Compare the2023 Toyota GR86VS 2023 Subaru BRZ

Both the GR86 and the BRZ have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the GR86 for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the BRZ.

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the GR86’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Subaru is ranked 8th.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota GR86 is faster than the Subaru BRZ (manual transmissions tested):

On the EPA test cycle the GR86 6-speed Auto gets better fuel mileage than the BRZ 6-speed Auto (21 city/31 hwy vs. 21 city/30 hwy).

The GR86 stops much shorter than the BRZ:

The GR86 has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The BRZ doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The GR86 Premium handles at 1.00 G’s, while the BRZ pulls only .93 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The GR86 Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the BRZ (24.7 seconds @ .76 average G’s vs. 25.8 seconds @ .71 average G’s).

The GR86’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the BRZ Limited.

Road and Track performed a comparison test in its February 2022 issue and they ranked the Toyota GR86 Premium higher than the Subaru BRZ Limited.

The Toyota GR86 outsold the Subaru BRZ by 25% during the 2021 model year.