Compare the2024 Toyota GR86VS 2024 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the GR86 for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, 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.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the GR86 has a standard 470-amp battery. The BRZ’s 390-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Subaru is ranked 6th.

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

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 power windows standard on both the GR86 and the BRZ have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the GR86 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The BRZ prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Consumer Reports rated the GR86’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the BRZ’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

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/tS.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota GR86 and the Subaru BRZ, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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 almost three to one during 2023.