Toyota GR86 vs Mazda MX-5 2023 comparison review

The electric revolution is in full swing. Makers of regular cars and SUVs (such as Volvo) are already completely committed, but sports cars aren’t immune. The Lamborghini Aventador’s replacement will be a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), Ferrari’s new sports car, the 296 GTB, is also a PHEV, and even the likes of Renault Sport – soon to be Alpine – will be producing EVs exclusively.

Put aside the decreasingly distant threat of electrification and the SUV has already arrived in full force. Ferrari’s Purosangue, Ford killing the Fiesta (and with it the excellent ST hot hatch), and even Lotus entered the SUV game for goodness sake! Colin Chapman would be turning in his grave.

It's this context that makes setting a silly early morning alarm to meet Nathan Ponchard at Berowra Ampol rather exciting.

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We’ve arrived to brim-fill a brace of bespoke, two-door sports cars you can buy right now for about $50K. Sure, one of them has been around for a while – the MX-5 hit Oz in September 2015 – and Toyota’s new GR86 is a heavily revised version of the 2012 86, but come on, does it get much better this side of $100K?

Well, you could argue it does, with the new Nissan Z and a manual Supra here now, and Honda’s 'FL5' Civic Type R launching shortly (not to mention the rest of the hot hatch crew), driving enthusiasts are still spoilt for choice. But today isn’t about celebrating what we have, it’s about deciding which of these two is best.

JUMP AHEAD

• Pricing and features
• The basics
• Comfort and space
• On the road
• Safety
• Fuel efficiency
• Ownership
• VERDICT

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Pricing and features

Neither car is cheap for what they offer on a spec sheet; small screens, manual seat adjustment and negligible boot space are common themes, but to be fair that isn’t why you buy them.

We have the most focused variants from both brands. In Mazda’s case that’s the $47,320 (before on-road costs) Roadster GT SP. The SP is the latest addition to a now seven-strong MX-5 range and can be identified by lightweight 17-inch BBS alloys, German Bilstein dampers and red Brembo four-piston front brake calipers clamping 280mm discs.

The 2023 GR86 GTS manual is $45,390 before on-road costs – the same as the auto, which is one reason to buy a BRZ – and can be told apart from the GT by anthracite 18-inch alloys, two-tone ‘Ultrasuede’ upholstery, red stitching and adaptive LED headlights.

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The Mazda MX-5 has a 7.0-inch touchscreen that now runs wireless Apple CarPlay (but wired Android Auto), built-in sat-nav and DAB+ digital radio. The gauges may not have a digital speed readout, but they are attractive even if the speedo’s font verges on too small.

A 230W nine-speaker Bose sound system is fitted to the MX-5 Roadster SP, and although OK at low speed it’s certainly not powerful enough to overwhelm 100km/h of wind rushing over your head.

Inside the GR86 things have improved markedly for the new-gen car with a crisp 8.0-inch touchscreen featuring shortcut buttons, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s also a very easy-to-read digital instrument cluster with several displays and clear speed read-out.

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Toyota GR86 and Mazda MX-5

The Basics

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Comfort and space

The Mazda MX-5’s cabin immediately presents as a more premium space. The attractive, larger-diameter steering wheel (that would look at home in a resto-modded MG B) is wrapped in high-quality leather.

It also has leather seats, squishy secondary materials and, when finished in Soul Red Crystal (or another bright hue), an engaging pop of colour courtesy of the colour-matched door tops. This looks tacky in a small SUV but suits the MX-5.

Ergonomics and practicalities are not the MX-5’s forte. Even if the cup holders are a clever solution, heavier bottles have a tendency to slip out under hard cornering. The token space under the armrest is just big enough for the MX-5's key fob and the recess under the centre stack doesn’t really fit a modern smartphone. At least the lockable cubby between the seats is a nice touch.

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Click on the picture to see a full gallery of MX-5's interior

At 188cm tall I’m also right on the MX-5’s height limit with just enough headroom, and the seat on the last click of the sliders. Luckily I’m skinny, because the cockpit is intimate as well. The seats look comfy but on long stints I found them to lack lumbar support, resulting in a sore lower back.

In contrast, the GR86’s driving position had me worried initially, as its two-stage heated 'Ultrasuede'-appointed seats don’t have as much tilt or under-thigh support as I’d want, but over hours and hours of driving, they never grew uncomfortable.

