[Br86]

@Br86 Here's my adventure bike.... I'd take you for a ride, but you better be wearing diapers.
What do you do for fun?

You know take forum posting really seriously and overshare? Hrmm used to ride my Vespa, mostly take out the ole road bike these days, sometimes I rollerblade, get lost in the snow, sometimes I chop wood and chase away bears, othertimes I make pizza.. you know standard mountain living stuff?

 

[Br86]

Anyways back to the GR86 meeting my expectations
So far I'm pleased as punch with it. It fixed what few issues I had with the last one and has became a much more pleasant machine for what I wanted it for 'track duty, less than 300bhp'. It's a machine that I can have fun with in the mountains, drive at a decent speed at the track, and it doesn't have enough power to hurt my neck 'for the most part'. I got the base because I knew exactly what I wanted to replace based on the last 86 I owned. The only part missing is the HKS Spec L exhaust I ordered back in Jan. Once that sucker comes in this will be pretty close to complete.

Alright back on topic.. ha yea today I definitely found the power a tad bit underwhelming. I've got a nice little isolated spot and spent some time sacrificing a little rubber, working on figure 8s, and other fun activities / exericizes while keeping the rear end loose. Is it a perfect patch of crete, no, but I found I really had to work the clutch to keep the tires spinning. With my Camaro per say I can half throttle it once the tires are free to keep things spinning and that's with drag radials. Having that extra oomph as an additional lever is nice, but with that said it's not something that can't be overcome with practice. I'd simply prefer not to have to pin it to win it; I like having a little on reserve.

On the flip side, it was very easy to control and predictable, and there was quite literally smiles for miles.

 

[s2mikey]

I just flipped 2K miles and as others have noted I’m somewhere between very happy with a few buts mixed in. A rundown:

1. Love the styling and the stance of the car. It does get some looks and they are fairly rare so you don’t see yourself coming & going like in so many other current sports/muscle cars.
2. It rides pretty nice for a car like this. I have the limited and it’s setup quite well for a good balance between comfort and sportiness.
3. Car is a very solid value for what you get. Mine seems to be put together well. It has enough modern features to keep you happy without being too "techy" or loaded with unnecessary stuff.
4. The engine is good. Not great, but good. It likes to be revved and won’t cause any nosebleeds but once she gets spinning it feels pretty good. Like almost every car ever made, it could use "a little more power". I know. But then, the cost goes up, the complexity goes up and the balance possibly does too.
5. The transmission and gearbox is the area where I rate it slightly below average. I do not like the clutch feel at all. The gearbox feels notchy sometimes and the 1-2 shift just sucks. Maybe it’s how it just is with modern manual gearboxes. My last toy was a 1987 Lotus Turbo Esprit hci and you’re going to laugh but that car had a better feeling transmission and gearbox than my BRZ. Long throws, sloppy, etc. but upshifting and downshifting were always smooth for me. So, a clunky, old French gearbox(Lotus sourced it’s transmission from Citroen) feels better than one in a 2022 MY car. Whatever, LOL. But, I can live with it.
6. The center console setup is dodgy too.

Overall? I’m quite pleased with my car and expect to have it for a while. Of course, in a few years that could change but they don’t make many cars like this at all so in a way the car has added value just for being what it is. I’m happy I ordered and got one, despite a few niggles.

 

[Ritter]

@s2mikey I agree with your review, but can't comment on the MT. Hopefully the manual gearbox gets slicker with use over time.

 

[s2mikey]

@s2mikey I agree with your review, but can't comment on the MT. Hopefully the manual gearbox gets slicker with use over time.

Cool! I'll be honest - if they had offered a full DCT automatic I might have opted for that. But, Ive heard good things overall about the auto so thats cool. I do prefer manuals in my sports/toy cars though so thats what I went with. It'll do. Im having fun.

 

[Ritter]

Cool! I'll be honest - if they had offered a full DCT automatic I might have opted for that. But, Ive heard good things overall about the auto so thats cool. I do prefer manuals in my sports/toy cars though so thats what I went with. It'll do. Im having fun.

I don't think a buyer can go wrong with either MT or AT; the car is excellent!

 

[Stone]

You forgot the Karmann Gia. My original dream car!
View attachment 11030

My first car! Same year, same color! Loved that car.

 

[TRU-BOOST]

I will admit, we are now seeing journalists talk about there being too much power now.

Not 300, particularly not in heavy cars, but I think generally there is a feeling that the race for more and more is a bit self defeating. Think of what is rare about cars theses days - lightness! I saw one place asking for go back to the old JDM gentlemen's agreement of 276 at the crank.

Honestly I would almost certainly say that if my car had 276 at the crank and therefore 250 at the wheels, I don't think I would know what to do with more than that.

