Toyota 86 vs Toyota GR Yaris

What's the difference?

The Toyota 86 might be a bit of a blast from the past in 2020, especially considering there is a new-generation version just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad car.

In fact, it serves up a fun and visceral driving experience seldom seen in anything other than the most focussed of sports cars, but packaged up with an attainable price.

If you value practicality and straight-line pace, a hot hatch will be the easy choice, but if the driving experience is the most important aspect of a car to you, it’s hard to pass up the Toyota 86.

You already could have argued the GR Yaris was the best car Toyota made even before its update.

The GR Yaris’ refreshed interior and its slight bump in performance are the result of plenty of feedback from owners and even racing drivers that Toyota took on board, and the result is an even better sports car.

It helps that it’s not prohibitively expensive in the grand scheme of the new-car market these days.

Now, I reckon even fans of the rear-drive Toyota GR86 might start to doubt their preferences after a stint behind the wheel.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

There’s no denying Toyota’s 86 boasts classic sports car proportions thanks to a long bonnet, short overhangs and a sleek coupe body-style.

Though some things have changed since the model first came to market in 2012, such as revised bumpers and lights, the 86 is just as recognisable today as it was back then.

From the front, the 86 gives off a purposeful and aggressive stance thanks to its angled headlights, gaping intake and bulging arches.

Move to the side and you will see the wheelbase stretches nearly to the edges of the car, while a strong shoulder- and roofline join at the rear haunches to emphasise the 86’s rear-drive character.

The rear end is probable the least favourable angle for the 86, but the wide tail-lights, large diffuser and dual-exhaust outlets add to its sporting character.

Our test car was fitted in the eye-catching Apollo Blue colour, as well as 17-inch wheels, mirror caps and a rear spoiler finished in black.

After eight years on the market, we still think the 86 is one of the better-looking sports cars on the market, largely thanks to its purposeful and no-frills approach to styling.

It’s not quite as over-the-top as something like a Honda Civic Type R, but you still know it means business if it showed up to a track day.

Step inside though, and the cabin has not aged as well as the exterior.

The centre stack houses a 6.1-inch multimedia touchscreen that looks like it was picked out at a Repco sale, while you can practically see the pixels on the digital clock and temperature readout screens.

It’s not all bad though, as the chunky switchgear and large push-button starter add a little character to the interior.

We also like the instrumentation, which puts the tachometer front and centre for the driver while also incorporating a 4.2-inch display to add a bit of modernity.

The GR Yaris isn’t just a regular Yaris with sports bits stuck on, and because of that it looks fantastic. 

It’s properly aggressive, sculpted to look more like a rally car than other Yarises (I’m not calling them ‘Yarii’), even down to the fact it’s a two-door design.

A carbon-fibre roof, aluminium bonnet, doors and tailgate, plus a series of functional aerodynamic and cooling features prove the Yaris doesn’t just look like this for show, though.

The redesigned front bumper directs air to more radiators for extra cooling but also through to the front wheel arches to cool the brakes.

Another change is the tail-light bar, which spans the rear and does away with the light integrated into the rear spoiler, which is now also body coloured. Down below that, larger exhaust tips reflect a more powerful engine.

There’s also significant change inside. The repositioning of some elements for better ergonomics make the GR Yaris a much more driver-oriented space inside, and despite some soft-touch materials it has a race car vibe to it.

The interior centre stack no longer looks like a standard Toyota interior, and the fact Toyota went to the effort and cost to do this purely because of driver feedback shows how serious it is about its GR division’s future.

Measuring 4240mm long, 1775mm wide, 1320mm tall and with a 2570mm wheelbase, the 86 coupe is dimensionally smaller in every measure to its Corolla hatchback sibling.

Despite this, Toyota says there is enough seating for four, but the 86 is much closer to a 2+2 than it is to a proper four-seater.

Front occupant space is ample enough, with plenty of adjustable in the seat and steering column for drivers to get into the perfect position.

There’s cupholders in the centre console, storage and the door pockets will even take a water bottle.

Front occupants also have access to a very, very small tray just in front of the shifter, though what it could accommodate is unknown.

We will also mention that when in odd-numbered gears, it can get tricky to use the climate controls, though it wouldn’t be a problem in auto-equipped cars.

Flick the front seats forward, contort yourself into the rear and, well, its more akin to a medieval torture device than passenger-friendly seating.

Headroom is especially limited, though we were surprised with the better-than-expected legroom due to the bucket-shape of the rear seats.

