2018 Toyota 86 2-Door Coupe

2018 Toyota 86 2-Door Coupe

An Automotive Love Affair
By Joe Mavilia

Overview:

This is the 2018 Toyota 86 2-Door Coupe. Yep, there is a small back seat if you’re in a pinch and don’t want to put someone in the trunk. But you may have to remove their legs first. Most cars like this have never had a usable rear seat. Case in point in my mind is the much larger Ford Mustang where the rear seat is nearly as bad as these 2-seat sports cars.

General Information:

Assembly- Ota Guma Japan; Classification is- MiniCompact; Vehicles from Toyota- 4Runner, 86, C-HR, Corolla, Corolla iM, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Mirai, Prius, Prius C, Prius Prime, RAV4, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma, Tundra, Yaris and Yaris iA.

Handling & Performance:

As you’d expect this class sport car is an outstanding performer beyond even what they look like they could do. I test most all cars over a mountain road course, in Southern California it is usually the Angeles Crest which is Highway 2. Of course, I call it the ‘Crest Test’ for that reason and as a kid the Crest test referred to Crest Toothpaste. Anyone remember that?

“On RAILS” is a term that comes close to describing how well it corners and handles the ‘curves’. It will surely get your heart started. And on top of that, it will pull more G’s as speed increases and grip seems to improve. I never once felt uncomfortable about it holding the road. However, I must say the same about the competition listed here. All three are super on the curves and the rides are equally impressive.

One way I judge the road-ability of a car is how fast you can take a curve over the posted suggested speed. If the yellow sign suggests 30 mph most cars will feel right at the edge of in control at about 50, or 20 mph over. This Toyota 86 is comfortable at 40 miles over.

Dynamic rev Management is an innovative sport car feature that manages RPMs with an automatic transmission so that in a downshift the engine automatically revs the engine to match the engine speed of the next lower gear. This automatic action mimics the shifting characteristics of a manual transmission. What they won’t think of next, eh.

Styling:

Sporty look to go along with the feel you get when you drive it. But most first impressions from others was that it must be very expensive.

Fit and Finish:

Very Good.

Cost:

Excellent option if you’re looking for a sport car.

Conveniences and comfort:

You’ll notice it comes with most of the features so common on cars these days. But when it comes to comfort you will expect entry and exit to be a pain in the neck, back and other parts of your body. You will also expect to have limited space and thus you won’t have convenient storage compartments you get accustomed to in larger cars.

Consumer Recommendations:

It is clear and amazing, to me, that you can have such capable sports car handling performance in this price range. Anything beyond this is, in my opinion, to be left to the professional race car class of drivers anyway. So, don’t waste your money on more if you are not a race car driver.

I say that because a friend of my son, Paul Walker, died for this very reason. The car was far too powerful for Paul’s friend, who was driving, to control and a crash at over 100 mph killed them both. If you know the story you know alcohol or drugs were not involved. Moral of the story: Know your limitations when you get behind the wheel.

Paul Walker and friend (driving) died in fiery crash in 2013 – Car Porsche Carrera GT

Recognized Competition:

Good News:

Affordable performance sport car, fabulously fun to drive.

Bad News:

Anything built this low to the ground is for the young who are still limber enough to get in and out of. That holds true for a woman in a dress or skirt as it is awkward to negotiate entry and exit moves. Know what I mean!

Standard Equipment:

2.0 LITER 4-cylinder Boxer 200 HP engine, dual variable valve timing, direct and port injection system, dynamic rev management and controllers on a 6-speed sequential auto transmission, 17” alloy wheels, 4-wheel anti-lock ventilated disc brakes with brake assist and electric brake force distribution, MacPherson strut front suspension, Torsen limited slip differential, stability and traction controls, hill start assist control, VSC Track mode, front airbag system with seat mounted side airbags and side curtain airbags front and rear, back up camera, tire pressure monitor, power exterior mirrors, auto projector beam LED headlights and taillights, 7” touch screen display audio AM/FM/HD radio with 8-speakers, aux/USB ports with iPod connectivity, hands free phone capable and music streaming via Bluetooth wireless technology, aha application, remote keyless entry with engine immobilization, power windows and locks, 1-piece folding rear seatback, leather trim, tilt and telescopic steering wheel with audio controls, cruise control, air conditioning, rear window defogger, multi-information display.

Gas Stats:

24 City and 32 Highway MPG

$3.45 / Gal avg. August 26, 2018

www.fueleconomy.gov
for more information.

Pricing:

MSRP $26,975.