I watch a lot of car channels, but is the first time i see someone talking about the safety in a sports car during a review, and as a dad, safety its a huge deal. Great video.

Your review is spot on. Had my red gr86 3 months now and I love it. I sold my ND mx5 when my first born arrived 3 years ago (and got a Jag XFR which made me appreciate less is more) and have been hankering for the same experience but with the added practicality. This is just practical enough for the kids and as fun as the mx5. Couldn't ask for more. Kids love it too!

As a future GR86 owner (from Spain), I must have seen all the GR86 videos on KZfaq. And I must say this one still made me interested and smile. Great job, keep it up!! 👍

I just bought GR86 for my family here in the Boston area. We have an old Audi A6 Avant for the trips which need space, but the GR86 for daily and weekend fun when no stuff is needed. We have a 6 and 4 year old who use Isofix in the back and I am 6f 3” (192cm) and we all 4 fit. This is my first new car as no other car has made financial sense for a car guy who is cost concious. I agree with all the points in this video. 😊

Not tried it with kids, but the rear seats in my GT86 are pooch perfect. He loves sitting back there on his blanket in the relatively deep seat base!

This is the perfect review. You touch upon family, being a dad, jdm lover, driver’s car, thoughts on getting old jdm car but not that practical when you have a family now, and most importantly being sharp without the assistance.

I like that it's still manual, still proper handbrake and rwd

Love the way the tempature control digits light up red, very retro 👍👍 Great video, appreciate the effort that goes into each and every one of 'em 😊

Really cool review, I am in my early 20s and was lucky enough to be able to own the new BRZ (basically the same car). I always drive my 6 year old little brother around so seeing a focus on safety (as i drive very differently with him in the car) was much appreciated. Great car, great review.

Nice video, as a proud GR86 owner for a year I totally agree with your sentiments. I paid £31k new with Neptune blue paint! Bargain… compliments my R35 GT-R perfectly (as a polar opposite). Keep up the good work 👍

Great review and information Ben! As others have mentioned, I’ve only seen a handful of videos touch on the safety and practicality of the car so it’s great to have a different perspective 🙌

You can switch the Electronic Sound Generator off - it's a dealer customisable option but, you can do it yourself if you (a) have a laptop with Techstream or (b) disconnect the ESG box plug which is located behind the glovebox in the dash. It takes about 10 minutes at most. The GRZoo forum is a wealth of information for GR fans. My GR86 is due to arrive at the end of November and it's been a long 6 month wait I can tell you!

“Keep myself sharp and drive a driver’s car” - Amen to that. 👍

As someone about to become a dad this channel gives me some hope for my next few years of car ownership. Would love to see an Alfa Romeo Brera review at some point, always wanted to own one of those but would be great to see it put through your child seat testing!

i love my 22 GR86 MT, wonderful video with great detail on the safety and how it can be misconstrued.

I remember commenting on an older video of yours and recommending you take a look at one of these. Very glad you delivered. Thanks, Ben. I have aspirations of buying one of these before they supposedly go away for good by 2025 (I'm quite obviously not in the UK), and I do have an eight-month-old. Cheers

The GR86 is kind of a bittersweet thing. On the one hand, it's something to celebrate that a company like Toyota still knows how to do, and has done, a near-perfect naturally aspirated, light weight, handling-orientated sports car. But at the same time, it's almost the last gasp of the breed. Everything else is either turbo'd and sanitised to kingdom come or weighs 2+ tons. Or both. Or is electric which is about as not-sports-car as it gets! That said, if this is the last of the breed, what a way to go out; great looks, performance, handling, practicality... Some of the things you talk about do make me think of the Celica GT4 review where despite being a tiny car, it's surprisingly practical inside and a nice looking interior. The only other hold-out I can think of is the MX5 which just refuses to give in.

What an original review through the eyes of a dad, with thoughts that we could have as a dad who one a GR 86 as daily drivers. Iam happy to know that I am a cool dad 😎. And also, we could take our children, drive with style to school with a GR86 and also go to the food market. We don't necessarily need to drive fast or go on a track to have fun on with GR86. I have done 7000km since October 2023 and the average fuel consumption is 7,7 litres/100km.

