Time to play a game of spot the difference. And color doesn't count. Can you pick which of these is a Toyota and which is a Subaru. Not easy, is it? Well, the coupe on my right is called the Toyota 86. The coupe on my left the Subaru BRZ. They are essentially the same car, but is there a dominante twin?
That's what we are about to find out. The 86 and BRZ are the result of collaboration between the two Japanese brands. Toyota has contributed to the planning, design, and technology, such as the direct fuel injection but both are effectively a Subaru production and both are built at a Subaru plant in Japan.
Even the engine is a Subaru trademark boxer. a two-liter, four cylinder that pumps its pistons in a unorthodox horizontal fashion. The 86 and BRZ share other aspects. The body shapes mirror image, the tail lights are identical and they even use the same 17 inch multi spoke alloys and tyres. There's the same narrow boot and same two plus two seating layout that brings cramp to rear accomidation.
There are only subtle visual differences. And underneath the underpinnings vary only lightly, with Subaru opting for slightly stiffer springs to put a little extra emphasis on handling. We're in the Toyota 86 first having to point that out because the interiors are virtually identical. There's actually a fair degree of compliance with the ride despite the 86 having a fairly firm sports car setup.
Yet head into corners, and this Toyota feels exceptionally poised, it responds to the most delicate of inputs, whether it's from the steering or from the throttle pedal. It really is terrific. You truly feel at one with the car, and that's a sensation quite alien to driving any other current Toyota.
We're more used to fine handling Subarus but how does the BRZ compare? Despite featuring the same cabin plastics and materials as the 86, the BRZ does smell just like a Forester or a Liberty. It's like the interior has been sprayed with eau de Subaru. The driving experience however, as you might expect, is equally engaging.
The project team behind the coupes benchmark the Porsche Cayman and it really tells. From the ultra-precise steering to the progressive brakes. It's really a great driver's car. And these coupes are more about having fun on twisty roads than providing exhilarating straight line speed. Both the 86 and BRZ will accelerate from naught to 100 in 7.8 seconds when equipped with the standard six-speed manual.
Add a few more tenths if you opt the six-speed auto, but it's still a fine transmission choice and comes with pedal shift levers. Either way, they still feel sufficiently quick. Even on pricing, it's difficult to split these two. The Subaru BRZ comes in just one trim level that sits in a kind of halfway position between the GT and GTS variants of the Toyota 86, as does its drive away starting price of 37150.
Here at Car Advice, we don't like to sit on the fence but this is a tricky one. So it really comes down to this if you want the sportiest Toyota to drive in years it is the 86 and if you want a sporty Subaru that's not a WRX and its rear-wheel drive it is the BRZ.
