The world is changing whether we like it or not. The demand for crossovers and electric vehicles is dominating the car industry making small, inexpensive sports cars like the Toyota GR86 obsolete. Having been brought back for a second generation, Toyota is at least trying to keep the spirit of driving alive.  

Two door sport coupes like the Toyota GR86 are becoming a rarity today as there are only really two other kinds with the Mazda MX-5 and its sister counterpart, the Subaru BRZ. And even though the Ford Mustang continues to fight another generation, it’s not exactly in the same category of competition.  

With all-new skin, the GR86 carries most of its bone structure from the previous generation. The new design is sleek and attractive with proportions giving it that proper sports car silhouette that’s sexy enough to lure an appeal and sporty enough to make you look back just as you’re about to lock the car. You can stop biting your bottom lip now. Thankfully, enough has been changed on the exterior to make us think that this is an all-new car, and for the most part, it is.   

Toyota went to great lengths to make sure the GR86 looks and feels new by strengthening its structure with improvement front and rear reinforcements. But with added strength comes additional weight; so, to help offset that balance, they incorporated it with an aluminum roof to go with its aluminum hood.   

Done away with the old 2.0-liter engine, a new 2.4-liter takes its place bumping power from 205-horsepower to 228 and providing a more usable amount of torque, 184 lbs-ft of them to be exact.  This newfound heart comes to life much sooner at 3700 rpms. Driving the GR86 isn’t for amateur drivers though. While there is only an extra 23-horsepower difference between the new and the old 86, there is a sweet spot to the GR86’s core. Hit that spot in the clutch and it’ll pull an impressive 5.5-seconds to 60-mph. From behind the wheel, there is an essence of passion that has the driver feeling connected to their machine. The engine is more responsive and eager to be pushed to its 7500-rpm redline. And even though it doesn’t sound like demons trying to escape hell, there is a sense of rawness to its tune. Toyota admits they added a speaker to help amplify the engine sound, but there is a difference between hearing it and feeling it through the pedals and the steering. Making us feel like teenagers all over again when we saw a pretty girl.  

If you know what you’re doing, driving the manual won’t be that difficult. However, if you’re unexperienced with driving a manual, it’s not the kind of car you’d want to be your first experience. The clutch pedal is light enough to handle day-to-traffic but stiff enough to still provide a sporty essence in its driving. Setting off, however, requires a little more finesse and getting used to that sweet spot in the clutch and the accelerator. Since we rarely get manuals in our fleet, even we sometimes have difficulties navigating those perfect shift points in the clutch and were left with the jerking motions that make it look like we don’t know what we’re doing.  

 The GR86 really keeps it dialed in as a driver’s car as it doesn’t feature a rev-matching featuring; sorry guys, it quite literally is all manual here. The gearing is relatively close for quick shift motions and sliding into the wrong gear was never an issue.  

During our duration we didn’t explore the outer limits of the GR86’s performance. However, around town, there was still plenty of entertainment to be had. It is claimed that the steering is quicker, but unless we test the old and new back-to-back, we really couldn’t tell the difference. The steering remains quick and to the point feeling the communication between the steering rack and the tires. The suspension dampers are tuned to be an ideal balance of sport and comfort with a slightly bouncy ride but not unbearable during the day-to-day haul.   

Inside, it would seem bare, but all the essentials are there. Theres an 8-inch touch screen infotainment that doesn’t look like an aftermarket afterthought, and features Apple CarPlay & Android Auto. Our $31,325 Premium GR86 had all the comfort creatures as well with dual-zone climate control and heated seats. Should one opt for the Automatic, safety can get boosted with the availability of adding adaptive cruise control, lane assist, forward collision as an optional extra. Blind spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert was standard on the GR86 Premium.  

It is shame that compact sport coupes like the Toyota GR86 are dying off considering it is such a fun car to drive. But Toyota understands that while it may be a small demographic, the GR86 keeps it real and pure with its enthusiasts, and as such offer a one-year membership to the National Auto Sport Association and one performance driving class as part of the deal when you buy one. That’s how much passion is put into the GR86, they want you to experience the thrills of driving. And that what the GR86 is all about, the driving sensation of man (or woman) and their machine.