Driven: 2012 Toyota GT86

Company executives through the ages have all possessed the almighty skill of making ordinarily exciting news sound mundane and clinical. This is less of a sweeping statement and more of a simple fact of life.

Adnan Ebrahim

18 May 2015

Imagine my surprise then when, in front of a room full of journalists on the Barcelona launch of Toyota's new flagship sports coupé, the Chief Engineer of the GT86 project - Mr Tetsuya Tada - dropped the F Bomb. Nope, not a profanity or dirty utterance but simply one word; fun. And here's why he's on the money.

Sports coupé design has recently culminated in such cars as the Audi R8, Peugeot RCZ and Volkswagen Scirocco, all of which in my eyes are beautiful due to their many curves and lines, and also due to their subtle ferocity. With the GT86, first impressions are slightly jaded by the fairly non-jaw-dropping aesthetics. Sure the car has running LED lights and a rear wing but it's all subtle. Our test vehicle had a dark grey metallic finish specification which was slightly more difficult to photograph but glistened under the Mediterranean sun, however even with 17-inch dark accent aluminium wheels, it failed to draw much of a reaction from Catalan pavement-passers.

But dig a little deeper and you'll begin to notice what Toyota describe as 'Aero Sandwiching' in practice. Based on styling cues from the 1967 2000 GT and AE86, the GT86 has a 'dented' contour pagoda-style roof to reduce the drag coefficient and help the car become more slippery to slice through the air. The rear spoiler has canard fins (known as sakana or 'fish' in Japanese) to aid lateral stability under intense cornering forces. And the car sits hunkered down to the tarmac. In fact, the GT86 has the lowest driver hip-point of any Toyota production vehicle at 400mm, which makes for a nigh-on perfect drive position.

Fun. Clamber into the cockpit and it's still a little tricky to see exactly what Tada has in mind. The instrument panels are flat-facing giving the illusion of a racing setup whilst the wheel is small and falls perfectly to hand. The black cloth seats are supremely comfortable and provides oodles of support whilst there are neat touches like the soft-lined centre console to prevent any knee bashing antics upon heavy driver manoeuvring. But the GT86 is devoid of artistic flair - some might see this as a good thing and features such as the brushed metal knobs are clean and functional, but if you're spending £25,000 on a sports car you may be expecting a little more.

Once you're strapped into the driver's seat, it's as easy as depressing the clutch and hitting the Start/Stop button to give the GT86 the gift of life. The thrum of the boxer engine is immediately audible and the rev counter straight ahead of the driver starts to dance.

Let's get technical. To benefit from the lowest centre-of-gravity possible, Toyota engineers in association with Subaru (let's not forget this was a 'joint venture') decided to forego a more predictable inline four and opted for the boxer four-cylinder. Like boxers sparring in the ring, the engine block is designed so each pair of pistons moved symmetrically and the result is a unit which is capable of cranking out 197bhp.

Whether this is enough power or not is immediately evident once we hit Barcelona's fabled mountain roads. Step on the perfectly placed drilled aluminium hot pedal and feel the surge of acceleration build and build amidst the artificial sound of the exhaust being pumped into the cabin. It'll take continued building to really get the most out of the D-4S (direct injection 4-stroke) engine as the redline sits at a lofty 7,400rpm where you'll also find peak power. The only want for more shove rears its head once we get stuck behind a lorry finding it difficult to ascend the twisty roads; more torque certainly wouldn't have gone amiss here.

But to focus solely on power and straight line performance would be doing the engineers in Japan a great disservice. For one of the real ways Mr Tada has managed to eek fun out of this GT86 is through its phenomenal handling performance. And I don't use the word phenomenal often to describe a car. Let me explain.

The '86 was developed with near ideal 53:47 front/rear weight distribution. Jibber jabber aside, this gives sufficient weight on the front axle to help nimble handling and cornering but just enough weight on the back end to get power down on the road. Lest you forget or have been hiding under a rock for the past year, this car is a pure rear wheel drive beast, aimed squarely at those wanting to experience performance car drives possibly for the first time. But the handling is ever so sweet.

So use the 197bhp to build speed then scrub off the mileage with simple but totally adequate ventilated discs. Turn in sharp, feather the throttle and even with all the nanny systems on, you can feel the car dancing in its comfort zone; absorbing imperfections in the road and begging the driver to give it more welly.

Grip is another issue which must be addressed; comically the coupé runs on Toyota Prius tyres. Yes those 215/45R17 ones. Not only are they slim but they are one hundred percent predictable and allow the driver to feel exactly what's going on. Because without feeling, there's no proper driving, and without driving the car properly, you won't ever be able to have fun. It's a simple equation but all the little bits add up like a Simon Cowell X-Factor checklist.

Out on the track, the Toyota GT86 continues to excel. Minus some acrobatic driving from your humble author, the GT86 held its nerve and managed to nip apexes and cling onto fast left-handers like you wouldn't believe. Whilst certain hacks have boasted of their God-gifted abilities to make the car squeal and squirm, the GT86 au contraire handles itself very well and only with the 3 stage traction control completely off will enduce rear-sliding moments on track constantly. Keep VSC Sport mode off however, and whilst you find the electronics kicking in and preventing unnecessary slip, it's an easy drive.

So now we arrive at the GT86's final flourish where it's necessary for me to drop the M Bomb. Yes, moolah. How much does this apparently awesome sports car cost? The answer. Only £24,995 for the 6 speed manual or £26,495 for the automatic, but you'll probably want to listen to us carefully when we say buy the manual only. It's not that the auto is rubbish, it's more that the only reason you'll be buying this car is to zip through the short-ratio gears, step on the brakes, heel-and-toe'ing your way down and turn in sharply into corners to test your nerve against the car's grip. You'll pay the eco price - our test vehicle after a vigorous day of driving and an emptied fuel tank managed only 25mpg - but you'll be thoroughly rewarded.

And your reward? Well, it's the rather large smile sitting squarely on your face, and the realisation of the pursuit and achievement of some 'fenomenal' driving fun.