Coming from the guy complaining his BRZ is too slow this might surprise some of you, although I know I told the story when I 1st joined here.... Just before my BRZ came I sold off 2 of my other cars because the market was (and still is) absolutely insane. One was my 2018 mustang gt. That car had a roush stage 2 supercharger on it making 750 horsepower. Now that was not my 1st time making that kind of power, and have actually had a fox body making over 1000, but it was my 1st car making that mich power that I intended to street drive regularly. It was too much power for a street car. The only times I could really let it rip was on the track or doing something stupid on the highway. By the time I would row through a couple gears the car was deep into triple digit speeds. In city type driving traction was always a problem. Any throttle from low speed just blew the tires apart. The other car was a 2010 miata. It was "streetable" but was set up as a track car. I ran it mostly stock for years before adding a turbo. So much slower but so much more fun.

I have begun to appreciate the BRZ for what it is. It is still by far the slowest car I own in terms of acceleration, but it is so good at everything else. Once I can add some power, I really think this can be the goldilocks car.

 

[Vhozite]

One thing convinced me to get a BRZ despite it being kinda slow is that adding power is easier than lowering weight. I love Mopar stuff but I’m not getting a Challenger down to anywhere near 3000lbs without driving a skeleton. Even if I could, I definitely can’t do things like change the wheelbase and overall dimensions of the car.

With that stuff in mind I figure an 86/BRZ is a great starting point for building something amazing.

 

[Ritter]

It’s hard to “add lightness”.

 

[mike d]

My idea of "slow" has never been spoiled by 500hp cars. I had a 2009 Civic Si that was plenty fast, and fun! The latest Si get trounced by a GR86/BRZ in a straight line, and probably even more trounced once they hit the turns. The power is pretty low on my list of concerns about whether I will like the BRZ.

 

[LacroixDP]

It’s hard to “add lightness”.

Helium balloons, you're welcome ☆･゜ﾟ･\(^O^)/･゜ﾟ･☆

 

[Ritter]

Helium balloons, you're welcome ☆･゜ﾟ･\(^O^)/･゜ﾟ･☆

Shhh, you're giving away my tire inflation secrets!

 

[Wayward67]

I really like it. It performs quite well on the track, looks fantastic, has a great manual, and has a lot of personality. If I had one thing I'd want to change it would be the engine. I absolutely hate Subaru engines and got the car in spite of it. This ones definitely better than the last gen 86 but I still do not like this engine one bit. If this had a proper Toyota I4/I3 in it this would be absolutely perfect.

You spelled 2gr-fe wrong but otherwise I agree.

 

[gazooracer]

You spelled 2gr-fe wrong but otherwise I agree.

They should have made a 3.0 flat 6 300hp for 2nd gen as evolution from 2.0 200hp h4

 

[Xwolfe]

Coulda Woulda Shoulda.

On my 2nd gr86.. from base to premium.

At this moment i overpaid and got all the dealer options for warranties etc.

No regrets.. every day is a blast...

I love the car as it is and push it every day and never regret every damn dollar ive spent on it.

I just feel when you get nickpicky, you can eventually destroy the idea of anything you got.

 

[LacroixDP]

You spelled 2gr-fe wrong but otherwise I agree.

Every single thing I'm typing now is riddled with spelling errors, waiting to get that fixed Pretty sure my teammates have banned me from writing anything important because everything ever has things on the left half of the keyboard missing thigns 🤣 All my posts on here and Reddit have 'Edited' because I'll read through em and catch something I missed a key on

 

[Wayward67]

Everyone has a different perspective on the car and most of it is pretty cool.

I feel like the front needs a little more feel and initial grip.
She needs a little more urgency, assuming similar to gen 1 gains should be pretty close. Especially once you add some induction and exhaust noise. 100lbs drop and 30 hp gain would be pretty fun.

@TRU-BOOST
Sound matters, I giggle EVERY time I wring out the race van. The sensation of speed comes in many forms. It doesn't have to be force into the back of your seat.

The center console is kinda meh, and 6th gear should be taller for less noise and better mpgs. It is a cheap car not a 100k track toy.

 

[LacroixDP]

Speaking of TB, I have had the middle pipe he recommended in my garage for about the month. Will have the HKS Spec L exhaust mounted to it by the end of this month, can't wait to hear it!

 

[Sloth86]

Coming from an 09 Camry, I’ve also been driving for just a little over a year but I am loving this car so much even when I’m tired from work just driving the car usually turns my whole mood and energy around. It does exactly what I wanted it for but however I’m not sure if I’m having a bit of buyers remorse or what but I definitely feel the need for some more power. Also new to the car scene and there’s just so many cars I want them all. Like lately ive been pondering if I should’ve have waited a tad more and bought an RCF or a mustang gt350 or even something like an m2. Just for a bit more power and more interior stuff. But that’s not the point, with all that added I still love my new little sports car and don’t regret getting her