Want some bragging rights? Only 30 of these 2025 Toyota GR86 Hakone Editions are coming to Canada. Some of them may end up as garage queens, never seeing the light of day. With around 25 million registered motor vehicles on our roads, that means that about one in every million cars on the road will be a Hakone GR86. That’s pretty exclusive.
What’s a Hakone you ask?
It is a 15-kilometre long scenic toll turnpike with views of Mount Fuji in Japan, loved by local automobile and motorcycle enthusiasts. Its twists and turns ascend more than 1,000 metres up to the Daikanzan Observation Deck which acts as a meeting place.
This special stretch of tarmac is used by Japanese manufacturers to test their vehicles’ handling and performance dynamics. It is sometimes referred to as Japan’s Nürburgring. European manufacturers use the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife race track in Germany to test their vehicles.
The last time Toyota offered a Hakone 86, as it was called then, was in 2020 when 30 of them also arrived on our shores.
What makes this Hakone different from other 2025 GR86s? It is available exclusively in this new Ridge Green exterior with bronze wheels. The result is striking. These 18-inch rims are wrapped in very sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4 215/40R18 tires.
Lurking behind those bronze wheels are big, red Brembo brakes that not only make it look track-worthy, they improve braking performance with their larger-diameter rotors. The Performance Pack also adds Sachs dampers, which improve this car’s handling characteristics.
Adding to the Hakone’s unique exterior is the large and purposeful-looking rear duckbill spoiler. You get a Hakone Edition rear deck lid badge with a silhouette of the GR86 in front of Mount Fuji. Inside the driver’s door is another badge indicating that this is a Toyota Gazoo Racing (the “GR†in GR86) Hakone Edition, limited to 30 units produced in 2025.
As you walk towards this pretty little two-seater, you hope and assume that you are about to embark on a fun, engaging and entertaining drive.
Does this lightweight sports car deliver?
It does … in a very back-to-basics kind of way.
This car weighs just 2,800 pounds (1,270 kg). Its 2.4-litre, naturally aspirated Subaru boxer engine generates 228 horsepower. All Toyota GR86s and Subaru BRZs are built by Subaru in their Gunma Plant in Japan.
The Hakone GR86’s coming to Canada are only available with a fun-to-use, short-throw, six-speed manual transmission. Get your gear changes right and you can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in around six seconds. It feels quicker than that because this is such a small car and you are so aware of what’s going on around you. On the highway, you really feel dwarfed by those big SUVs and massive tractor-trailers.
Getting into this stylish interior requires more effort than getting into your family minivan. Everything about this car, including its centre of gravity, is low to the ground. Nestle into these snug leather and Alcantara front seats, with tan and bronze sticking, and everything is within easy reach. It does have back seats, but you’d have to be pretty tiny to be able to fit in them. Fold them down and you get a decent amount of cargo space.
I bought the first generation 86 in 2013 because Jeremy Clarkson, then of “Top Gear” fame, named it his 2012 car of the year. Back then it was called the GT86, except in North America where it was badged the Scion FR-S (which stood for Front-engine, Rear-wheel-drive, Sport).
Since its launch a dozen years ago it has become a favourite among driving enthusiasts. That’s because this car is very rewarding to drive. Especially these second generation cars, which came out in 2022. They received a 20-per-cent increase in engine displacement, an 11-per-cent increase in horsepower and an 18-per-cent increase in torque over the first gen. cars.
I had a chance to drive a GR86 on a race track and it was a blast. Because these cars don’t have a lot of power, the level of danger is somewhat reduced. You have to try to not scrub off too much speed in the corners. You really get to hone your momentum driving skills.
As rewarding as these cars are to drive on the road, the experience is that much better when you get into a rhythm on a race track. The handling, braking, flat-four boxer engine and six-speed manual transmission all harmonize to provide a thoroughly engaging and rewarding driving.
The GR86 is proof that you don’t have to spend a fortune and have gobs of horsepower to have fun. This relatively affordable enthusiast coupe provides plenty of performance driving pleasure.
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