Toyota GT86
Price £27,285
0-62mph 7.7 seconds
Top speed 130mph
MPG 35.3
CO2 180g/km
A few years ago I went to a 25th-anniversary celebration of Mazda’s all-conquering MX-5. It’s by far and away the world’s bestselling two-seat roadster. It’s the dinky sports car that blends big driving thrills with everyday usability and it has doggedly stuck to one simple credo: “Keep it basic.” There is nothing fussy or fancy about it. It’s functional and, in these days of fake news, autonomous driving and hands-off digital feedback, there is something gloriously authentic about its analogue approach to the road. And it’s exactly this pared-back, up-front honesty that’s helped Mazda shift more than 1m of them over the past quarter-century.
But if this back-to-basics approach is such a sure-fire hit for motorists, why do so few manufacturers offer it? All we ever hear about are cars that are outstripping their drivers in the brains department, leading to a strange numbing of the motoring experience. One day we will all be no more than lobotomised passengers being whisked from A to B by a fleet of neurally gifted robot cars… So it’s an absolute relief that Toyota is boosting the fight-back with its latest version of the lovable GT86. It’s the simplest and yet also the most exciting Toyota in years.
When Tetsuya Tada, Toyota’s chief engineer for the project, outlined the three key elements that would define his new creation – no turbo, no 4WD and narrow tyres – driving fans knew they were in for a treat. The car has been designed in conjunction with Subaru (which sells its own version as the mechanically similar BRZ) and it has all the hallmarks of a rorty, retro roadster.
Speed freaks and performance aficionados will be disappointed by the GT86. It’s not very fast and doesn’t accelerate like a plunging roller coaster. Instead, it feels playful. It’s dirty and flirty, scooping round corners and zinging down straights like a ball-crazed Spaniel. A sales exec in a top-spec Mondeo would soon hunt you down, but they won’t be having half the fun you are.
Step inside and you sit deep in a low-slung bucket seat. The steering wheel nestles in your lap and you peer out across the double bump of the bonnet at the road rushing towards you. It’s a tight fit which reinforces the impression you are in a sports car. And you are low compared to other road users. Even a Mini seems to loom over you when you stop at the lights. Toyota pretends the car is a four-seater. That’s laughable. Two spindly children might just about fit in the back, but even that’s a push. Up front, the orange LCD display is period perfect. There are actual switches to control the functions. Want the radio on? Press the button.
The only engine on offer is a 2-litre boxer unit. For the size of car it’s more than adequate and it makes a wonderfully old-school noise and is an absolute hoot to drive. Is there a but? There always is, isn’t there? The problem facing the GT86 is that it will never quite match the MX-5. It’s a little more expensive and a little thirstier. So, a great effort, but Mazda will take some beating.
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166
