**The Joy of Driving: Why You Should Consider Owning a Toyota 86**

For many car enthusiasts, the idea of driving is not just about accelerating from 0 to 60 mph as quickly as possible. It's about the thrill of connecting with the road, feeling the balance and agility of the vehicle, and experiencing the rush of adrenaline that comes with pushing a car to its limits. The Toyota 86, also known as the Subaru BRZ in some markets, is a perfect example of a driving experience that can awaken even the most seasoned drivers.

The 86's power delivery is well-balanced, meaning it's not just about flooring it in a straight line. Instead, it's about feeling the road and the car's response to your inputs. The brake pedal has a nice bite, providing instant feedback when you press down, while the visibility is excellent, allowing you to see everything that's happening around you. The 86 also handles incredibly well, with a wide track that provides stability and balance. In fact, its center of gravity is almost as low as an LFA or an F430, making it feel incredibly agile in the corners.

One of the things that sets the 86 apart from other cars in its class is its pricing. At around $30,000 for a base model with 200 horsepower, it's surprisingly affordable. This makes it an excellent choice for anyone who wants to get into track driving or autocross without breaking the bank. Of course, the 86 isn't perfect – some of the materials used in its construction are cheap and plastic-like. However, this is largely intentional, as Toyota aimed to make the car affordable and reliable.

The 86's target audience is someone who wants a car that can handle well, but also has room for friends or gear in the backseat. They want something that can commute daily without draining their wallet in terms of fuel costs. And while they may not be willing to shell out top dollar for a performance car like the BMW M4 or Nissan 370Z, they're eager to experience the thrill of driving a well-handling car.

When it comes to the aftermarket support, the 86 has become incredibly popular in recent years. With so many owners and enthusiasts looking to modify their cars, the market has responded with a wide range of parts and accessories available. From suspension upgrades to engine tuners, there's no shortage of options for those who want to take their 86 to the next level.

In short, the Toyota 86 is a driving experience that should not be missed. Its balance, handling, and agility make it an absolute joy to drive, while its affordability and reliability make it an excellent choice for anyone looking for a fun and fuel-efficient car. Whether you're a seasoned driver or just starting out, the 86 has something to offer – so take it for a spin and see what all the fuss is about.

**A Personal Experience**

For me, driving the 86 was like discovering a whole new world of driving. As someone who's been involved in track days and autocross events, I knew that I wanted a car that could keep up with my skills and provide an exciting experience on the road. The 86 exceeded all of my expectations – its balance and handling were unlike anything I'd experienced before.

I was blown away by how well the car handled, particularly when cornering. The 86's wide track and low center of gravity made it feel incredibly agile, allowing me to push it hard without worrying about losing traction or control. And while the brake pedal didn't bite quite as quickly as I expected, there was still plenty of feedback to be had.

One of the things that really stood out to me during my drive was how much visibility I had – every inch of my field of vision was accounted for, making it easy to anticipate and react to any situation on the road. And when it came time to stop, the 86's brakes were quick and responsive, providing instant feedback without any lag.

