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Yahoo! Autos Reviews…the Toyota 86

A modern incarnation of the cult classic AE86 from the 80's, the new Toyota 86 is the company's first promising sports car in a long long time that offers plentA modern incarnation of the cult classic AE86 from the 80's, the new Toyota 86 is the company's first promising sports car in a long long time that offers plenty of thrills and driving enjoyment for enthusiasts around the world. With the new 86, the brand aims to bring back its fun motoring heydays to change the general perspective of the Toyota name. y of thrills and driving enjoyment for enthusiasts around the world. With the new 86, the brand aims to bring back its fun motoring heydays to change the general perspective of the Toyota name.

First unveiled as a concept in 2009, the 86 has gone through a few radical changes since then and unfortunately, much of the concept's drama has been dialled down for the production version. Worry not however, as there's still plenty of fun to be had as it loses grip on demand for great sideways action when asked for.

Its performance is just about acceptable to most, and it's outclassed by many of its rivals from the same price range. The horsepower count is indeed a little small for such a lavish offering but the 86 is certainly well engineered to eek out every bit of performance it has.

The six-speed automatic gearbox is not the ideal choice (what, is your left leg paralysed or something?), but it handles gearchanges swiftly enough as to not detract from the fun. Its well-weighted steering and body control is very impressive and along with great damping it betters most, if not all sports cars dynamically.

While its pricing remains highly questionable - they are plenty of alternatives that offer more performance and for less - the 86 is a great buy with its pure driving dynamics and unequalled fun-factor. It's an excellent package that balances practicality, comfort, performance and style to such an unequivocal success.

The important bits:

  • RM249,000

  • Horizontally opposed 4 cyls

  • 1,998cc

  • 197bhp at 7,000rpm

  • 205Nm at 6,400rpm

  • 0-100km/h 8.2sec

  • Top speed 210km/h