Toyota GT 86

 

The GT86 was always going to be a magnet for tuners and tweakers. And Toyota actively encourages it. Even before its launch, Toyota showed Japanese tuner companies the GT86 blueprints so they could get cracking on an ecosystem of bolt-ons. Most carmakers would like to hog the aftermarket to themselves, but Tetsuya Tada, the car's chief engineer, convinced his bosses it was in Toyota's interest to let outsiders in, because it would ramp up the general buzz and sell more cars. That said, Toyota isn't stepping away from the action: its Toyota Racing Development (TRD) arm is launching a series of hop-up bits too.
Beginning in March, the TRD parts will sell as a trim level on new cars, and if that goes well, they'll later be offered for cars already on the road. To be honest, the difference the package makes over the standard car is subtle, so in the interest of not talking cobblers, I was glad I was driving the two of them back-to-back.
The pack consists of a four-exit exhaust for a noticeably fruitier noise and a barely noticeable 3-4bhp. Bigger wheels carry 225/40R18 tyres, of stickier compound.
For comparison, standard are 215/45R17 - actually Prius tyres, made for durability and low rolling resistance, not grip. A carbon-fibre strut brace stiffens the shell. An aero kit is effective but not too brash.
Out on a track, the TRD car has a neutral-to-oversteer steady-state cornering balance, as does the standard car. But there's a whole lot more grip. And it runs out less gradually, less transparently. Which is perhaps less fun. Mind you, the car I drove had optional adjustable dampers and stiffer front anti-roll bar. Still, the extra precision is nice. You're far less likely to get it sideways unless you've gone in fast. Which I didn't at first, because this car also had £8k's worth of mega-brakes. But I'm not sure the balance of lateral grip to power is as delicate as on the standard car (Tada is working on a lower-ratio rear diff, which would help). The playability is eroded, and with it the thing that makes the base car so unique.
Paul Horrell

The numbers
1998cc, 4cyl, RWD, 201bhp, 151lb ft, 36.2mpg, 181g/km CO2, 0–62mph in 7.6secs, 140mph, 1275kg
The verdict
Measurably excellent, but it feels more like other modern sports cars. It’s moving away from the goals of the base machine

Volkswagen Golf GTI 

 

In an era of 276bhp Astra VXRs and 247bhp Focus STs, the base Golf GTI - with its 217bhp turbo 4cyl - looks, on paper at least, like a relic from the early years of the Noughties: a time when Von Dutch was cool and MSN messaging was seen as a legitimate activity.
Last month, we tried the 227bhp Performance Pack GTI, but this is our first shot in the standard car. And, yes, the Golf is noticeably slower than, say, the VXR, taking 0.6 seconds longer to reach 62mph. But it's so much more composed in the way it gathers speed. With 258lb ft of torque on tap, power delivery is strong and far smoother than the Astra's manic turbo detonation, meaning you cover ground with more confidence and thus, in the bumpy real world, likely just as quick. Especially with the optional £1,415 6spd DSG.
But don't disregard the manual. The gearknob is pitted like a golf ball in homage to the MkI GTI, which feels a bit odd at first, but once you're accustomed to the weird bobbles, you'll find the transmission a proper peach.
So is the steering, a new variable-ratio system that alters the gearing depending on driver inputs. Lock-to-lock takes just two turns, negating the need for frenzied wheel-shuffling when driving on tight, twisty roads.
Visually, the base car retains the same GTI elements as the Performance Pack: badges, bigger bumpers, roof spoiler, twin exhausts, cloth tartan interior and red line on the radiator grille that now continues into the standard bi-xenon headlights in a very glam-rock-eyeliner way. There's also loads of safety tech as standard (intelligent cruise control, emergency braking and automatic post-collision braking) that drops the GTI five insurance groups below the previous generation.
Which should save you a bit of cash... though probably not the £980 of the Performance Pack. So is it worth the upgrade, or should you go base? Well, in addition to that extra 10bhp, the PP gets you bigger brakes and trick electronic LSD, and it's the latter that really makes it the GTI of choice. The standard car's XDS+ electronic diff won't leave you understeering into oblivion, but the posher, torque-vectoring e-diff offers up astonishing traction in even the tightest corners. Spend the grand on the Performance Pack. You won't regret it.
Rowan Horncastle
The numbers
1984cc, 4cyl, FWD, 217bhp, 258lb ft 47.1mpg, 139g/km CO2 0-62mph
in 6.5secs, 152mph 1351kg
The cost
£25,845
The verdict
The standard GTI is perfectly fine - but we'd be finding the extra cash to upgrade to the Performance Pack.