2022 Toyota GR86 Doesn't Venture Off-Script

The first-generation Toyota 86 was a hoot, but there were plenty of cries from enthusiasts about how the car lacked power and felt a bit cheap. 

The second-generation GR86 remedies those things, and in the search for a more mature sports car, Toyota didn't forget what the underlying recipe is all about.  

Under the hood is a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated flat-4 gas engine, and it eliminates any desire for more power I had in the first-gen model.     

228 horsepower and 184 pound-feet may not look like much on paper, but it feels like a huge bump when driving, thanks to the torque arriving at a much, much lower point on the tachometer.    

Pulling and passing are possible in nearly any gear at any speed, reducing the need for unnecessary shifting, but I find myself letting the revs climb, since the GR86's engine note get louder and better as the needle rises.

The clutch is nicely weighted, but the bite point is a little too high for my taste, preventing some shifts from feeling as smooth as they might otherwise.    

Throttle modulation is easy when the car is in gear, but the by-wire system seems to react inconsistently when starting off and when blipping for downshifts, leading to some awkward lurches.    

There's also a fair bit of rev hang, requiring some short pauses during upshifts for the smoothest engagement.     

The EPA rates the manual GR86 at 20 mpg city and 27 mpg highway, numbers that I feel are actually on the low side.     

Keep scrolling or clicking to check out even more pictures of the 2022 Toyota GR86.