The Subaru BRZ and the Toyota GR86 are cars I hold close to my heart. Not only are they excellent to drive, but they represent two of the last bastions of truly affordable enthusiast vehicles in the new car market. Whenever someone asks me what I’d buy if I could only have one car, these little coupes are always at the top of my list.
Neither the BRZ nor the GR86 are as cheap as they used to be. I went to both of the cars’ launches back in 2022, and back then, the Subaru started at $28,990, while the Toyota started at $28,795—pretty damn reasonable for how much fun they were.
Toyota has managed to stay relatively cheap despite the upheaval caused by tariffs. The base trim with the manual transmission—the gearbox you want—costs $31,995 including destination. That’s about $1,200 more than the current MX-5 Miata (the guiding light for this segment, and a good gauge of how expensive an affordable sports car should be). Compared to the Mazda, the Toyota also gets a much more usable trunk and two back seats, though how usable they are depends on how small your kids are. So I think it’s still a relative deal.
The BRZ, however, has now become far more expensive. Subaru just announced pricing for 2026, revealing the base Premium trim will now start at $37,055, including destination. That’s a delta of $5,060 for two cars that look nearly identical and use the exact same powertrain.
Surely you must be getting a bunch of extra performance equipment and tech for your money, right? Yes and no (well, in this case, no and yes). There aren’t any performance-related changes between the base GR86 and the BRZ; the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires are the same from car to car, while the brakes are the same size. Suspension likely differs car to car due to the manufacturer’s tuning preferences, but it’s not like the Premium trim BRZ has the fancy Hitachi dampers from the high-grade tS model. We’re talking base versus base, here.
Subaru dropped the base Premium trim for the BRZ for 2026, but the new base trim, the Limited, comes with many of the same features as the base GR86. Stuff like keyless entry, a bush-button start, dual-zone climate, LED exterior lighting, steering-sensitive headlights, heated exterior mirrors, and a suite of active safety tech are standard across both models. The only difference I could find is in the interior trim. The BRZ gets an Ultrasuede-trimmed interior, while the Toyota does not.
Source: Subaru
A Subaru spokesperson pointed out that in addition to the interior, the BRZ also has aluminum front wheel hubs and a different rear sway bar with differently located mounts. But that’s always been the case between the two cars, independent of trim or options selected.
Having a cool interior is nice, but I’m not exactly sure it’s worth an extra five grand. It’s possible Subaru is passing more tariff costs onto the consumer than Toyota (both cars are assembled at Subaru’s Gunma assembly plant in Japan and shipped via ocean freight).
If you’re in the market for a car like this, I commend you. You’re single-handedly keeping the cheap sports car segment alive. My advice? Just get the Toyota. Not only is it cheaper, but I think it’s better to drive, too.
[Update: A previous version of this article claimed the Subaru BRZ comes with different safety tech than the GR86. As commenter GreatFallsGreen kindly pointed out, that’s actually not the case! The GR86 also gets Subaru’s EyeSight suite of safety features—it’s just not called EyeSight. Sorry, I’ll do better research next time. – BS]
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I’m just glad companies still make 2 door coupes like this. We should enjoy them while we still have them. They are living on borrowed time.
Subaru has been going crazy with pricing since the tail end of the Biden era. I was shopping for a car in October and it was impossible to OTD on a base Impreza for less than 30k.
Yes it has AWD but it’s as slow as a Sentra with half the standard features. It’s an extra 2k just for blind spot monitoring.
Madness!
I’ve always kind of liked the platform I just don’t love Subaru engines. I bet that’s part of the $5k Subaru for all it’s faults seems to own their engines fail within warranty where Toyota wasn’t doing so great with that but surely now it’s less of an issue especially with the whole tundra recall. The tarrif thing makes sense too. Toyota can probably spread it out better and make money on other things. I can’t imagine most Subaru buyers would be very happy with them if they figured out they were paying more to subsidize the brz. They would probably just say kill it.
