Photo credits: agario7.com

The GT86 is definitely not going to win any awards for its interior, though things have improved for the 2017 facelift. Despite having immensely supportive, comfy and attractive seats and suede on the dash for that flocked-rally-car look, the inclusion of fake-carbon trim and hard plastics sets a distinctly low-rent tone.

But the focus here is on driving. The GT86 has a superb driving position (anyone over ten years old can forget sitting in the back, though) and the new steering wheel has been painstakingly designed to angle the driver’s arms inwards, which Toyota says ‘promotes a sportier feel’. And it does. The GT86 gets it right elsewhere, too, and though it can take a bit of adjustment, the pedal-seat-wheel-gearstick relationship can be perfectly arranged for a comfortable but engaging drive, and it often feels as though your backside is sat on the rear axle.

The instrument cluster sets the right tone, too, with a clear central rev counter that puts the engine’s 7000rpm sweet-spot dead centre (it has been reoriented for 2017). To its right is a 4.2-inch colour TFT screen that can display journey details, coolant temperatures, power and torque curves, lap time, a stopwatch and even G-force monitor (all very R34 Nissan GT-R).

Credits: evo.co.uk

Photo credits: motor1.com

The GT86 uses a Subaru-derived (but with Toyota-designed direct injection), naturally aspirated DOHC 2-litre flat-four boxer engine. It’s a long way from being the car’s crowning asset, with less character in its buzzy cylinders than the warbling turbocharged boxers of Subaru’s rally-refugee WRX STI.

The engine has a slightly unpalatable, industrial quality to it, with a thrashy and strained sound pumped out almost throughout the entire rev range. It does, however, like to be revved – indeed, it needs to be revved – and works nicely in tandem with the excellent six-speed manual gearbox. The combination makes sense as a powertrain, but the engine’s utilitarian approach to delivery makes the GT86 feel less special that it perhaps should.

As for the six-speed auto, it removes the mechanical interaction that makes the manual car such a joy. Performance also drops, which is a particular problem given that, for the most part, it’s at a premium in the GT86.

Unlike modern turbocharged engines, you really need to utilise the entire rev range to extract any sort of performance from the 2-litre boxer – 197bhp is on offer at 7000rpm (the limiter is at 7400rpm), while the modest 151lb ft of torque only arrives 600rpm earlier. As for the electronic throttle, it has been mapped to make the engine feel more sprightly at lower revs, but don’t let that fool you – you need to drive the GT86 hard to get at the power it develops.

While it might not be a particularly smooth or sweet-sounding engine, it does feel endlessly durable and tough, which means you don’t think twice about hammering it all day long. For many, the effort in extracting the car’s performance is also part of the reward. It’s just a pity the aural rewards aren’t greater – this is no howling Honda VTEC.

Credits: evo.co.uk