Sharper Toyota 86: Pretty Much Perfect

I have always been an admirer of the Toyota 86. It is, to my eyes at least, the perfect antidote to today’s hot hatchback, which is a breed of vehicle that has become too serious for its own good. Take the latest Golf GTI, for example. Technically, it is an engineering masterpiece, a piece of Teutonic wizardry that has no problem clinging to the tailpipes of some much more expensive sports machinery.

It achieves this by employing all sorts of cutting-edge automotive technology: electronic differential locks, turbocharging, adaptive suspension systems and blindingly fast dual-clutch transmissions. Fantastic. Unfortunately, all of this leaves you with a car that only starts feeling truly engaging at speeds way too fast for what daily driving conditions allow — velocities more suited to the racetrack or German autobahn.

The evolutionary limits of the hot hatchback have been stretched to the limit. Which, in a way, somewhat detracts from these cars’ playful appeal of old: you know, when machines like the Alfa 145 Quadrifoglio used to rule the roost back in the late 1990s. This is why the Toyota 86 ranks so highly on my personal cool wall. It’s a simple sports coupé that, similar to the ubiquitous Mazda MX-5, focuses more on fun and engaging dynamics than on race car levels of power and traction. In an 86 you don’t need to be travelling at twice the national speed limit to have fun. Thanks to limited mechanical grip (courtesy of those rock-hard Prius tyres) and a classic front- engine-rear-wheel-drive chassis layout, it will get sideways with little provocation.

Whether busting through a tight hairpin bend or grabbing a handful of opposite lock around a traffic circle, the Toyota 86 commands a golden smile-to-rand ratio that few cars can match — even more so after receiving a midlife refresh. Just two years after the model was launched, the Toyota engineering department, led by Tetsuya Tada, has fine-tuned the 86’s suspension system for sharper reflexes. This has been achieved by bolting on more rigid suspension mounts, as well as fitting revised dampers, which boast lower-friction oil, oil seals and guide bushings. Toyota let us scribes loose on Port Elizabeth’s super-tight, super-technical Celso Scribante kart circuit, where the difference was made clear. Everything feels that much more direct and immediate, with slightly less body roll than what some of us may have been used to before — especially through some of the track’s twistier sections.

The steering seems to have a tad more feel to it too, which is always welcome in a dedicated driver’s car like the 86. Toyota says these tweaks have improved the ride quality, but I failed to notice any difference. It’s still on the firm side, although not uncomfortably so. In addition to the massaged suspension system, all refreshed 86 models now come standard with a new shark-fin radio antenna — that unsightly bee-sting aerial has been relegated to the rubbish bin, and rightly so.

The audio system has also been upgraded, with a better colour display and, at long last, full Bluetooth connectivity so you can finally stream tunes stored on your smartphone. The design team also neatened things up, with the addition of a specially moulded boot cover that does a much better job of hiding the car’s full-sized spare wheel. Yep, you no longer have to worry about your luggage or groceries being soiled by unsightly tyre tracks.

To commemorate this nip and tuck, Toyota has also made available a limited-edition model that has a properly in-your-face body kit. Commanding a R5 400 premium over the top-end model and restricted to just 86 units, the limited edition has a more pronounced front spoiler, a pair of side skirts and one of the biggest boot spoilers this side of a RWB Porsche. Swing open a door and you’ll be met by an interior stitched to the nines with red accents. The steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake, door panels, seats — everything has a generous helping of go-faster crimson… which I’m guessing will not be to everybody’s taste.

Strangely, unlike the limited- edition model available in the UK, it doesn’t get a performance exhaust system, bigger brakes or grippier 18-inch wheel and low- profile tyre combo. Engine output remains unchanged at 147kW, which is more than enough to exploit that fine chassis when driving down at sea level. Up at our power-sapping altitude, all 86 models feel a bit lethargic. But then so did the old Renault Clio RS — a car endowed with similar weight and muscle — and I didn’t hear too many people complaining about that. Nope, as it stands, the newly fettled Toyota 86 is still my favourite sub-R400k sports car. Although it might not be the quickest in a straight line, through corners, where it really counts, it remains in a class of its own.

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-Thomas Falkiner

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