Don’t expect any mod-cons in the rear though, as the only thing to keep yourself entertained back there is the seat belt.

The boot accommodates just 237 litres of volume, which is just about enough to fit a large suitcase, though because of the short space, it will have to go in sideways leaving not a lot of room for much else.

Boot floor is also quite high, meaning tall objects will struggle to fit, but the rear seats can be folded flat to accommodate longer items.

While early versions of the 86 came with a spare wheel, in 2020, all new cars come with a puncture-repair kit.

The changes to the GR Yaris interior come down to useability as a sports car.

Thanks to the update, some pre-update complaints about ergonomics like the driver’s seat being too high or impeded visibility have been addressed.

The seat is now 25mm lower and feels much more natural in terms of eye-level and body positioning, but also allows more space above to fit a helmet on your bonce.

The pedals have also moved for easier heel-toeing, while the steering column angle has been adjusted to feel more natural. 

Additionally, the dash panel is now tilted towards the driver by 15 degrees more and there’s better visibility between the dash and rear-view mirror with the multimedia screen now integrated into the centre stack.

Essentially, the Yaris has undergone a generation-level update in the interior and is much better for it.

Everything falls to hand without the driver needing to move their shoulders, but at the same time it doesn’t feel cramped.

While the second row is near unusable for adults - plus only seating two - the 174-litre boot is only 39L less than the GR Corolla. It’s not much space at all, really, but fold the seats down and there’s space for track day gear, maybe even a spare tyre or two. Not that there’s a standard space-saver spare with the car. Just a repair kit.

The GR Yaris comes in two grades, now called GT and GTS, and they're both available with either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission.

The ‘entry’ GT comes in at $55,490 plus on-road costs for the manual or $57,990 for the automatic, and has plenty of kit for a performance-focused light hatchback including heated suede and leather-accented sports bucket seats, a leather heated steering wheel and leather-wrapped gearshift, aluminium pedals and park brake lever.

On the tech front you get an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, USB-C and 12V power sockets, an eight-speaker JBL audio system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and digital radio.

The GTS comes in at $60,490 or $62,990 for the manual and auto respectively, and add some performance extras like a set of 18-inch BBS forged alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sports 4S tyres, red GR brake calipers and upgraded GR sports seats.

The GTS also gains a Torsen limited-slip differential, upgraded GR suspension, a sub-radiator for better cooling as well as intercooler spray.

At this price point, the GR Yaris is wanting for proper rivals. Similarly-priced cars like the Hyundai i30 N and VW Golf GTI are bigger, front-drive and less focused, while similarly-sized cars are either less powerful or less capable, like the Abarth 695 or Hyundai i20 N.

Powering all Toyota 86s is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder Boxer petrol engine, outputting 152kW/212Nm when paired to a the six-speed manual gearbox.

Automatic transmission versions are downgraded to 147kW/205Nm.

Peak power comes in at a heady 7000rpm, while maximum torque is available from 6400-6600rpm for both manual and automatic versions.

Tipping the scales at around 1258kg means the manual 86 can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 7.6 seconds, while the automatic version is 0.6s slower to the landmark time.

The GR Yaris now makes 221kW (at 6500rpm) and 400Nm (between 3250 and 4600rpm) from its 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, dubbed G16E-GTS in Toyota code.

Outputs are up 21kW and 30Nm from before, and both the six-speed manual and eight-speed torque converter automatic have matching figures.

Normal, Track and Gravel modes for the AWD system can distribute torque either 60:40 (front/rear) in Normal, 53:47 in Gravel or variably as needed in Track.

Toyota says, weirdly, both versions can hit 100km/h in 5.1 seconds and max out at 230km/h. We expect you’d need to be fairly handy to match the auto’s acceleration in a manual.

Official fuel-consumption figures for the 86 is 8.4 litres per 100km with the six-speed manual.

However, we managed an 8.3L/100km figure after a week’s worth of driving, which is especially impressive given most of our time was spent in Melbourne’s inner-city.

Of note, the 86 requires 98 RON petrol.

Toyota claims the GR Yaris sips 8.2L/100km of fuel (which needs to be 98 RON by the way) in manual, or 9.1L/100km as an auto.

Its 50-litre tank means you should be able to get more than 500km out of a tank of fuel if driving frugally, but let’s be honest, are you going to do that in a tiny all-wheel-drive hot hatch with a 0-100kmh time that would embarrass a great number of Aussie V8s?