Overall, driving the 86 was an incredible experience that left me wanting more. Whether you're a seasoned driver or just starting out, this car has something to offer – so take it for a spin and see what all the fuss is about.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat is up everybody welcome back to the smoking tire I am Zack clapman don't forget to Like subscribe and share and check out our podcast we air two days a week it is awesome I am in a car that people usually love or hate this is the Toyota 86 aka the Subaru BRZ formerly artist formerly known as Scion fr-s and we're going to get into why people seem to hate them or love them a little bit later this one is the Hakone edition Hakone is a road or turnpike in Japan that is amazing the it's it's like 3,300 vertical feet of just perfect curving tarmac lined by a cherry blossoms climbing up into the mountains the turns look amazing you've probably seen it on videos or driven it in a video game um if you haven't go check it out it would be like if if America named a car like the Ford Fiesta ST tail of the Dragons where the Angeles Crest Forest you know Mustang so what does this give you that you don't get with a normal 86 you get the SPECIAL Hakone green color which is amazing and I hope it shows up as well in the video as I I want it to you also get bronze wheels you get these brown tan seats with the Alcantara liners Alcantara on the doors and the dash and that is it and all of that attached to the car cost you twenty nine thousand eight hundred and seventy dollars now there's a couple of flavors of 86 you can get you can get the t air that you could get the subaru TS which is stiff suspension STI bracing and bushings sticky tires and stuff like that or in the Toyota side you can get the toy the TRD package which comes with Brembo brakes stiffer suspension and ps4 wheels so this comes with the regular brakes how those fared really depends on how you drive and we're gonna find out I have loved this car ever since I drove the FRS when they first came out I really have some of it might be some bias because there's Subaru parts in here like the shifter a steering wheel I think they felt really familiar compared to my STI but mostly it's because I just feel really confident and comfortable driving it quickly immediately it talks to you through the steering wheel the front wheels and back wheels kind of talk to you through the seat the seats hold me in really well although if you're much bigger than I am you won't be that comfortable these are these are pretty narrow I find you can just carry a lot of momentum through the corners even though the tires are hard and cheap I actually like the fact that the tires are cheap because it means your operating costs will go down not will go down but are less expensive than if you're running sticky expensive tires and if my car is cheaper to operate day-to-day week-to-week I am more likely to go driving more often you know if you have to drive a car that has $1,000 $2,000 more or more tires on it and you have to replace them really frequently unless you are ballin so hard I don't know it for me when I was driving a car that had expensive tires it just it had it put this thought in the back of my head of well should I really go to the canyons again should I do a track day if I do a track day half the tired wears gonna be gone I'm gonna buy you tires that's my bank account like right now I think it can just add up quickly whether it's conscious or consciously or subconsciously and it will impact how often you want to go driving and it is the driving squad of Miata RF and mile three boy it is busy and I sure know how to pick which way to go we're gonna go back down the hill that way this car feels faster other things I like I like the visibility I like the ergonomics I think they're pretty much perfect the pedal spacing is perfect for heel and toe the gates in the shifter have pretty good feel not as good as the Miata not as good as like Honda's top notch you know best shifter action ever in like a s2000 or Civic Si but pretty good nothing I would complain about totally fine feel really accurate I like how communicate communicative it all is to me I feel like I know exactly how much grip each tire has individually it also has a good amount of cargo space I have cup holders here and here I also have two back seats that I could theoretically put some kind of person in but most importantly those seats fold and then you can fit quite a lot of stuff in the trunk it has way more space than a Miata way more it gets good gas mileage on the highway they advertise 28 but I was seeing 31 earlier it's pretty quiet on the highway it's not as stiff bouncy or loud as I was expecting it to be definitely a better commuting experience than the Miata RFI had last week you know I'm just I'm a fan of how these feel in the hands in the seat I think they just drive great the chassis czar good the aftermarket support is really strong they're they're good drift cars clearly with a lot of modifications I mean they're good at a lot of things a36 ollie 36 sedan that's what's up now let's talk about what they're bad at what better place to do it than going up hill because the engine it's just it's enough but not enough at the same time you know it's it's an opposed cylinder four cylinder or sorry yeah it makes 205 horsepower and 151 foot-pounds of torque powers are like 6,800 peak torque is 4,800 I believe but okay so the numbers are not great the numbers aren't great for 2020 everyone's been asking them to put a turbo on this car or a supercharger for