I’m proud to say I own one. It’s great fun and can be a bit of a handful in the wet on roundabouts, but keeps you engaged. The one thing I really like is that you don’t see many at car meets or on the road and has the same potentials as the GT86 of customising it. Yes the mirror situation is a bit naff and it doesn’t have rain sensors for the wipers and auto dimming rear view mirror which I think would of been a nice touch, but other than that it’s a great car and back to basic’s driving experience. Great video and sums it up perfectly 👍🏻

Lovely cars to drive. I’ve had a go in the GT86 and it’s back to real basics purity of driving. These cars are fantastic value for what you are getting, and the aftermarket community for them is huge! There will be something for everyone.

Refreshing that you have your own thoughts genuinely thank you

So happy to see this review of my new car ;)

Brilliant car and a brilliant video... As someone who started driving in the late 1970`s i had many fantastic hot hatches throughout the 80`s & 90`s i find modern day cars are mostly just too clinical, with no real feel or engagement to them, the more gadgets to "Help us" the more the skill of driving and road awareness is eroding... If i can afford it then a GR86 or Yaris will hopefully be the eventual replacement for my excellent Abarth 595 Scorpioneoro..

Fellow previous MR2 owner here that now owns a 2020 Turbo 86. I absolutely love these cars. I still need to get another MR2 though

I agree bout the driver aids was saying the sane to my wife last night. I drive three old cars with nothing yet struggled to park my wife’s new merc last night as the beeps and that put me off

So happy you got round to one of these! I have a similar plan to what you mentioned, I've got a GT86 and my wife has a BMW 4 series gran coupe. The GT86 is so much more involved to drive, and I can still get my daughter in the back!

So basically, pull the rear seat out. And put in a roll cage

As a car dad, i very much value your dadcars car channel for car dads!

Love the enthusiasm

It sucks because i actually got rid of mine for a 23 wrx. One of the main reasons is because I usually have my partner and her son with me and it would have been difficult to travel. Did that with the wrx and it was relieving to have my family and some luggage with no problem. Will definitely miss those nice on torque turns!

Lovely review again and certainly tempting as a dad myself. I have two blue Toyotas already and they both have the mirror annoyance too haha!

great info thanks for putting this together!!

Great balanced review. Just subscribed. 👍🇬🇧

Love this review! As a New Dad whom drives a GR86 as a daily this gives me great hope for when I do the daycare drop off/ pick up. Funnily I have also attempted to fit my rear facing baby seat of which I agree the front passenger seat was made redundant. But can’t wait for the time I can use front facing 😊 Thanks for a great video 👍🏼

I want one so badddd

Great points on your video 🫡

Thanks for the video

Never was a big fan of the gt86 but I like the gr86 a lot. Yeah I remember hearing they sold out quick

Hi Ben & little one. Hope your all doing good. Ben that was one cool video. I love the color of that Toyota. Stay safe and take care.

Great video, I think youve convinced me to go for a GR over a slightly older GT, the GTs just havent depreciated enough to justify not getting a brand new car

15:07 - 15:50 Very well said. I had the same experiences with Japanese cars as you did and really appreciate that they once were affordable, and we were able to own them when we (the owners and the cars) were younger.

Great review and spot on in almost every respect, these cars do have something special, and being an owner of one I can attest to that. Car feels faster than 6 secs to 60, pulls nice and hard, handling is razor sharp, ride is really good considering no adaptive shocks and always fun. Only downsides are lack of auto rev match downshifting, road noise is quite bad, and some aspects of the interior are quite cheap, feels delicate inside. Biggest let down is the sound system, which is only barely adequate considering the road noise, although I do understand that's not why you buy a car like this.

Great review, I'm Dad dailying mine, my 11 and 8 year old fit in the back.

the Fact that Akio Toyoda(CEO of toyota and professional driver who raced before) absolutely loves this car should tell you about how good this car is.

We do need quality low cost sports cars that are fun to drive, as MX5’s prove there’s a market and cars don’t need large carbon footprints, to be fun. As Colin Chapman of Lotus proved with his philosophy of ‘Adding lightness’ ie making cars lightweight with smaller power, handle well and are great fun to drive.

i had a standard gt86 and then a turbo charged one which was raw and fun in every way. i fit 5 of us in once when on a camping trip and it was awful for the people behind but terrible for the person in the back middle lol. and i agree that the new law on front ends is odd when this front end can help you fall on to the bonnet, unlike the big, high up front blocks on suv's.

i have an idea for you. tag along with Jayemm and do brief dadcar reviews on the cars he is reviewing if the owners are willing so you can do the car seat tests and such to speed up your shoots and tag each other! good luck brother!

