2025 Toyota GR86 Hakone Review

If you’re a fan of Initial D or Speedhunters, you might be familiar with the town of Hakone, south west of Tokyo. The area is blessed with a beautiful lake, mountains, rivers, hot springs, lush green regional parks and, most importantly, some of the best driving roads Japan has to offer. And so it seems appropriate that this special edition GR86 adopts its name.  

Toyota only sells the top spec GT line of the GR86 here, which is what this Hakone edition is based on. The GT sells for $59,990 for the manual or auto, and this special edition GR86 asks for an additional $2000. That gets you the unique Ridge Green colour, Satin Bronze wheels, tan interior details, a Hakone shifter and a badge on the back. Numbers are limited to 16 for New Zealand, 860 for the U.S. and 200 for Japan, where it’s called the RZ “Ridge Green Limited”.

I like this colour. It’s darker than the metallic green used on the first-gen Hakone edition and goes well with the bronze wheels; a classic colour combination. 

This is the fourth special edition of the GR86, another being the Orange 10th Anniversary Edition, which we got here. The Trueno Edition and Yuzu Edition were for America only.

Time to address the elephant in the room then. We were given the automatic version but hear me out, for it’s not a bad thing. We’ve previously reviewed the manual GR86 and BRZ tS, so it’s always good to compare. The auto GR86 gets the A960E six-speed transmission which is a carryover from the first-gen 86. But now with a larger 2.4L engine, the extra power and torque mean this transmission does not suffer from the dip in the midrange that plagued the original 86. 

In fact, in the US and Japan, they race the automatic version, and it’s been proven to punch out faster lap times. That’s because it is faster in the 80-130km/h range, giving it a midrange advantage on certain tracks where all-out speed isn’t such a factor.

We’re talking tenths here, but it’s important to know that the auto is no slouch. Saying that, I believe the demand for the manual will probably still be higher, especially on the second-hand market, so it would probably be the wiser choice if you don’t mind rowing your own gears.

Driving the GR86 is always a delight. On a back road, put the lever in its Sport mode and wind up the revs to 7400rpm where the shift warning beeps an alert, prompting you to pull the paddle. Approaching a corner, hit the brakes and wow! They feel so firm. Once your foot adapts, the firmness can help you scope out the right amount of pressure so as not to overbrake on corner entry. But it can be a little tricky when attempting to trail brake, as the pedal travel is short.

Going through the corner, you have real confidence in your ability to place the car. The turn-in is great, and it’s easy to correct. The steering wheel has a nice feel to it via the thin rim. It can seem a touch numb comparing it with more expensive performance cars, but it’s very honest and is better than most. It doesn’t jerk or become upset over bumps either. The Sachs dampers are very good; there’s no kickback or tramlining as it absorbs the bumps while maintaining firm body control. The grippy Michelin Pilot Sport 4 come to the party, holding tough through the bend, making amends for their increased noise on chipseal. They aren’t entirely to blame. Along with minimal sound deadening, Toyota has implemented other weight-saving measures like an aluminium hood, fender and bonnet, and the low-slung Boxer means the 1297kg kerb weight is spread down low. Mid-corner, you can ease the lock and hit the gas as it sorts itself through the corner nicely. It feels so good! I couldn’t help thinking that on the right roads, bigger sports cars with double the power would struggle to shake this feisty little ‘touge’ carver. It’s a riot to drive.

Inside, it’s very old school with just the essentials; easy-to-use buttons for the wheel, simple HVAC controls, a manual handbrake and an eight-inch touchscreen. A little more lower thigh support in the seat wouldn’t go astray. Forward visibility is great, and while it’s not so good rearward thanks to large C-pillars, BSM does help. You also get adaptive cruise, Lane Departure Warning, AEB, reverse auto braking and high beam assist. Figure also on Lane Sway Warning, Lead Vehicle Start Alert, Pre-Collision Braking System, Pre-Collision Brake Assist and Brake Light Recognition. 

As you might expect, boot space is minimal, and leg room for rear passengers tight.

I was not expecting to not like the auto GR86 as much as I did. If you intend mainly to use this for city driving duties, I can see the appeal. Either way, in manual or auto, the GR86 will leave you walking away with a big grin. And that’s relatively rare in something at this asking price.  

Toyota GR86 Hakone
$61,990  /  9.8L/100km  /  224g/km
0-100 km/h 6.8s
Engine  2387cc / B4/ DI
Max power  174kW@7000rpm
Max torque  250Nm@3700rpm
Transmission  6-speed auto, RWD
Weight (claimed)  1297kg