I have always been a fan of Toyota sports cars. I remember my late uncle having a Toyota Celica when I was eight years old and riding in it. I also had a chance to drive the supra recently. I was delighted by that experience. But driving the Toyota GR 86 premium took the cake. I’ve had a chance to go to Japan and see the 86 in his previous edition from the Toyota Racing Team.
The 86 is very well-proportioned and very well-balanced. It has great performance, great style, and great handling. Like the Supra the GR 86 was co-developed. Toyota code developed the GR86 with Subaru. In fact, the engine underneath the hood is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 228 horsepower And 184 pound-feet of torque.
It is matted to a six-speed manual transmission. Boy did I have fun. I drove around Maryland and DC. My drives were all the way east of Maryland across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Kent Island. I spent a good amount of time around Annapolis and Columbia Maryland.
I Drove through the hills on I-70. I found my way to Martinsburg in West Virginia and I-81. I was making many trips back and forth. This allowed me to feel this engine and feel the dynamics of the low center of gravity.
It is a delightful machine. You get a good displacement of weight and power. there’s more power in this edition than the previous one by almost 30 more horsepower. You really could feel that impact. The styling looks incredible. I love the rear spoiler. I love its LED lighting. It’s also fuel efficient. It gets an EPA-rated 27 miles per gallon on the highway. I average 31 miles per gallon. In my drives, 31.4 to be exact. There’s also great technology.
I enjoyed the Apple CarPlay and there’s also Android Auto. The model I drove had an 8-inch touchscreen navigation system. There were eight speakers. It was great to listen to the music I made with the Carnegie Mellon music department. I’m excited that we will be working on our project again this fall. I hated to have the experience come to an end.
I had a chance to spend an extra day which was truly sensational. During the week I got a chance to spend time with my son. He also enjoyed riding around with me. The base price on the Toyota GR 84 86 premium is $30300. Delivered it came to $31,325. For more information visit www.Toyota.com