The Garage – Toyota 86 by Tada

The Toyota 86 is an already iconic vehicle despite being so young.  We’ve looked at it many times and are a big fan of the “affordable” approach to enthusiast motoring.  The 86 is the jewel in the crown.

When the Toyota 86 was launched some time ago EFTM racked up a stack of kilometers very quickly. In fact never has a car spent basically ZERO time inside the EFTM garage, it is point-blank absolutely superb. So when the chance to drive a prototype version came along we headed for Toyota HQ faster than Road Runner. Over the last week we’ve experienced the one-off Toyota 86 by Tada. What’s the big deal? It’s fitted with performance suspension and wheels & tyres developed by Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada. Hopefully one day soon the enhancements will be offered for a midlife upgrade.

Make: Toyota

Model: 86

Variant: Tada

Engine / Transmission: 2.0-litre four-Cylinder boxer petrol engine / 6-Speed manual

Vital Stats: Power 147 kW @ 7000rpm / Torque: 205Nm @ 6,400 – 6600rpm

Toyota Claimed Fuel Economy: 7.8l/ 100km (98 RON only)

EFTM Claimed Fuel Economy: 9.1l / 100KM

MRRP Price: Not yet for sale.

Wow Factor: Larger 18-inch forged alloy BBS wheels with Dunlop Direzza tyres specially developed for the 86 by Tada. Suspension settings have been tweaked to make this little gem ever sharper. The funny thing is the overall ride still remains relatively compliant.

Most Impressive: Simply the drive. I can honestly say a brief stint along some seriously twisty tarmac was THE most fun I’ve had in any car. Even more satisfying than a Nissan GT-R! Why? Because the Toyota 86 offers supreme driving dynamics without the license shredding properties of some of the more manic offerings around. It’s affordable fun for the masses and can be pushed to the limit by just about anyone. The Toyota 86 in any guise is certainly not overly quick, but sitting about a phonebook away from the road tends to create an illusion of pace.

Not So Impressive: We could bang on about the lack of wheel mounted controls, ordinary sound system, lack of sheer pace,coarse sounding boxer engine note, the fact it’s also a Subaru and the irrelevant two rear seats. But that of course completely overlooks the whole point of this car; the phrase “Not so impressive” should simply be blacked out when it comes to this car.
We are in love.