2020 Toyota 86 Hakone Edition: A slice of green heaven

[SOUND] The revival of Toyota Supra is trending pretty hard these days. But as a fan of inexpensive sport context, I'm turning my attention today to the Hachi Roku or Toyota 86 as most of you know it. About half as expensive as the Supra. And I think almost as fun and for 2020 we've got a couple of new features and the new hue in the form of this Mean Green akoni edition. So let's pull over and enjoy the new look. Named after the legendary Hakone Turnpike, a twisty bit of famous road about two hours south of Tokyo that some call Japan's Nurburgring the Hakone addition here is a slice of green heaven coated in special Metallica Kona green paint with matching 17 inch bronze wheels. This is the only way to get this colour scheme on the 86. So if you're going to pay extra for the paint Maybe don't send it through the world's most abrasive car wash. Whoever had this car before us did it dirty and I'm really hoping these micro scratches buff out However, the rest of the changes to the Hakone edition can be found in the cabin where you've got 10 leather seats with black suede inserts and matching armrests The black and tan color scheme continue son the dashboard where you'll find suede inserts, and in the trunk where there's high pile carpet with embroidered 86 logos. There's even matching instruction manuals in leather trim. [MUSIC] When you really get down to brass tacks, the akoni edition is basically a Toyota 86 GT, but with special green paint and smaller 17 inch wheels as opposed to the big 18th. It's also around $40 less expensive for the trade off. However, this is probably not the trim level to get if you're into high performance driving. Maybe occasional track date, and that's because of the second change for 2020. This year you can option your 86 with a TRD handling package, which is going to add to go faster goodies like sacks dampers that are going to give you better control around corners and a firmer ride, Brembo brakes which are better stopping power, and big eight 18-inch wheels with sticky Michelin summer tires. Overall, it's gonna really improve the handling of the ride of this car. And it's probably the direction that I'd go, if you're into sporty driving. Though, to be frank, the stock drive right here is already pretty firm. So if you're a more casual rider, maybe you don't really need those upgrades. If you wanna go that way, it's around $2,300 for the twin 86, or just over 1,200 bucks for the E-6-G-T because it already comes standard with the wheels and tyres. Now the other change for 2020 is in the dashboard, and that's where we've got this seven inch entertainment system. Frankly, it's still not that good, it sort of looks like a pretty basic $300 after market stereo but fortunately this year it comes standard with Android Auto and Apple car play connectivity Which means at the very least, you don't have to pay more for navigation if you don't want to just plug in your phone and go. However, I would probably still swap this with something aftermarket if but for no other reason than to get rid of the way the backup camera works on this car. So you when you put it into reverse, you get this two inch display overlaid onto the Rear mirror here which in broad daylight is almost impossible to see. Going with a cheap aftermarket unit and its own backup camera means I'd be able to get a big bright screen here in the dashboard with better view of the back when I'm reversing. [BLANK_AUDIO] Other than that, though, this is still the toy and 86 that I already know and love. I'm a big fan of this Chassis with its rear drive orientation. Its low slung, lightweight configuration, and the handling is just fantastic. The amount of feel you get here is second only to the Mazda Miata. Under the hood though it's a little bit underpowered, you're looking at a two liter box or four cylinder engine. That makes 205 horsepower and 156 pound feet of torque. I wouldn't necessarily call it gutless but this is basically a inertia car. If you catch yourself in a corner with too low speed or too low revs, you're going to kind of pay for it. You want to keep your speed through the corners and enjoy the handle. Going. Now going with the automatic transmission like we've got here not only sucks out some of the fun It also cost you about five horsepower and five pound feet of torque and with every pound foot mattering you definitely don't wanna lose those [MUSIC] [BLANK_AUDIO] [MUSIC] Another thing that I really like about the 86 are the ergonomics, the steering wheel, the shifter, if we could actually use it fall perfectly into hand. The pedals are perfectly positioned for heel and toe downshifting and even the spot for the coupler here on the door. It's great for getting a bottle of water without having to reach for it exactly where my elbow hurts. Pinches. Ergonomics are something that you don't really pay a lot of attention to, but when you're checking this thing around the corner it definitely improves the driving feel. Overall this is kind of a car that is right up my alley. The 2020 2286 starts at around $27,000 and then that price range I think it competes nicely with other sport compacts like the Honda Civic Si the Hyundai Veloster turbo and others. It's a little down on power and a little simple for the money, but I think it makes up for it with its rear wheel drive configuration and excellent driving dynamic. However our hace Roco Hakone addition steps up to a starting price of 29,870 bucks. Add in the automatic transmission which I personally wouldn't get and destination charges and you're looking at an asset the price 31,000 545 now if you're a more casual enthusiast and you really just like the pretty green hue, you can't really go wrong with the Kona edition here. But if like me you value performance over style. Well, I think I'd rather have the regular 86 or the 86 GT pay a little extra for that sport handling package. [BLANK_AUDIO]