2018 Toyota 86 Review
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Edmunds' Expert Review
byWill Kaufman
Senior Editor and Content Strategist, CarMax
Will Kaufman has worked in the automotive industry since 2017. He has written hundreds of car-related articles and reviews over the course of his career. Will is a senior editor and content strategist for CarMax at Edmunds. Will has been featured in the Associated Press and a number of major outlets on the topics of infotainment and vehicle data, vehicle subscription services and autonomous vehicles. Will started his career in online publishing by writing and editing standardized test guides, but he has a lot more fun writing about cars.
Pros
- Handling is excellent and steering is precise
- Front seats are comfortable, supportive and good for spirited drives
- Standard features list is good for the price
Cons
- Acceleration is underwhelming
- Small trunk doesn't hold much cargo
- Lacks more now-common safety features and driver aids
What’s new
The 860 Special Edition has been discontinued and replaced by the GT trim, which keeps almost all the same upgrades but loses the special colors and paint stripes.
Vehicle overview
It's easy to count the 2018 Toyota 86's downsides. It's small inside, with limited cargo and passenger space; it's not particularly comfortable, especially for taller drivers; and the technology on offer feels totally outdated. The 86 has also only received modest power bumps over the years, so it's slower than a lot of competitors. Also, Toyota's never fixed the car's lack of midrange punch.
But there's no denying that the 86 still succeeds at being a ton of fun to drive. It provides a sporty experience even when you're just tooling around town. It's always engaging, and it's the kind of car that begs to be driven harder — it's just too bad it runs out of steam before too long.
Still, the market has evolved, and there are a lot of great performance coupes on the road right now at comparable prices. Today's 86 isn't as easy to recommend over the competition as the FR-S was back when it first launched.
What's it like to live with?
The Toyota 86 has barely changed in all the years since it was the Scion FR-S. (Remember Scion?) While that's a bit of a problem in some ways — cough, cough, we want CarPlay, cough — it means our impressions of the 2013 Scion FR-S that we bought to live with for a year are still just as relevant today. And we lived hard with the FR-S, slapping on a supercharger, exhaust, and fresh wheels and tires. You can read all about our long-term test with Toyota's entry-level rear-wheel-drive sports car.
Edmunds' Expert Rating
7.6 / 10The Toyota 86 may only be in its second year, but it's a direct continuation of the FR-S, from Toyota's now-defunct Scion brand. The underlying car hasn't received any major updates since it was introduced in 2012, but you might consider that a good thing. The 86 is lightweight, affordable, nimble, and almost always satisfyingly fun.
Trim tested
Each vehicle typically comes in multiple versions that are fundamentally similar. The ratings in this review are based on our full test of the Toyota 86 (2.0L flat-4 | 6-speed manual | RWD).
Scorecard
| Overall | 7.6 / 10 |
| Driving | 8.0 |
| Comfort | 7.5 |
| Interior | 7.5 |
| Utility | 7.5 |
| Technology | 7.0 |
Driving
8.0The 86 has moves like Jagger but an engine that struggles to get the stone rolling. We love the way the 86 drives through turns thanks to its classic rear-wheel-drive balance and effortless steering. It just needs a more powerful and refined engine to keep up with today's best sport coupes.
Comfort
7.5The interior stitching and embroidered 86 logos are nice touches, but this is no touring car. To the casual enthusiast, the 86 could be considered noisy and stiff, but it'll feel just right for the sport coupe aficionado. Toyota puts performance ahead of the 86's day-to-day usability.
Interior
7.5The interior of the 86 is purposeful and minimalist. There's also plenty of space and good outward visibility. Every control is right at your fingertips. Just don't consider this a four-passenger vehicle. Rear-seat space is laughable.
Utility
7.5With a folding rear seat and trunk designed to hold a full set of wheels and tires and a small tool set, the 86 doesn't have to be reserved just for weekend duty.
Technology
7.0The 86's technology package is like the car itself: minimal. While we don't specifically mind the lack of functionality, we'd rate this system higher if Toyota included Android Auto or Apple CarPlay integration.
Which 86 does Edmunds recommend?
You're not buying an 86 for its creature comforts, so just stick with the base trim and keep the price affordable. The manual transmission is definitely preferable to the automatic.
2018 Toyota 86 models
The 2018 Toyota 86 comes in two trim levels: the base and the 86 GT. Power comes from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 205 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque when paired to a six-speed manual transmission. Power dips slightly to 200 hp and 151 lb-ft when equipped with the automatic transmission. The 86 is rear-wheel-drive only.