Agreed! Comparisons of a 2022 car to a car that is 14-15 years old (AP2). And the 14-15 year old car can still outperform or perform just as well. S2000 is a beast and will always hold its own, even with newer modern day cars.

Toyota, IMHO, has been disappointing. With the release of the new Supra, which essentially is a BMW and these 86 cars where they basically teamed up with Ooobaru. What happened to them? They don't have the engineering capacity to come up with some JDM muscle to build a solid Supra or solid FRS model? When they initially mentioned that they were bringing back the Supra, I was excited because I thought it was going to be built off the legendary 2JZ Supra monster, but in modernized fashion. Similar to the way Nissan did with the GTR. The new Supra is a pretty cool car. But its not cut from the same fabric as its legendary predecessors. Very sad, I must say, to see from Toyota.

- DM

 

E-Type and Shelby Cobra. Probably two of the most beautiful cars ever made I agree. the S2K never really won a ton of beauty pageants compared to other cars out there.

 

Upgraded car and another super beauty is the original NSX. I'm sure all of us would agree. And, also agree it isn't affordable ;D

But yeah... we should stick to the OP - 2022 GR86. It isn't bad looking eh? Looks super good imo - love the excessively large front rectangle grill (really reminds me of the 1st gen 240z with the chrome bumper removed). Also love they made it much more simple and minimal compared to previous model - so glad auto designers are finally moving away from gaudy, too-futuristic designs (civic type R *cough*).

The headlights and front end obviously kinda resemble Porsche, as many comment. Japan car/driver celebs even stated it looks similar to a Model 3, lol (I can totally see that). But, after detailing my S2k last wknd, I've noticed the GR's headlights kinda have a similar shape/angle to the S2k headlights.... hmm, interesting.

As for the taillights... I don't really dig them. They look like an Accord or Civic (or newer NSX). But, I still like them much better than the previous model... those were too gaudy, trying too hard and too futuristic.

Everything else tho, esp overall shape and body lines, is very nice, subtle, simple. I likey.

 

That's another good thing about this car - we get a lot of interesting interactions.

Just a couple weeks ago, after picking up some take-out dinner, I was approached by a few very hot, classy females (unfortunately with guy friends or boyfriends) and complimented me on my car. They were obviously "car people" because I saw all their cars which were parked close by (very tastefully modded and I'm sure they were professionals/industry). We all talked very briefly and everyone was cool (even the guys). Man, one of them was super cute.
I get complimented on the car from time to time... but 99% of the time it'd be a guy.

 

Hoping to buy one of these when it hits midcycle refresh as a complement to the S2000.
By then, my kids should be able to climb into the back themselves, and both kids will be in front-facing seats. It would not be the family car though.

Kinda curious about getting something like a 128i coupe M-package though.... that BMW inline 6 is awfully-tempting, and pretty economical too.
But the GR86 strikes me as a "put your money where your mouth is" type car - the kind you buy so that the automakers know it's still worth their effort to make these (buying used doesn't do squat for their business case)

 

The E-Type and the Cobra are automotive design icons for good reason. While I tend to prefer the older designs in general, I do find the S2K to be a really good looking design as far as "newer "cars (plastic bumper cover era) are concerned. The ever-increasing safety regulations have really taken their toll on automotive design. Even relatively modern cars like the NSX and the S2000 tend to stand out today in part because designers couldn't mimic these designs even if they wanted to. As with so many other things, those low hood lines are a thing of the past. Whereas the hood line of the S2000 might look rather tall compared to the NSX, it looks like it's doing the limbo compared to today's designs. While I love my S2000, I don't ever see it being considered an automotive design icon and I'm okay with that. It still makes my plenty happy and looks better to my eye than anything being released these days (again, primarily because of the regulations designers currently face).

Design is such a subjective thing (see my comments directly above). I agree with you that simpler is better — when done right that is. In my opinion, this is the primary reason that the design of the S2000 has aged as well as it has. As I mentioned earlier, I find the GR 86 to be one of the better looking cars that you can go out and purchase new today. On the one hand, that's me complimenting the GR 86. On the other hand, that's me acknowledging that the current state of automotive design sets the bar pretty low. But again, much of this has to do with the regulations today's designers face. Now when it comes to something like the CTR, there's no way you can blame that on restrictive safety regulations (it might be fast, but it can't outrun its looks). The looks of the CTR are best viewed from inside the car as at least you don't have to watch yourself drive by. Yet there are still those who love the CTR and even the looks of that car. In the end, that's all that really matters. I tend to think that ultimately, most enthusiasts prefer to own cars that not only do they enjoy driving, but looking at as well. That's going to mean different things to different people on both counts. There will be those that find the GR 86 unattractive (just as with all cars), but there's no way the looks of the GR 86 is going to generate the sort of "love it or hate it" polarization that the CTR does.

That would be a nice gesture for sure. But as far as new cars are concerned, unless you're fired up about EV's, I'd recommend buying whatever speaks to you the most while you still can.

 

Yeah, we've all heard about those modern safety-regulations that drastically restrict automotive designs for the worst - taller hood-lines, bumpers, fenders, etc.

But, I just thought about this now... if the aforesaid was truly the cause for ugly, bulbous, too-tall, bulky, un-sleek modern designs... then how does Ferrari, Lambo, McLaren get away with it??

For sure, Ferrari, Lambo, McLaren still use super sleek, low bumper/hood lines, etc. in their current and modern designs, no? ...this kinda confuses me.

 

Those are all mid or rear engined. I believe the legislation requires a certain amount of distance between the hood and engine to allow for “crush” area for pedestrian impact which raises hood height on front engined cars.

 

Actually, according to this link of the FT86club forums, it's not related to the SUV FA24 except for displacement. It's more an upsized FA20 (but with the same size dimensions somehow and a slightly higher redline)

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146209

 

I'll be taking a very strong look at them next year as an S2k replacement. My daughter will be taking my daily as her 1st car and I cant bring myself to daily the S2k or purchase a 4th car. Owned a '14 BRZ a few years ago and it was decent, flawed, but decent. This looks like it improved in nearly every aspect while maintaining the fun, light, RWD formula. The GR supra was high on my list but I don't see it being worth nearly 2x the cost of the 86. Time will tell, but bravo to Toyota and Subaru for keeping this thing alive and actually improving the car while sticking to its roots.