Published on February 19th, 2023 | by Sounder Rajen

My Impression Of The All-New Toyota GR86 On The Track

Here’s why I think the Toyota GR86 is the perfect sports coupe for Malaysians

When we were invited by UMW Toyota Malaysia to the GR drive event of the 5 newly launched GR models at the Sepang International Circuit yesterday, I was excited to drive two cars specifically and one of these was the all-new Toyota GR86 and I can proudly say, this car exceeded all my expectations and then some. Here is why.

The first and most obvious change, the powertrain, the old 2.0 litre Subaru-sourced engine in the old GT86 was great but a common complaint is that the car was very underpowered. While this is debatable, it is undeniable that the infamous torque dip it had was a problem, thankfully, the new Toyota GR86 fixes this issue.

The new 2.4 litre Subaru-sourced boxer engine in the Toyota GR86 now puts out 237PS and 250Nm of torque and I can absolutely confirm that the problem of torque dip is a thing of the past. Especially in the automatic transmission version, torque delivery is almost instant.

Moreover, the all new Toyota GR86 comes with an updated look and it is striking. Since it looks the same as the Subaru BRZ, it has that typical Subaru sporty style and being a Toyota, it also optimizes this design both inside and outside to look as sporty and stylish as possible.

Aside from the usual safety features in the GR86 Active Safety Suite and 7 airbags, the all-new Toyota GR86 also includes a limited slip differential in the rear and massive front and rear ventilated disc brakes to ensure that the car has enough stopping power to match its insane accelerating power.

The interior of the all-new Toyota GR86 is also just as impressive as the way the car drives as it features black leather and suede bucket seats with red accents as well as an 8-inch central infotainment display and a simple 7 inch digital driver display. It also comes with a manual hand brake instead of a parking switch.

Lastly, for the price, while it may sound strange, I think the Toyota GR86 could be sold for a higher price and I would still think it is one of the best sports coupes on the market. At RM296,354 for the manual option and RM 306,354 for the automatic version, this car feels like a car worth RM500,000 and it honestly drives that way too.

In conclusion, the all new Toyota GR86 took all the good elements of the previous generation and made it great while taking all the negative aspects and turning them on their heads to either completely fix or mitigate any problems the car had. Now it is probably the best sports coupe in most aspects here in Malaysia.