Fantastic channel

Nice one again Ben! ☺

Great review as always! It's such a shame that drivers cars like this are going to be fewer and farther between. Can't wait for the merch!

I definitely wanted one of these, but I ended up getting a 2022 Corolla SE manual sedan instead. Not regretting it at all.

New subscriber here. As a new Father, I LOVE THE IDEA OF HAVING FUN IN MY SPORTS CAR WITH MY 2 TWIN BABY BOYS IN THE BACK 😎

I had this question like 6y ago... and opted for a lovely cupra st ^^ it's not rwd but it's more powerful and fun enough while still being confortable and with a booth huge enough to fit pretty much everything =D

I’ll be ordering the 2024 BRZ soon. As for myself I am 5’5” and my wife is 5’2”. With that in mind the back seat should be somewhat usable for our adult son’s who are 5’5” and 5’7. 90% of the time I will be alone in the vehicle; occasionally I will have the wife in the vehicle and only 1-2 times a year for less than a half hour I will have someone in the backseat. Additionally we have a Toyota Highlander AWD as the regular family vehicle.

Had 2015 BRZ doing auto solo cone racing today, did well. Not seen any GR86 up close, but looks and sounds good. Bit cramped if had 2 younger kids in back with seats forward.

15:10 Very true, I was thankfully able to get a GT86 as my first car due to prices

Great review ☺️ looks a fun car to drive!

Loved that car!!

I so wanted one of these but didn’t get past the ‘can we get it it’ test😢 My self & my son are both slim 5’10 & my wife and daughter slim 5’2 and it just didn’t work. Add to this I need to get son to university with all his clobber & I need at least hatchback for my hobbies & it didn’t work. I still see them & wish I could get one. I ended up with a Toyota Corolla excel 2.0 hybrid touring sport instead. It does the job very well & I am very pleased with it & for an estate car it feels quite sporty as it has relatively low profile tires, not being an suv it’s quite low, sporty seats front & rear & the 2.0 puts out 180+ bhp so it has got some getup & go. When my daughter was young I had a VW Corrado VR6 and that was a hatchback with rear seats that adults could get in for shorter trips. Shame the GR86 couldn’t be just slightly bigger & a hatchback similar to the Corrado as I could have just about made this work 😂

A long wheelbase 4 door gr86/brz would be like a modern day e30 3 series. I think if one's kids were out of carseats then the toyobaru cars would be alright for dad duties. When you're a dad you might as well just give up until your kids can drive themselves...and then you can buy a 20 year old 911 and enjoy your midlife crisis.

Where I live in the states (northern climate) our dealerships only get allocated 5-6 of these a year (manual gearbox )and when I got on the list in 22 there was 30 something people ahead of me. It may be 5 years before I get one. Could buy a used one for more than new. Same goes for GR Corolla. My dealer got 1 last year.

I own the BRZ, its much cheaper then the UK 61k AUD vs 43k I paid in Australia Love the car tho, pretty much a old school 90s car without the drawback and headache

A 6 cylinder of this car would be exactly what the doctor prescribed...another great review. Thanks Scott for letting your car be featured on dadcars!

Good for a single father of one.

I adore this car, but I have a 3.3T Kia stinger tuned with 4 doors and a hatch, hard to justify going from 400/500 hp/tq down to 230/180 and losing doors. One day as a weekend car for sure. Once my kid can sit in the front with me.

I'm still undecided on these. A current Elise 111R owner and an Mx5 NA previously. Considering chopping in my Elise as I dont use it enough and these would be on the shortlist to use as a daily. Just something in the back of my mind holding me back, can't quite put my finger on it.

Thanks!

Hi Ben, how was the seat adjustment up and down? I'm a shorter driver so need to higher up

I currently own an 07 honda S2000 and a 99 toyota land cruiser. I absolutely love my honda but dont get to drive it as much anymore due to the arrival of my son. Ive been weighing up wether to swap both my cars for either the new gr86 or the gr yaris which would you reccomend is the better "Dad" car ?

