By David Bonnici
A smile appeared on my face every time I approached a roundabout in the Toyota 86 GTS, which negotiates curves like its on rails. Even below the speed limit there’s an exaggerated sensation of speed, helped by your bum being just inches off the road.
Needless to say that on the winding roads out Anakie way I was in driving heaven.
The Toyota 86, along with its Subaru BRZ clone, is becoming a common sight on Melbourne roads and it’s easy to see why.
Like it did the with the Celica in the 1980s, Toyota has cracked it for an affordable sports car that looks great and drives even better.
Inside, the “cockpit” is kept relatively basic to keep the emphasis on driving.
Performance information is confined to the gauge cluster. I like how the speed is also displayed as a digital reading in the rev counter.
But the car isn’t free of creature comforts. It has duel zone airconditioning controls and a small touch screen with the usual Bluetooth phone/MP3 player connectivity, navigation and voice control. The GTS model also has a reverse camera, a handy option in a car this low, though the rear vision is surprisingly good.
The front seats are fantastic. They support your body through the G-forces caused by the 86’s curve-hugging drive without restricting your arms. They feel like they’ve been moulded to your body. The steering wheel can be adjusted to perfectly suit your seating position and feels great in hand.
To discuss this car’s practicality would be like rating a great white shark on its tree-climbing ability. The rear seats are token, at best. My daughter had to sit crossed-legged on the school run and the boot will barely fit a set of golf clubs.
But this is a driver’s car, after all; made all the better by its rear-wheel-drive set-up and very forgiving manual gearbox and clutch.
I don’t know why anyone would have one of these in automatic – this arrangement helps you take off like a pro even if you’re a little rusty on the stick.
Shifting down to second gear instead of third at those roundabouts produces a lovely noise to add to that feeling that you’re going way faster than you actually are.
The 2-litre, 4-cylinder engine will get from 0-100km/h in 7.6 seconds. Before getting used to it, I found it sluggish when wanting to overtake at about 100km/h in sixth gear.
A friend who owns one told me to go down to fifth gear in such situations – it takes off like a rocket.
