I have written many blog posts, but to be honest, I don't want to write about domestic car reviews because if I write anything even a little bad, I get bit by domestic car fans.

But that doesn't make sense for a personal blog with no vested interest.I will be allowed to write again this time without discovery.

Toyota GR86

Now, this time, we were given a test drive of the new Toyota GR86 (RZ, 6AT).

Just prior to this test drive, we hadTest Drive Toyota GR SupraI had just been impressed by the high level of perfection of the 86, and a friend of mine who drives a Porsche was also raving about it, so I started the test drive with high expectations for the 86 as well.

First of all, upon entering the car, the smell inside the car was quite different from that of a Supra made in a European factory. It is a smell that is unique to domestic cars, the same kind of smell as that of our Swissport. It smells like a mixture of seat covers and volatile glue, which is the smell of a new car.

The seats are of a good shape, but the cushion hardness in each part is uniform and monotonous. The seats may have been originally designed to be replaced with external products such as RECARO seats.

When you start the engine.Idling is very quiet and idle vibration is quite low.The AT select lever is set to D range and the car starts to drive.

Starting out in a parking lot, the car is quite normal. Although the engine and exhaust noise is a little louder than that of a normal car, theIt is easy to drive and does not feel oddly stiff.

The car accelerates out of the parking lot. The engine power feels strong for 235ps, and there are no complaints for normal driving, and although the AT seems to have a little more drive loss than today's latest ATs, shifting up in D mode is smooth.

About ride quality and handling

As you speed up, you will notice things.Vibration convergence of the damper is very poor.It is not at the level of somewhat bad.

Bad.

I would not go so far as to say that this is a car modified by an old-time runabout, but the low-quality shaking remains, and even in situations where a modern sports car would converge in one shot, I imagine that the vertical shaking continues for two or three more times.

This unit is a fully stock vehicle, and even though the suspension is not particularly hardened, every time there is a slightly larger input to the suspension, a faint vertical sway remains. In addition, there is a slight vertical sway that remains whenever there is a slightly large input from the suspension.It may be an individual problem, but the interior rattling noise is also loud.I felt somewhat intoxicated, and this suspension ride was the only thing I could not get used to until the end.

If you are going to use it as a date car, you might want to consider this.

However, this is a sports car. Let's put the ride quality issue aside for a moment and test the handling.

The steering is light and has little rigidity, so it is difficult to get a feel for the road surface and its conditions. When steering is turned at a curve, the car makes a good, lone turn for the first half of the curve. The problem is beyond that point. As you approach the apex of the curve, the steering adjusts slightly.

It would be better to describe the curve as a snoring solitary curve in the middle of the curve.

in shortA subtle corrective snake of steering is required in the middle of a curve.Of course, that is understandable if you are driving at a very high speed range, but it is not possible to do so even if you are just driving at a slightly faster pace through the winding roads of the general public.

Then, as I opened the throttle to exit a curve, I felt a slight tug, although I don't know if this was due to the differential (Torsen L.S.D.) or the lack of rigidity in the rear.Specifically, when trying to accelerate, it is difficult to smoothly go through a curve with the feeling that traction is sometimes lost, if only for a moment.

While the speed may be adequate, "Do you feel good about running?From the perspective of "I can't say I personally enjoy it.

As for the driving feel.The overall rigidity of the body is very high and solid, but the suspension is not rigid, or somewhat unreliable.The suspension arms give the impression of using very thin and weak parts.

I think it is very regrettable.

This area, too.Is it designed to be customizable by the user?If that is the case, then I am satisfied that it is a set-up that is divided in that way.

About engines and ATs

The engine is a 2.4L horizontally opposed 4-cylinder NA engine, which means it produces 235 hp and 250 Nm of torque. The engine has a greater sense of power than I expected, and I never thought it was slow or underpowered.The engine power and torque rise as the rpm increases, and the feeling in this regard is passable enough.

However, if you drive this car for sports driving, you should not combine it with this 6AT.The shifting is too slow for a modern sport AT. Especially downshifting is terrible.

In manual mode, when the car shifts from 3rd gear to 2nd gear, the shifting takes place about 2 beats after the paddles are pulled. This is not an exaggeration, but the shifting is so slow that you can't wait any longer, and halfway through the shift, it becomes unimportant and you want to pretend the shift never happened.

Moreover, the blipping sound of the deceleration change is simply a lukewarm "boom," with no uplifting or sporty feel at all. I feel bad to compare them since they are in different price ranges, but I have the impression that they are about 10 years, or even 20 years, behind European cars' sport ATs.

This time it was the AT.If this were a manual transmission, the impression would be quite different. The feeling of the engine and power is not bad, so I would definitely like to experience it with a manual transmission.The following is a summary of the results of the study.

And as for the engine noise, at low speeds it sounds like a normal passenger car.It sounds sporty and quite nice when the rpms are raised to a certain degree.This is a point where I felt comfortable running.

How do my friend's Porsche drivers rate it?

I have written what I honestly thought about it as I liked so far, but as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, a friend of mine, a Porsche owner, praised the car highly.

As the friend put it.This car is the second coming of the BMW 318is (E36)I see, it is indeed true. Well, that is certainly true. I know exactly what you mean because I owned a 318is myself. I know exactly what you mean.The car's basic performance, especially its body rigidity, should make it a very fun and fast car if it is customized. This car has that potential.He says, "I'm not a fan of the idea.

In the meantime, I told him my honest opinion.I understand that. But that car needs to be driven more aggressively, making up its attitude at each corner. Otherwise, you won't be able to appreciate it.He said.

I certainly did not appreciate it from that perspective.

I think that the evaluation was based on the question of whether the car was fast, comfortable, and pleasant to ride, as a complete car made by a first-rate manufacturer. The evaluation axis was based on whether the car was fast, comfortable, and pleasant to drive as a complete car made by a first-rate manufacturer. Therefore, the evaluation was based on how high performance the car was and whether it could faithfully realize the driver's intentions. AndThe evaluation was based on the assumption that a normal person who is not a good driver would drive.

It is also true that I did not have it in mind until after the customization potential.

Plus, they're in different price ranges.Since this car is often compared to Porsche's Cayman in the media, I subconsciously compared it to the Cayman as well.I think I was comparing them in terms of driving feel, sound, stability, and rigidity.

It is difficult to make a straightforward evaluation of the GR86, but in a nutshell, it is a car that is "a real winner.A rough stone that shines when polishedIt could be said that this is a car like the "Mazda3". Although there are some points that need to be polished, the 86 has the potential to become an irreplaceable car if it is polished to one's liking with various aftermarket parts. I believe that the 86 is a car that reveals its true appeal when polished.