breadth of engineering talent at Toyota deserves cars like this to showcase their skills and to reignite some passion in the brand. Thank you, Mr Toyoda.

Factfile

ENGINE2-litre four cycling petrol engine putting out 200bhp @ 7,000rpm and 205Nm of torque @ 6,400rpm

PERFORMANCE0-100km/h in 7.6 secs, xxl/100km (mpg)

FEATURES17 alloys; dual exhaust with chrome tailpipes; LED daytime running lights; rear spoiler; front foglights; smartkey entry and start button system; leather steering wheel; six-speaker audio; Bluetooth; Toyota touch audio system with USB connection; cruise control; dualzone climate control. ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution; limited slip differential; vehicle stability control; traction control; seven airbags.

EMISSIONS(motor tax) (€677)

PRICE€38,895

RIVALSAudi TT 1.8 TFSI 160bhp – €41,200; Hyundai Veloster – €24,995; Peugeot RCZ 2.0HDI 163bhp – €38,350; VW Scirocco 2.0TSi 210bhp – €32,095

OUR RATING: 8/10

A welcome return to the sports car market - we cant wait for high performance versions of the GT