A had a TRD GT86 for two years is was a very good car I have a mustang GT now has similar problems only two doors back seats only good for children and not very good fuel consumption but I would still recommend both car's

The automatic version comes with all the assist safety features - which is interesting!

I want to buy this. I really do. But I haven’t gotten my licence yet and it would take years to earn enough money to afford it 😢 I just hope it’s still easy enough to come by when I can finally get it *intense praying*

Which BMW 2 series were you referring to? My 2016 M240i has rear seats that go down pretty flat.

Perect timing. I sold my Mustang GT (with GT350R parts) after owning since new. It was amazing but I want something lighter and more agile. I have a 6 year old son. Would love your help. Here's my choices: 1. GR86 - Rented one. By far the top three cars I've ever driven (out of over 100). More enjoyable to me than Caymans and 911s. Second in fun to an Evora GT/400. They are releasing the "Performance Pack" with Brembo brakes early next year. Steering is super sharp, small wheel (I love that), the wheel turn to car movement ratio is perfect - road feel and feedback is lacking. Some concern about the engine issues creeping up on the web about folks tracking it. 2. ND3 MX5 - Just announced in Japan. Expected to arrive in US spring as well. A perfect car gets even better, they are improving the steering, new screen and a new improved differential. Concerns are safety on a rollover. Something about my 6 year old son sitting in that car in todays days of SUVs and electric cars makes me nervous. 3. GR Corolla (similar to Yaris) with Circuit Pack (Circuit pack because I love the blue color, BBS forged wheels and the look, the base GRC looks kinda meh) - I have NOT driven this. On paper this is the easy no brainer choice. Superb reliability, build quality, robust, strong, 4 doors, AWD. I am concerned that this car may not have feedback on the twisty bits and feel like a "hype car". I'd love to get your thoughts around it "as a drivers car". I dont care about numbers. The 2024 circuit packs are available right now, so I can get one soon Vs wait. Price is the other issue, its 40% more than a GR86 here in the US (PP Vs Circuit Pack).

Not a dad yet but happy to hear that I may not have to get rid of my baby when I am!

We don't even get the folding mirrors in the states 😢

If price wasnt an object, would you get the GR86 or the New Mustang (or Mach 1)?

How bout GReat daily?

2:49 very, very sweet!

My two middle elementary kids and wife ride in my car all the time. Once the car seat phase is done for people who have babies ends, it gets even easier.

The low front end of this car doesn’t pose a significant risk to other road users as such, it’s the driver who’s more at risk… if say you were to hit a higher riding SUV, there’s higher chances of you ending up literally underneath that higher riding suv

2024 model will have all safety features :)

long story short: it's best fitted made for 5'8 people

😊

New cars lose 30+% the SECOND u drive it out the dealership

To be honest, yes it can be done for short stints but I still would rather take the minivan to haul around my kids than my 911…

Why wpuld the engine note need to b simulated as this car is a combustion engine. Comparing it to a Porsche is unfair as i dou6its made by Toyota to take on Porsche or Aston. The LC500 or LS 500 would outclass the former two IMO

What is your height? Just trying to figure out if I can fit in. xd

Apparently it's ONLY suited for daily use :(

Owned a gt86 nice car crap interior gr looks bette but still a bit low rent. Alfa romeo your next car for sure!!!!

What Do you do for a living? Having all those cars in your 20's.

your comment on the GR Yaris only depreciates couples grand in 2 years is false. Car prices from 2020 has unprecedented skyrocketed till now. In normal market, car loses 5% driven off the lot and 20% in first year on average

I own one as well. 100% not practical family car. I would not recommend anyone own it as a daily driver.

Yes, a great car that is still towards the lower end of new car prices. .. But... for $35K US. the 10th gen Type R has real rear legroom, four times the storage, and a better engine. And a worthy manual, even better driver's seat, killer grip and a fast steering rack, etc. And still only weighs about 100 kilos more than the GR86... Yes the 11th gen Type R's are way more. But there are excellent low mileage FK8s for GR86 money. This senior can't wrap his head around paying the same money for less. But all that aside, it still makes me smile that a GR86 exists. No shade intended, just a reality check as it is not the ultimate enthusiast daily driver.

I don’t think that’s a family car

well the seats are designed for small humans.

Sorry but a 2-door is automatically disqualified as a family car unless you don't plan to have kids.