Of course the GR86 is a great light weight affordable sports car. But does it daily? Be sure to share your thoughts and consider subscribing to Beyond the Test Drive.
I’ve been daily driving an 86 for 10 years straight. No issues with my 1st gen, and now I have a newer 2023 BRZ. These cars are the definition of raw driving.
Sweet! Thanks for watching and sharing your experience. Super fun cars. Sure you are enjoying the engine torque in the latest gen. All the best and happy motoring.
Was there a oil problem with these cars? I know this gr still carries that problem, and I'm not sure if the issue is still there in 2024. I know the first year of this there was that problem that was costly
@@mikegta14 the oil starvation problem has been linked to continuous right turns while red lining the engine. The oil pan cannot pick up the oil and thus the engine burns. Also, if tracking the car, a 5 w30 oil is recommended instead of the 0w30 oil.
Canadian here! 🇨🇦 Thank you for the fantastic video! Very organic, very real. Everything you said about the GR86 is what I’ve thought about my ‘24 Premium. I’ve subscribed to your channel, please keep the great content coming.
I ordered one about 6 months ago and it just arrived at the dealer. 2024 steel premium with all the performance upgrades. Never owned a manual. Gonna pick it up on Friday.. super excited!
I’m going from a Miata to Subaru BRZ because a motorcycle lost control and plowed into my left side up on my local mountain road. The biker was extremely fortunate to have walked away from the collision. The BRZ/86 platform is so much more structurally sound than the Miata, that roof makes a huge difference. I’m looking forward to my Saturday morning’s testing the limits this little sports car. I’ll be making incremental changes to suit my driving tastes as a canyon carver.
I daily my 2024 GR86 and it's decent. I do not have the sachs and brembos but it isn't too bad on bumps, dips, and overall crappy roads but man once I take this thing out to the mountains or the desert? It is just pure driving joy. In other words, BTTD got it spot on with this video. To elaborate a little more on trunk space, I went with some people but I packed 1 camp chair, 3 tents (2 two ppl tents, 1 3-4 people tent, 2 lunch bags full of drinks, sleeping bags, 4 blankets, all my camping stakes and hiking gear + clothes, 5 pair of shoes, camping toilet tent + the camp toilet, and 4 pillows. Plus myself and a friend. I had to stuff it a little but damn this little car can fit a ton if you do it right. The only problem is this will not hold your large yeti cooler but that is such a small price to pay in comparison to the joy this thing brings. My Avg MPG is ~26. City MPG blows but I guess my joyrides out in the backroads helps balance it out. A thing I did for my last road trip was I plotted out all the Costco gas that I should stop at every ~250 - 300 miles. The hose goes in the right side of the car so even when it is busy af in the city I usually get to fill up pretty quick.
I used to own a 2020 brz w a perf pack. Have a 2022 premium (before the perf pack was available), perhaps if you track the car you’d miss the PP. since I daily mine and don’t track it, I don’t miss it. They’ve solved the couple of problems the gen 1 had (primarily the torque dip in mid range) and didn’t ruin the goodness of the car. One of my favorite cars of all that I’ve owned. Owned a 2022 civic si for a year (sold it to get the gr86) and concurrently own a 2021 Mx-5 club……like the gr86 better. Like the shifter feel better than both of those cars too (know I’m in the minority when I choose the gr86 over the Miata on the shifter). Good job on the review.
@@stms4411 great comment and thanks for watching and sharing your experience. Yea, shifter and clutch is a personal preference and I do prefer the Mazda MX-5. But you have some real street cred in owning both so I value you thoughts on that. I do thoroughly enjoy 86’s manual though. All the best and happy motoring!
Have dailied a 2023 MY base trim brz in Cleveland since 2022 november. Snow tires after temps drop to 30s, and this car is all you need for a family of one :) my only gripe has been it's surprisingly thirsty and premium is expensive
I love mine. I’ve not experienced any of the oil burning or other issues that people have claimed these have. It’s very predictable in corners and rewards you for upshifting before a right corner
Great video! I think the "dream" affordable sports car would have Miata's drivetrain (great engine + transmission) with BRZ tS/86's chassis tuning (and without reliability issues they both have haha). The only thing I didn't like in the 86 was the steering - it didn't provide the feedback I wanted and I mostly had to relay on visual and lateral feedback...
You nailed it. I am still planning a Miata versus GR86 vid and was going to mention a 2+2 GR86 like Miata with a targa top would an interesting play by Mazda. There would be some weight but if the GR86 has Mazda’s drive train with some extra ponies that would be the dream as you mention. I did enjoy the lightness of the GR86’s steering but the lack of any body roll and very little weighting up in the steering made it almost too easy to hit turns with very little emotion like the Miata does. As you state, aim it and then you need all visual feedback to see what’s going on. The Miata lets you know which way it’s pointing with so much feedback in the steering and seat. But they are both great overall.
After I put on lowering springs it added some steering feel. The MX5 is better but the Twins do communicate well before a slide and isn’t scary at all.
Thank you for watching and for the very nice comment. The performance package makes it ready for auto crossing and even tracking. I checked with some fellow media folks and they also think the Sachs dampers help with ride quality. So it’s a good value overall. Thanks again and happy motoring!
19 дней назад
I can only speak for the simulation version of this car in Assetto Corsa, but the handling this car has will leave you absolutely spoiled if you have the skill to extract it's capability. The light and snappy steering, the punchy acceleration, and the eagerness of the tires to apply slip angle are addicting. Appreciate the great video!