a long long time it's not like Subaru doesn't have the technology it puts turbochargers on cars and you know they don't do it okay we've asked they're not doing it there must be a reason whatever but the problem with the engine is that it's got a torque hole in it like this engine makes twenty fewer horsepower than the Miata engine but the Miata feels faster and feels better it's got a better sound to it I mean it's an inline four that's different but the Miata starts making peak torque at 4000 rpm and then pulls all the way to seven this car and I'm going to insert a little graphic right now has an actual dip in the torque curve so when you get on the gas at like 3,000 rpm you initially feel this like shove it's pretty strong and that's because it's making ninety percent of peak torque at that low three and a half hour p.m. but then from 3500 to 4,600 it goes down and then back up it actually looks like a pot-bellied pig so you you kind of get this initial shove and then you feel the torque drop and you're like wait am I going am i going slower and like no of it speedometer is going up and you are making more power because the power band climbs but the torque actually dips um almost immediately after like this punch it's just a really weird feeling and then it kind of comes back on again as you get to 4600 rpm and then it falls back down as you get towards 7,000 rpm so it's just like it's a wave of emotions you know that the torque band is bipolar you just don't know how to feel I don't know it it's it's all you you did not pull over if you did not pull over enough you do what unit I'm gonna let you do that we're gonna pause I think it's just that this torque band is weird I've never driven a car that I can remember that it felt like this you know it's not it's not like a turbo BMW where there's way too more weight too much torque right away especially a couple years ago and then it's just flat it's not like a v8 where like a big punch and then it keeps punching you it's kind of like if I get throws a jab and then it backs out of the fight for a little bit and then and then one horsepower jumps in it goes oh okay I'll help now like that that's kind of it's like your friend in a bar fight that throws the first punch and then gets everyone in trouble so then anyone else has to start fighting but then that guy backs up for a second just to see what happens honestly that's my only real complaint about these cars is that they're too slow I mean a Miata a 2018 or 2019 Miata will beat this thing zero to 60 they're too slow and if you're gonna be slow which is okay it's just why is it have to feel that way why is it it's just a it is not a fun engine to rev out it just it always feels like you feel like you're waiting for some kind of something to happen and it doesn't you're going faster the numbers show you're going faster you know what it's like when they start putting sound tracks on electric cars and you can like to select your engine that's kind of what it's like it feels like there's an electric motor that is making me do fun things and I'm going pretty quickly but the soundtrack they put over it is just like somehow dull and out of sync with what the gas pedal is actually doing Hey it's so fun to drive it's so fun to drive it is so lookit I mean this when you're going downhill it reminds me of like skiing or riding your bicycle when you're a kid or rollerblading like anything that you've ever done with motion where you are just slaloming for fun you know your remember being a kid or some of you are kids and you're just riding down a big hill on a bike there's no cars around and you just start carving a little bit and you just feel the tire pushing against the wheel pushing against your handlebars like you're just kind of feeling the g-forces and you're just there's something about that sensation that is really enjoyable and that's what this car does it speaks to you you know the tires send a message to the wheels to the suspension to the steering arm all the way up to your fingertips and that message is sent quickly and clearly and it's so enjoyable horsepower is fun you know romping on a v8 in a straight line is a really good time but you're gonna want to keep adding power you're gonna get bored with whatever power you have but cars like this Miatas fiestas teas anything that handles well and and talks to you about what the roads doing in the car is doing guy it just it lights up so many more senses than just flooring it in a straight line you know I understand if you're like 17 to 25 like power and drag racing is really fun I've been there but I'm telling you if you just miss this car just because it's slow you're missing out you're missing out on a lot of good stuff look the brake pedal feel is good it bites really quickly I have so much visibility I can see everything I am Sauron like I know where the corners going and I can woo hello you can turn this thing into an apex just because the car is not that wide it has a really nice wide track it's got a 60 inch wide track which is not that much smaller than a 370z even though that car weighs 600 pounds more so you've got this wide track that makes it feel really stable and balanced the center of gravity is almost that of an LFA or an F 430 it's super low it's like eighteen point one inches or something so you got your center of gravity really low spread out on a wide track that's why this car is magic to drive it's the right size it's the wheelbase is right it's the same as enough for 30 I think it's nimble but stable it feels I mean that's why these things can drift