Ace of Base: 2018 Toyota 86

You bunch of ungrateful whelps. “Give us affordable rear-drive performance!” cried all hands, weeping at the thought of departed rear-drive funbags such as the MR2 and Corolla GT-S. Toyota, ever the dutiful servant, shacked up with Subaru to create the chuckable 2,700 lb sprite you see above.

And how’d you repay ‘em? By waiting for the things to show up on BHPH lots, that’s how! Ingrates. This is the car everyone wanted and then promptly forgot, as illustrated by the fact it is outsold more than 2:1 by the antiquated Sequoia.

My rage is manufactured and over the top, of course, as everyone’s seems to be these days. Still, the 86 is a great car, especially in base trim.

There are technically three trims of the 86: base, GT, and GT Black. All are powered by the 2.0-liter boxer-four, whose dimensions allow it to be slung low under the 86’s long hood, imbuing the sporty imp with a centre of gravity similar to that of Lowly Worm.

Base 86’s are priced at $26,850. For that sum, one will find good touch points inside the cabin, such as a leather-trimmed wheel that tilts and telescopes so drivers can get comfy prior to a bit of back road barn burning. In fact, Toyota goes through the trouble of specifically mentioning “knee support cushions for spirited driving,” indicating there are more than a few gearheads on both the engineering and marketing sides of the table.

Air conditioning is standard, of course, as are all manner of power motors for the doors and windows. Manually-adjusted seats keep the weight down. Remote keyless entry appears but a push-to-start is reserved for the GT, leaving base model owners suffering the indignity of twisting a, y’know, actual key in order to fire up the boxer engine.

It’s that mill which prompted the most carping from armchair critics, most of whom bleat that 205 horses and 156 lb-ft of twist isn’t enough powerrrrrr. An automatic transmission sucks up five horses, costs more, and should be avoided like the plague. It’s not a bad ‘box, but the spirit of this car is better suited to a stick. A six-speed manual transmission helps keep things on the boil while a Torsen limited-slip diff doles out power delivery at the rear.

Oddly, the only color on Toyota’s palette for which they charge a premium is white. Extroverted shades like Ablaze Red and Oceanic Blue are gratis, as are any number of greys. Beige is not available. In a presumed effort to keep a lid on costs, black fabric is the sole interior choice. Those cruising Toyota lots will learn a rear spoiler is a dead GT giveaway, as are fog lights up front. Neither are necessary; stick with this base car.

Toyota did rummage around in the engine a couple of years ago, finding those extra five horses (for manual cars, at least). The company reiterates that a turbo is not in the cards, saying the car’s architecture could not accommodate boost without negatively affecting its weight balance. The next-gen car may get a displacement bump to 2.4L. We’ll see.

The 86 enjoys robust aftermarket support. Intakes, exhausts, tunes, and the like are all available to those who feel their Toyobaru needs more oomph. A popular plug-n-play turbo kit, one of many, promises an extra 100 horses, giving the car a power-to-weight ratio not far off that of a Charger Hellcat. Springing for these treats will be all the easier for those who buy the cheaper base car.

Only 2,288 of these machines have been sold so far this year, a number roughly equal to how many Corollas are sold in two days. Like I said: buncha ingrates.

[Images: Toyota]

Not every base model has aced it. The ones which have? They help make the automotive landscape a lot better. Any others you can think of, B&B? Let us know in the comments. Naturally, feel free to eviscerate our selection.

The model above is shown in American dollars with American options and trim, absent of destination charges and available rebates. As always, your dealer may sell for less.