Thanks for watching and for the nice comment! Lightness and toss-ability is a great description. Sounds like the sim is pretty accurate. Thanks again and happy motoring. 😃
I’ve had my 22BRZ for 2 years and only a Lotus Emira or C8 would get me out of this car. Blue collar Porsche as I call her. For what it is the BRZ had comfortable ride. Even with subwoofer grocery trips fit and plenty of luggage room for vacations. It’s a modern 240SX. For the 1st time I’m not looking for greener grass if anything happens I’m gonna buy another. Only those with kids or lovers of straight line speed should look at other vehicles.
My MINI Cooper S 2 door is my one and only car. I'm single and will be staying that way. If I have someone along for the ride it will be no more than one, so I don't need a car with a backseat. Which is good because not many will fit back there. A small sporty can can be your daily driver, and the only car you need. If you need more room for a larger family there is the VW GTI, Toyota GR Corolla, and the MINI S 4-door. Albeit the GTI and MINI no longer come with a manual.
I daily drive a 2022 BRZ 31 miles each way in Seattle. There are days I wonder but overall it has been great. One draw back is the passenger seat isn’t height adjustable which sucks for short passengers. I average about 28mpg at higher speed highway speeds (75-90) but have gotten 34 on long drives at lower speeds. It is a surprisingly fun road trip car. Disable the fake engine sound - I hated it.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experience with your BRZ. Glad you are enjoying it. I know Toyota is not all that great at providing passenger seat height adjustment in many of their models so maybe that spread to Subaru also. Thanks again and happy motoring.
I plan on taking off my track tires and putting on all seasons to go camping with! All you really need to do to these cars is lighter wheels and michelin pilot sport 4s
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. Some folks have shared their 86 camping experiences. Sorta like backpacking. Keep it light and the journey and camping is even more fun.
Thanks for watching and for the nice compliment. For the rims these did have some very subtle curb rash. But not too bad. Is that what you are referring to? Good choice on the 86. You’ll have a blast. Thanks again!
i don't own these cars personally, but my dad has an nd2 mx-5 (weekend toy only )and my friend recently bought a GR86 (daily driver) around 4 months back. His main complaints were the fake engine noise and the gas mileage. Driving my dad's car when he lets me I was able to get as much as 44mpg on the freeway at 55-60mph. Grandma driving I know but it's not mine so I don't thrash it. Still though, he was only getting around 30mpg MAX and that's modest driving on the highway. So definitely for a daily driver I'd assume the miata would be a lot cheaper in terms of running costs and even consumables since its so light as well as cost savings in fuel.
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. Yea; the Miata does well overall on MPGs but it should given its weight and HP. The 86 is surprisingly thirsty but boxer engines are not known for fuel efficiency if driven hard. It’s a few hundred pounds heavier also and does have more HPs. Thanks again and happy motoring
You can’t compare a 2 seat car to a 4 seat car, I know it’s small but still I managed to go on a camping trip with 2 passengers and all our stuff. Had I gotten the miata or other 2 seaters there will be no way for 3 people to go on a camping trip.
No way you're getting any feeling on the clutch. The clutch is one of the worst things about the car, as there's almost zero feel on it. It's a well known fact in the community. That's why ppl change the clutch spring to the mtech spring.
@@suoutamaki14 thanks for watching and weighing in. Does that spring change help with where engagement occurs in the pedal travel? I guess ‘feel’ was the wrong description as once your feel it, it’s kinda too late as it’s so close to the top of the pedal. But still fun and easy. Thanks again.
I hate how ppl will say "this is a dailyable car" to almost any car. Buddy, this is rear wheel drive 2 door with basically unuseable back seats. Most of these car reviewers are ppl with a separate weekend car and a "daily" weekday SUV.
Thanks for weighing in. Would be nice if we had a third weekend only car. Just a two car (Mazda3 and CX9) couple here at Beyond. There are plenty of driving enthusiasts who can only afford one car and if they don’t need to throw people in the back seat regularly this is a great one car solution for fun and the daily duties of life. Any car can be a daily driver depending on what those daily duties are. And some folks want that daily to be reasoabkg fun and enjoyable to drive.
@@BeyondTheTestDrive "Any car can be a daily driver depending on what those daily duties are". That's really stretching the term "daily", I guess even a Bugatti can be a daily depending on who that person is. The title is "do it all" sports car for "everyone". This is the most inaccurate title for a car that does very little and for very few people. It's terrible on snow, on rain, can't do much more than groceries, can only have 1 passenger. The GR86 is a good car but it is quite literally the least practical category of cars.
I don't have kids and this will be my daily when I pick it up this week. I don't need back seats. I don't haul things around. Should you drive this car daily? Obviously you could get way better mileage for the same price and lower if you buy a hybrid. So, probably not.
I've had my GR86 for a year and daily it. It's fun and comfortable. 20 years ago my brother got an Elise - great fun, but that was way too harsh to be considered a daily driver. The GR86 strikes the balance. Obviously if you need more space then there's no discussion.
@@lronSausage Yeah it's all relative. A Bugatti is still fundamentally designed to get you from A to B. If you had that kind of money, obstacles like gas just become mere inconveniences
@@seanaguirre8651 thanks for watching! it was queued up for late September but for you we will move it up for the weekend of the September 14th. 😃. Will let you know when it drops!