but Miatas aren't great for that but that's also why it feels really agile in the corners these cars are great you know they okay so some of the materials are cheap I mean it's trying to give you a lot but it's trying to make it affordable I wish they were like a couple grand less I think a lot more people would kind of adopt you know I think a lot more people would get into these cars if they're a little less expensive because I think they're they're they're aimed at they're aimed at people that are like in their early 20s and are starting to get into track driving autocross but they need something that's affordable reliable fuel efficient and conduce you know they can do some stuff I can carry some friends I can carry some stuff in the back if I need to I can commute every day and not spend a ton of money on gas that's like who they're aimed at in my head but they're priced at someone who has a little bit more money and then you start getting into the v6 camaro 1le price bracket the turbo one le even though that engine is stronger but somehow more boring and more invisible you you know you're knocking on the door of mustang gts they won't have the power of the the track pack they won't handle as well but you're just it's it it's really I think for a lot of people it's hard to look at $30,000 for 200 horsepower and think that that's gonna work for them but I guess I would say you should at least drive one at a dealership or Toro one or borrow one from a friend because like the Miata this will this is a great class in how a car should feel like how it should feel to go around corners and break and how the balance of a car should feel how the steering should react like press against your hands how it should feel in the seat like this car gives you a lot of information when you're driving quickly and that's what a good performance or sports car should do so driving one of these much like the Miata it's a great it's a great quick class in how a good car should feel whether or not you want to buy one or you want to go to the use market and get a uc6 or you know something like that like there's a lot of different ways you could spend 30 grand but I think this car does a lot of stuff that you maybe don't appreciate right away but it's it's an efficient commuter it's a great driver and you can modify them and this the the aftermarket that is so over the double yellow it's not even funny the aftermarket is has come around really hard I mean I think these are these are like a classic British British roadster that we don't appreciate yet and they're going to be a sports car that we will appreciate more as the years go on just because of how well they drive I really really think that so thank you to Toyota for giving me the 86 this color is excellent it's got such awesome flick thank you you guys for watching and supporting us for all these years and yeah go out drive something fun be safe see you next timewhat is up everybody welcome back to the smoking tire I am Zack clapman don't forget to Like subscribe and share and check out our podcast we air two days a week it is awesome I am in a car that people usually love or hate this is the Toyota 86 aka the Subaru BRZ formerly artist formerly known as Scion fr-s and we're going to get into why people seem to hate them or love them a little bit later this one is the Hakone edition Hakone is a road or turnpike in Japan that is amazing the it's it's like 3,300 vertical feet of just perfect curving tarmac lined by a cherry blossoms climbing up into the mountains the turns look amazing you've probably seen it on videos or driven it in a video game um if you haven't go check it out it would be like if if America named a car like the Ford Fiesta ST tail of the Dragons where the Angeles Crest Forest you know Mustang so what does this give you that you don't get with a normal 86 you get the SPECIAL Hakone green color which is amazing and I hope it shows up as well in the video as I I want it to you also get bronze wheels you get these brown tan seats with the Alcantara liners Alcantara on the doors and the dash and that is it and all of that attached to the car cost you twenty nine thousand eight hundred and seventy dollars now there's a couple of flavors of 86 you can get you can get the t air that you could get the subaru TS which is stiff suspension STI bracing and bushings sticky tires and stuff like that or in the Toyota side you can get the toy the TRD package which comes with Brembo brakes stiffer suspension and ps4 wheels so this comes with the regular brakes how those fared really depends on how you drive and we're gonna find out I have loved this car ever since I drove the FRS when they first came out I really have some of it might be some bias because there's Subaru parts in here like the shifter a steering wheel I think they felt really familiar compared to my STI but mostly it's because I just feel really confident and comfortable driving it quickly immediately it talks to you through the steering wheel the front wheels and back wheels kind of talk to you through the seat the seats hold me in really well although if you're much bigger than I am you won't be that comfortable these are these are pretty narrow I find you can just carry a lot of momentum through the corners even though the tires are hard and cheap I actually like the fact that the tires are cheap because it means your operating costs will go down not will go down but are less expensive than if you're running sticky expensive tires and if my car is cheaper to operate day-to-day week-to-week I am more likely to go