Front engine, rear-wheel drive, it’s a tried-and-true formula for an engaging driving experience and the Toyota 86 certainly doesn’t disappoint its spiritual predecessors in this regard.

Sure, the engine is a little underpowered, but the free-revving 2.0-litre will happily be wrung out until the 7600pm cut off.

The slick six-speed shifter is also an absolute joy to move, offering satisfying ‘snicks’ with every gear change, and a positive and natural throw that makes it hard to mis-shift.

Pedal placement, a crucial element in a manual car, is equally excellent, with just the right amount of spacing between the clutch, brake and throttle.

Don’t get us wrong, we aren’t heel-and-toe devotees, but it's nice they are positioned well, and offer the right amount of feedback and engagement.

From the driver’s position, looking out over the long bonnet can be a bit daunting, but with the bulging front wheelarches, you can actually tell exactly where the front wheels are, making apex-clipping a breeze.

The fantastic steering response helps with that too, as does the communicative chassis that conveys exactly what the rear axle is wanting to do.

Balanced, neutral handling is the name of the game here, with MacPherson struts up front and a double wishbone rear.

Our test car was also fitted with the up-rated Brembo brakes and Sachs-branded dampers that are designed to improve stopping power and handling respectively.

However, without driving this car and an 86 without the Dynamic Performance Pack fitted, it’s hard to make comment on how much the handling characteristics have changed.

We can say that the Brembo brakes are excellent at scrubbing speed from the perky Toyota coupe, thanks to larger callipers and rotors.

To get straight to the point, the GR Yaris might be the best car Toyota builds if you’re a keen driver.

Most who’ve driven it in the past will know it’s extremely fun with a manual gearbox, but after the update it’s impressive how capable the new auto makes it, too.

For a start, while its GR Corolla sibling feels as it is - a hot hatch based on the Corolla - the GR Yaris feels bespoke.

From behind the wheel, as a performance car, there isn’t really anything that jumps out as a red flag.

Now that it’s got more power and torque, it’s also an even more convincing choice in Toyota’s hot hatch duo in terms of power-to-weight ratio.

Of course, it still holds up well as a car for day-to-day duties, if looking a little brash while doing so. In Normal drive mode with the diff set to front-bias, the GR Yaris feels ready to take on the suburbs.

But knock it into Sport and set the diff to Track, and you’ll find the rear wheels working harder out of corners as the Yaris sends torque backwards to avoid the front wheels spinning.

The Yaris’ suspension is definitely on the stiffer side of things, but it’s compliant considering the focused nature of the GR, and even sharp bumps you might expect to rattle the car don’t feel harsh.

At the same time, the GR doesn’t feel like it’s dulling any useful feedback from the suspension or steering, the latter being very direct but not too heavy.

It’s altogether very confidence-inspiring, and combined with the fact the GR Yaris is actually very capable, it makes for a rather quick car point-to-point. It means even if you make a small mistake, say coming into a corner on track, you don’t feel as punished on the way out because there’s a mix of power and composure to get you out of it.

Some of the best things about the Yaris though, are the things that speak to your heart a little more than your head. The sound of the exhaust itself but also the turbo flutter when you lift off after boost - even just the way it looks inside and out.

The GR Yaris isn’t the same as its non-GR cousins, and therefore the five-star rating ANCAP gave the Yaris a few years back doesn’t apply here.

Still, Toyota takes safety pretty seriously and the GR comes with the kit to back that up. Six airbags for a start, plus a decent reversing camera, auto emergency braking (AEB), a blind spot monitor, safe-exit assist, anti-skid brakes with brake assist and plenty of traction help.

There’s also a slew of features that fall under the ‘Toyota Safety Sense’ suite including a pre-collision system, intersection collision avoidance in daylight, emergency steering assist, adaptive cruise control, lane trace and steering assist with lane centring, lane departure alert, road sign assist for speed signs and auto high beam.

Like all new Toyota vehicles, the 86 comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is also accompanied by a seven-year anti-corrosion assurance.

The first service is due in the first month of ownership and is free, while scheduled servicing is usually every 15,000km/nine months, which every comes first.

Each of the next four services covering up to 36 months/60,000km is capped at $200 per servicing, while the next service rises to $391, $1860 and $391

Therefore, the first 63 months/105,000km of ownership will set buyers back $3051 in servicing.

Toyota’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty covers the GR Yaris, with an extra two-year warranty on the engine and driveline.

Toyota also offers a capped price of $310 on the first six services, though intervals of six months or 10,000km (whichever comes first) mean that capped price will only get you through three years of ownership.