2019 Toyota 86 Owner’s Manual

Compact sports cars aren’t what people first think of when it comes to modern Toyotas, but that’s just because those people are unaware of the Toyota 86. The 2019 Toyota 86 --- formerly known as the Scion FR-S --- offers not just superlative performance, but surprising levels of practicality and utility as well.

The 2019 Toyota 86 was perhaps most notable for having the TRD Special Edition in the lineup, which started at $33,340 and was accompanied by two lower trims, the 86 and the 86 GT. The TRD Special Edition came only in Black and had a two-tone red and black interior. The 86 trim starts at $27,610, and the 86 GT trim starts at $29,505.

The standard powertrain is a 2.0L flat-four engine that actually comes from Subaru, a brand known for superlative balance in their engineering. It gets from 0 to 60 in just 6.2 seconds, and is paired with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission. Some shy away from the automatic, thinking it will spoil the fun driving dynamics, but this isn’t the case.

The steering wheel is small and the steering itself punchy and responsive. It might even take some getting used to before people really get to grips with how rapidly the car responds to steering and maneuvering input.

Sporty and fast it may be, but it’s also efficient. It managed a combined fuel consumption rating of about 37-mpg when submitted to long-distance testing. That’s a tiny bit behind competitors like the Mazda Miata and Fiat 124 Spider, but still very pleasing.

Where the 2019 Toyota 86 does better than the competition, however, is in the interior. The driver’s cockpit is much more spacious than the snug Mazda Miata and Fiat 124 Spider, for example. There’s also a 7-inch touchscreen, USB ports, Bluetooth and HD radio all as standard, but there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.