driving more often you know if you have to drive a car that has $1,000 $2,000 more or more tires on it and you have to replace them really frequently unless you are ballin so hard I don't know it for me when I was driving a car that had expensive tires it just it had it put this thought in the back of my head of well should I really go to the canyons again should I do a track day if I do a track day half the tired wears gonna be gone I'm gonna buy you tires that's my bank account like right now I think it can just add up quickly whether it's conscious or consciously or subconsciously and it will impact how often you want to go driving and it is the driving squad of Miata RF and mile three boy it is busy and I sure know how to pick which way to go we're gonna go back down the hill that way this car feels faster other things I like I like the visibility I like the ergonomics I think they're pretty much perfect the pedal spacing is perfect for heel and toe the gates in the shifter have pretty good feel not as good as the Miata not as good as like Honda's top notch you know best shifter action ever in like a s2000 or Civic Si but pretty good nothing I would complain about totally fine feel really accurate I like how communicate communicative it all is to me I feel like I know exactly how much grip each tire has individually it also has a good amount of cargo space I have cup holders here and here I also have two back seats that I could theoretically put some kind of person in but most importantly those seats fold and then you can fit quite a lot of stuff in the trunk it has way more space than a Miata way more it gets good gas mileage on the highway they advertise 28 but I was seeing 31 earlier it's pretty quiet on the highway it's not as stiff bouncy or loud as I was expecting it to be definitely a better commuting experience than the Miata RFI had last week you know I'm just I'm a fan of how these feel in the hands in the seat I think they just drive great the chassis czar good the aftermarket support is really strong they're they're good drift cars clearly with a lot of modifications I mean they're good at a lot of things a36 ollie 36 sedan that's what's up now let's talk about what they're bad at what better place to do it than going up hill because the engine it's just it's enough but not enough at the same time you know it's it's an opposed cylinder four cylinder or sorry yeah it makes 205 horsepower and 151 foot-pounds of torque powers are like 6,800 peak torque is 4,800 I believe but okay so the numbers are not great the numbers aren't great for 2020 everyone's been asking them to put a turbo on this car or a supercharger for a long long time it's not like Subaru doesn't have the technology it puts turbochargers on cars and you know they don't do it okay we've asked they're not doing it there must be a reason whatever but the problem with the engine is that it's got a torque hole in it like this engine makes twenty fewer horsepower than the Miata engine but the Miata feels faster and feels better it's got a better sound to it I mean it's an inline four that's different but the Miata starts making peak torque at 4000 rpm and then pulls all the way to seven this car and I'm going to insert a little graphic right now has an actual dip in the torque curve so when you get on the gas at like 3,000 rpm you initially feel this like shove it's pretty strong and that's because it's making ninety percent of peak torque at that low three and a half hour p.m. but then from 3500 to 4,600 it goes down and then back up it actually looks like a pot-bellied pig so you you kind of get this initial shove and then you feel the torque drop and you're like wait am I going am i going slower and like no of it speedometer is going up and you are making more power because the power band climbs but the torque actually dips um almost immediately after like this punch it's just a really weird feeling and then it kind of comes back on again as you get to 4600 rpm and then it falls back down as you get towards 7,000 rpm so it's just like it's a wave of emotions you know that the torque band is bipolar you just don't know how to feel I don't know it it's it's all you you did not pull over if you did not pull over enough you do what unit I'm gonna let you do that we're gonna pause I think it's just that this torque band is weird I've never driven a car that I can remember that it felt like this you know it's not it's not like a turbo BMW where there's way too more weight too much torque right away especially a couple years ago and then it's just flat it's not like a v8 where like a big punch and then it keeps punching you it's kind of like if I get throws a jab and then it backs out of the fight for a little bit and then and then one horsepower jumps in it goes oh okay I'll help now like that that's kind of it's like your friend in a bar fight that throws the first punch and then gets everyone in trouble so then anyone else has to start fighting but then that guy backs up for a second just to see what happens honestly that's my only real complaint about these cars is that they're too slow I mean a Miata a 2018 or 2019 Miata will beat this thing zero to 60 they're too slow and if you're gonna be slow which is okay it's just why is it have to feel that way why is it it's just a it is not a fun engine to rev out it just it always feels like you feel like you're waiting for some kind of something to happen and it doesn't you're going faster the numbers show you're going faster you know what it's like when they start putting sound tracks on electric cars and