There is the feeling Toyota redesigned the seats, widening the bolsters, perhaps to make the GR86 more accommodating for larger frames than the snug 86. The GR also loses the facelifted 86’s lovely triangular soft pads that kept the driver’s left knee protected during hard cornering. Strange.

And then there’s the baby elephant in this coupe, that being a pair of seats in the back that are actually usable. Not comfortable, but functional, and having that extra flexibility if this is your only car cannot be overstated.

The GR86’s 237L boot is also miles more useful than the MX-5 Roadster’s 130L. Fold the seats and you can fit four spare tyres when you’re going to the racetrack, too.

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Click on the picture to see a full gallery of GR86's interior

On the road

As I arrived at the meeting spot in the GR86 having already enjoyed the privilege of spending a few days punting it around town, I chose to swap into the MX-5 for the first leg of the comparison.

It was a mellow start with smooth, constant-radius turns of the Old Pacific Highway unravelling behind slow traffic. Despite a subdued pace, the MX-5’s body was still wriggling and moving around. The roadster’s easier clutch, longer-throw six-speed manual and more refined engine are second nature to the driver. It’s true, the MX-5 is fun at all speeds.

There’s an effortlessness to the GR86’s chassis that invites you closer to your limits, rather than indulging in the process of each corner.

As the road opened up, the MX-5’s (beautifully presented) 135kW/205Nm 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine could flex its muscles. The MX-5’s midlife update really sweetened the ‘big block’ up with a seriously high redline, allowing you to indulge in second gear up to the 7800rpm fuel cut.

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Putting more load through the MX-5’s chassis reveals how the firmer Bilstein dampers have tied the MX-5’s body down. Not so it doesn’t roll – it definitely does – but some of the standard car's occasionally unnerving vertical pitch is minimised. The ride is firmer without compromising control.

For 2022, Mazda also introduced ‘Kinetic Posture Control’ (KPC) that brakes the inside rear wheel to tug the roadster’s nose into the apex a little tighter. All manual MX-5s still have a mechanically-locking rear diff.

Does it work? Sort of. Except that after a hard run up and down our back-to-back hillclimb the MX-5 left a distinct odour of warm brake pads wafting through the Hunter Valley. This also comes down to an overly-grabby ESC tune that seems to have been amplified by the raised grip limit granted by the Bilstein dampers.

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Jumping straight into the sharper GR86, and in the first 100 metres the difference in chassis rigidity against the Roadster is stark.

Over a scabby patchwork of potholes the MX-5’s tiller skips in your palms, while the Toyota’s wheel reminds you of the bumps, but doesn't kick back like the Mazda's.

The Toyota’s firm brake pedal, meaty gearshift and sharp throttle inspire you to get to work immediately. That sharper 2.5-turn lock-to-lock rack makes the GR86’s front end feel ultra-responsive too.

But the GR86 doesn't flow like the MX-5. Where the roadster fluidly rolls, dips and slides on its 205/45 R17 Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres, the GR86’s dance is more punctuated. There’s a flow to be found, but it’s a staccato one as the GR86 eggs the driver to brake harder, turn in faster, hit the gas sooner. There’s an effortlessness to the GR86’s chassis that invites you closer to your limits, rather than indulging in the process of each corner.

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The GR86’s engine is stronger, too with a handy lump of extra mid-range punch accompanied by a tuneful (if rather fake) soundtrack. Outright pace between this pair isn’t too different on paper, with Toyota claiming a 0-100km/h sprint of 6.3 seconds and Mazda 6.5 seconds. You can put that down to the weight difference, the delicate Mazda bearing 238 fewer kilos than the 1291kg GR86.

Look in the GR86’s (no-longer-frameless) rearview mirror and, well, there is quite a difference in real-world pace. Throw some twists in the mix, and the Mazda is nowhere to be seen. Toyota’s GR86 feels like a tool for taking on a Targa Tasmania stage rather than a mellow Sunday drive in the countryside.

The GR86’s focus can compromise its fun factor. Where the MX-5 – and also the Subaru BRZ – give a wider envelope of neutral, throttle-adjustable steer mid-corner without finding understeer, the GR86 is edgier. That said, the new car has lost none of the old 86’s throttle-steerable antics, even on grippier 215/40R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres.