Well, my 86 has “EyeSight” and they do call it that. When there’s a heavy downpour it can’t *see* and it says “EyeSight is unavailable” or some related language. I’d attach pics if I could.
Mine was basically “all-in” on the options sheet. Every box checked (except an automatic) and was the Hakone. It was $41,700 and had the sport exhaust, Homelink, and rear bumper “applique” abrasion thing.
Even at that, it was still what I consider a fantastic deal. I love this car to no end and will not stop gushing about it. I look forward to my drive to work, and that only happened when I would drive my 911 in.
Well someone’s got to pay for that poor PR person’s therapy after David traumatized them. 😉
Where are the fucktards who thought that consumers wouldn’t be paying for pedo-Trump’s taxes?
They are protecting all that is sacred from attack from those ANTIFA bastards…
Oh, this is going to be a well-researched, highly-educated list of “things sacred”. 3…2…1… go, list them!
The Holy GrailEverything else, Everywhere.Red Hats
I had a 2014 BRZ purchased used and sold for the downpayment on the GR-C.
I made a window vinyl that said TOY-BARU and half of each logo meshed together, then covered the emblems in black vinyl. Let people figure it out if they want, they’re essentially the same. (I also loved that thing.)
If
Imy spine were 20 years younger, I’m pretty sure I’d have a base GR86 in my garage right now. It’s a hatch, has a manual, comes in red & blue (needs a green), and has more than enough performance to keep me happy on public roads. Plus, it’s Japanese, and I love almost everything Japanese (well, not the killing of whales and dophins, or the differences between how men & women get treated in the workplace, but most everything else).Hey, some people bought the Cimarron too. Sometimes the badge is worth something to someone.
I rode in a Cimarron once, and tbh, it wasn’t bad. I hadn’t been in too many real Caddys at that time, nor had I driven/ridden the Chevy on which the Cimarron was based, but really, it was not awful. Pretty? No. Big? No. But it got out of it’s own way (in New York City traffic) and felt a bit plush and quietish on the inside.
My semi-positive recollection might have been affected by the fact that a cute curly haired Italian girl was driving, but who knows? 😉
As much as I love Subaru, I feel like they lost the plot somewhere in the last 10 years, and the last 5 specifically, and I can’t really put my finger on what specifically bothers me. Thought that might be a reflection of the industry as a whole. I dunno.
This is what bothers me about the last 5-10 years and also why I don’t buy Subarus anymore (I bought a new Impreza and Forester previously): No WRX wagon, crappy CVT’s with laggy throttle response, no manual option for most models (Impreza, Forester, Outback, Legacy, Crosstrek).
Could you be more specific?
Driving some of them made in the last 5 years I find myself asking who did they build this for. Take the Forester for instance. The thing drives like a dump truck at low speed but when you are going maybe 45 to 50 it all the sudden wakes up and drives ok. But you almost have to give it throttle to make it do what you want. I don’t think that’s how most of their buyers drive it. It’s slow as anything and the cvt tuning along with throttle mapping is horrific. I call it a dull knife. It’s really no wonder the things are running into garage doors. Everyone blames the stereotypical old ladies driving the things but it’s the car. Response time is a thing I’m sure but they do things they shouldn’t. They also have weird blind spots now from the shape? Before they were all more flat and boxy now will all the weird curves it just doesn’t make sense. There was a recent vinwiki episode where a guy basically said they peaked with the hawk eye and the newer stuff is basically garbage. So as much as the cult wants everyone to believe otherwise it’s definitely a thing.
Is $5k worth it to have a warranty actually be honored? I don’t know, but even with a price delta, I would consider both for that reason.
Have the oil issues ever been ironed out? I assumed the flaw was inherent to the flat design, but I suppose I haven’t heard anything recently.