you can like to select your engine that's kind of what it's like it feels like there's an electric motor that is making me do fun things and I'm going pretty quickly but the soundtrack they put over it is just like somehow dull and out of sync with what the gas pedal is actually doing Hey it's so fun to drive it's so fun to drive it is so lookit I mean this when you're going downhill it reminds me of like skiing or riding your bicycle when you're a kid or rollerblading like anything that you've ever done with motion where you are just slaloming for fun you know your remember being a kid or some of you are kids and you're just riding down a big hill on a bike there's no cars around and you just start carving a little bit and you just feel the tire pushing against the wheel pushing against your handlebars like you're just kind of feeling the g-forces and you're just there's something about that sensation that is really enjoyable and that's what this car does it speaks to you you know the tires send a message to the wheels to the suspension to the steering arm all the way up to your fingertips and that message is sent quickly and clearly and it's so enjoyable horsepower is fun you know romping on a v8 in a straight line is a really good time but you're gonna want to keep adding power you're gonna get bored with whatever power you have but cars like this Miatas fiestas teas anything that handles well and and talks to you about what the roads doing in the car is doing guy it just it lights up so many more senses than just flooring it in a straight line you know I understand if you're like 17 to 25 like power and drag racing is really fun I've been there but I'm telling you if you just miss this car just because it's slow you're missing out you're missing out on a lot of good stuff look the brake pedal feel is good it bites really quickly I have so much visibility I can see everything I am Sauron like I know where the corners going and I can woo hello you can turn this thing into an apex just because the car is not that wide it has a really nice wide track it's got a 60 inch wide track which is not that much smaller than a 370z even though that car weighs 600 pounds more so you've got this wide track that makes it feel really stable and balanced the center of gravity is almost that of an LFA or an F 430 it's super low it's like eighteen point one inches or something so you got your center of gravity really low spread out on a wide track that's why this car is magic to drive it's the right size it's the wheelbase is right it's the same as enough for 30 I think it's nimble but stable it feels I mean that's why these things can drift but Miatas aren't great for that but that's also why it feels really agile in the corners these cars are great you know they okay so some of the materials are cheap I mean it's trying to give you a lot but it's trying to make it affordable I wish they were like a couple grand less I think a lot more people would kind of adopt you know I think a lot more people would get into these cars if they're a little less expensive because I think they're they're they're aimed at they're aimed at people that are like in their early 20s and are starting to get into track driving autocross but they need something that's affordable reliable fuel efficient and conduce you know they can do some stuff I can carry some friends I can carry some stuff in the back if I need to I can commute every day and not spend a ton of money on gas that's like who they're aimed at in my head but they're priced at someone who has a little bit more money and then you start getting into the v6 camaro 1le price bracket the turbo one le even though that engine is stronger but somehow more boring and more invisible you you know you're knocking on the door of mustang gts they won't have the power of the the track pack they won't handle as well but you're just it's it it's really I think for a lot of people it's hard to look at $30,000 for 200 horsepower and think that that's gonna work for them but I guess I would say you should at least drive one at a dealership or Toro one or borrow one from a friend because like the Miata this will this is a great class in how a car should feel like how it should feel to go around corners and break and how the balance of a car should feel how the steering should react like press against your hands how it should feel in the seat like this car gives you a lot of information when you're driving quickly and that's what a good performance or sports car should do so driving one of these much like the Miata it's a great it's a great quick class in how a good car should feel whether or not you want to buy one or you want to go to the use market and get a uc6 or you know something like that like there's a lot of different ways you could spend 30 grand but I think this car does a lot of stuff that you maybe don't appreciate right away but it's it's an efficient commuter it's a great driver and you can modify them and this the the aftermarket that is so over the double yellow it's not even funny the aftermarket is has come around really hard I mean I think these are these are like a classic British British roadster that we don't appreciate yet and they're going to be a sports car that we will appreciate more as the years go on just because of how well they drive I really really think that so thank you to Toyota for giving me the 86 this color is excellent it's got such awesome flick thank you you guys for watching and supporting us for all these years and yeah go out drive something fun be safe see you next time\n"