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But when you get too greedy on the throttle in a higher-speed corner, the GR86 is more likely to nibble at the front tyres with a gentle, reassuring smidge of understeer. It punishes the driver, to a certain extent, where the MX-5 flatters aggressive movements.

Ponch reckoned that by stiffening both cars the manufacturers had really made them worse on the road, and that’s probably true. In any case – just like its predecessor – the GR86 is subtly asking the owner to come along and tweak it: dialling out that front-end push would only take a little extra front camber or stickier tyres.

The MX-5, though, is a more rounded, balanced package out of the box. Not only is it more approachable, it’s also more fun. Except for the road noise. The roadster’s unbearable roar on coarse chip surfaces gets tiring very quickly. The GR86 isn’t what you’d call serene, but it’s much more tolerable.

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Safety

The Mazda MX-5 scored five stars in its 2016 ANCAP safety test. The Toyota GR86 has not yet been evaluated by the safety body, and Toyota has not indicated any intention to submit it for crash testing.

Standard safety features fitted to the GR86 GT include seven airbags, anti-lock brakes, stability control and a reversing camera. Not much in 2023.

Automatics GR86s get front auto emergency braking, rear parking sensors with low-speed reversing AEB, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning. The tested GTS adds rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring for both manual and automatic transmissions.

The Mazda MX-5’s safety suite is a little fuller, including forward and reverse AEB with pedestrian detection (in the manuals, too. What gives Toyota?), blind-spot monitoring, driver attention monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and traffic sign recognition.

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Fuel efficiency

Though the Mazda’s engine is a little less powerful, it’s more fuel efficient. During testing, the Mazda consumed 9.0L/100km of petrol.

When driving more sedately, the Mazda easily hits its official ADR combined figure of 6.8L/100km. The MX-5 will take a minimum of 95 RON unleaded petrol, though its high-compression engine prefers 98 RON.

The GR86 will accept no less than 98 RON and returned 9.6L/100km on our test loop. Not far off the GR86’s combined ADR 81/02 figure of 9.4L/100km.

Around town, the GR86 is noticeably less efficient than the Mazda, returning closer to 10.0L/100km in the suburbs, and only getting down to about 8.0L/100km on the highway.

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Ownership

Toyota and Mazda both cover their sports cars with capped-price servicing, which means no nasty surprises despite owning a fairly exotic-looking beast.

A GR86 customer gets five years or 75,000km of servicing capped at just $280 per visit, which is due every 12 months or 15,000km. That makes the total service pricing for the GR86 just $1400 over the duration.

The Mazda MX-5’s service costs are a little dearer, with the total coming to $2065 over the same period. Both the MX-5 and GR86 are covered by five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranties in Australia.

It is worth taking into account the use cases for both of these cars, as they might not match up to typical driving. For example, a Corolla or Mazda 3’s engine oil may be fine for 15,000km but over that same distance, it’s likely the GR86 and MX-5 will both get subjected to higher revs.

Higher engine speeds generate more heat, and heat breaks down oil which leads to engine damage. So if you intend to use either car on the track, or drive spiritedly, consider more regular oil changes than prescribed by the manufacturer.

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VERDICT

They may be relatively affordable but the GR86 and Mazda MX-5 are proper sports cars; they’re like putty in the driver’s hands.

You can bend, shape and mould their cornering attitudes at will. The difference is, where the MX-5 is playdough, the GR86 is precision modelling clay.

Don’t write the MX-5 off as a childish plaything; it’s anything but. In fact, playdough is a compliment, for the MX-5 is an approachable car that almost anyone will be able to find the limit of, and doing so brings an instant smile to the face.

And while precision modelling clay may sound like what you want, deriving satisfaction from modelling clay requires a lot more concentration and commitment than playdough. Trust me.

That said, for me the GR86 is the car I lust after. Its delicacy, accuracy and outright pace won me over, but contributor Nathan Ponchard argued a strong case to put the MX-5 first on drivers car terms. These are unique sports cars, each will suit a different driver, and that should be celebrated.

Ultimately, the verdict comes down to more than on-limit dynamics. Considering these two are roughly the same price – and while a fixed roof will be an absolute deal-breaker for some – the GR86's newer technology, space for four and usable boot make it the winner.

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SCORING

Toyota GR86 GTS: 8.5/10

Mazda MX-5 GT RS: 8.5/10

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