The last I heard they were recommending thicker oil like everyone else. I swear most of the dealers are putting in 0w-16 in all the stuff that calls for 0w-20. There was also a whole thing with their oil filters at one point (I think late last year) they just had this generic no name one because they switched manufacturers. Apparently the quality is at an all time low and some of the dealers were just getting random oil filters you would find at a quick change oil place. Because the distributor didn’t have any at all.
Sadly, neither the BRZ nor the GR86 is sold here anymore. The MX-5 can be had only with the smaller engine.
I like safety tech. Do I like it for $100+/month more. Probably not.
The reason is pretty basic. Toyota is the largest and most profitable full-line automaker in the world. They have more resources to hold the line on price and lose money on a low volume car like the GR86. (So far averaging 700 per month)
Subaru is a small automaker that can’t.
Also, Subaru is generally a cooler company than Toyota.
Generally, yes. But in this case, I prefer the front styling of the GR86. So, for that reason, I’d tend towards the Toyota.
I have a sense that Toyota sort of fits into the discussion that “GM has the best engineers.” Toyota knows exactly who their customers are, and they are very good at delivering good cars those customers will want at prices those customers will pay. That’s not nothing, and I haven’t owned a Toyota since I was 18, but I respect it.
Though there’s that bizarre deflating bumper corner thing.
Are they, though? They make the BRZ, a non-STi WRX and… a bunch of CUVs.
Toyota has the GR86, GR Corolla, GR Yaris, Supra, and a minivan. They have a WEC Hypercar, a Lexus with a V8, and they are a technical partner for Haas F1.
(OK, that last one isn’t so impressive, but at least they’re participating)
Yeah that sucks. Makes sense Subaru can’t eat the inflation costs the way Toyota can but I don’t see any result here other than BRZ sales continuing to tank, especially compared to 86.
TIL they still make these.
Wonder which is cheaper to insure and if the EyeSight offsets the difference
Shouldn’t make much difference as the Toyota comes with that crap now, too.
I’d be willing to bet a 20 that Toyota is eating the tariffs costs on the GR. While Subaru is executing their strategy of passing on the costs. They are moving the whole brand up market with trim-flation. See how the Crosstrek moved up. See how they killed legacy to make more room in Indiana.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Subaru sacrifice unit volume to stay profitable in this moment.
Pragmatically, what they’re doing makes sense. But, given the current economic climate, I think most people would agree that trying to move a brand upmarket right now is a serious misreading of the room.
It’s been working for Mazda. Subaru might be 10 years too late to the party though.
That is kinda their MO
For sure, I do wonder how much margin they were making on the base trims. Like if you go back a decade or more they were selling a lot of base, or base + heated seats (PNW/CO/New England). These days it seems like they move lots of middle and higher spec cars.
The take rate on the wilderness trim still baffles me.
But if they are limited in the number of cars they can make in Indiana then maybe it all makes sense.
Subaru is the new VW??? The car for the working professional middle class family?
Margin on base trim cars is basically zero – sometime negative. Base trims have never been the volume seller – generally that in the 2nd or 3rd trim – which also has a healthier profit margin. However the bulk on the actual money is made on the higher trim packages with high margins.
In the last 5 years we have basically seen manufacturer after manufacturer simply stop selling models and trims with no profit margins. They will sacrifice individual volume. This is also why we see more and more shared products between companies.
Agreed. Toyota has deeper pockets and can handle the slimmer margin.
Personally I’ll never consider that car w proper Subaru. It doesn’t have awd standard or even optional.
All Subarus are supposed to be awd.
Subarus were AWD optional until 1995. I’ve had 4 Subarus counting the GR86 and none have been AWD. And they all drove much better for it. I’d argue even further that this is the only traditional Subaru still being made as it has frameless doors and the platform has roots in the time when they still made good cars with personality.
There weren’t many Subarus where I grew up so I’m basing it on personal experience.
YMMV.
I mean it does have a Subaru boxer engine in it. If anything that makes it far more a proper Subaru than a proper Toyota.
That’s a good point.
I was told Love is what makes it a Subaru.
My first guess: $5,000 CD player
Worth it.
The GR86 does include the safety suite as well, just isn’t branded with any names (Toyota’s being Safety Sense).
Per the press release, the BRZ actually dropped the Premium trim for 2026, which started closer to the Toyota. So it starts at the Limited and that’s the bulk of the increase.
Subaru has pulled a sneaky on some price increases going into MY2026 though. They’ve noted “no price increase” in the new model year, and they say this of the BRZ Limited for 2026. However, the 2025 models had midyear price increases – 2025 Limited started out at $33.7k, but shows as 35.8k on the main website now, no real notice of an increase that I can find. Midyear price increases aren’t unusual, but 2k is a jump for sure.
Trimflation. It’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.
Hah, you’re totally right, thank you for catching that. What’s weird is the BRZ Limited and the base GR86 have most of the same features—the Ultrasuede is the only actual difference I could find.
You’re welcome! Yeah, it looks like Toyota reserves the Ultrasuede for the Yuzu edition now but it always seemed like Toyota skewed more ‘basic’ in trimmings vs. the Subaru in both prior and current gen. I’m surprised the Premium BRZ was only 1 in 10 take rate per the release but I also have to think it is probably a chicken or egg thing on how many of each trim were produced.
Fleshing this point out would be interesting, as I’ve always thought they were identical.
I think they’ve always been advertised as having different suspension tuning (spring rates and shock damping rates primarily) to better suit each manufacturers envisioned customers.
The general difference I have heard online is suspension, the GR86 is slightly sharper and sportier, but the BRZ is a slightly more comfortable daily.
Reviews state the Toyota is a lot more tail happy due to spring and possibly bar / damper rates. Perhaps too tail happy if you are a serious autocrosser
Different front knuckles (aluminum on BRZ, steel GR86), rear antiroll bar mounting points and bars, different spring rates and shocks. I haven’t driven a BRZ, but I suspect the differences really aren’t that great. The GR86 is usually reported as being more tail happy, but rougher riding. I find it to be neutral leaning toward understeer (easy to adjust with throttle) and the ride surprisingly supple (with the smaller 17″ wheels).
The real question is does Subaru use it as a marketing technique? List it for 5,000 over Toyota and then offer $4,999 dealer discounts/Rebates
I think you mean Subaru dealers will sell at MSRP while Toyota dealers will only be adding $5k ADM.
I thought you were going to say its because of love
The secret ingredient!
That and salt.
In tennis, love means zero, so thanks for nothing Subaru.
The BRZ is $5,000 more than the GR86
Toyota dealers: GR86s mandatory add-ons include $999 for paint protection, $999 for fabric protection, $999 for door edge guards, $999 for tire nitrogen, $999 for Lo-jack, $999 for wheel locks, and $999 for 3 oil changes
Don’t forget the BS “vin etching” which is literally just a bunch of vin stickers that can be easily pulled off.
And that’s for the 1 GR86 they have incoming for months vs. a few BRZs already on the ground ready for delivery.
This isn’t even an exaggeration.
Over the past 10 years or so, I feel like the typical Toyota dealer has sunken to Kia levels of difficult to deal with.
Edit: Quick example, my local dealer claims to have 268 vehicles, but they only actually have 32 in stock. When you’re selling cars that haven’t even been built yet, I guess you can treat your customers as poorly as you’d like.
Toyota dealers here in Utah love their $4-$10k ADM on Tacomas and 4Runners, especially upper trim levels, on the lot or not.
I got one of the first in the country in ’22 and paid under $30k OTD. They did add on the upgraded lug nuts, door protectors, and “GR” shift knob, but I wasn’t going to complain at that point.
Hahaha… although the Subaru dealer in my market is absolutely doing this. Minimum $3K of this exact type of add-on for all new or certified cars. In exchange for some vague “lifetime” powertrain warranty.