Fun rather than function. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

One of the vehicles you will not see coming and going is the Toyota GR86* Hakone Edition. This is not because the sports car, with its Ridge Green body color that is a visible tribute to spirted sporty driving, isn’t eye catching, nor because the coming-and-going can be done rather quickly, as it is powered by a 228-hp 2.4-liter boxer engine and is quick.

Rather, it is simply because this is a special-edition vehicle. There will be just 860 sold in the U.S., so this is a rather rare beast. (Given that in 2024 all trim levels of the GR86 combined had U.S. sales of just 11,426 vehicles, seeing any GR86 is a sight to behold.)

The GR86 Hakone Edition is based on the GR86 Premium model.

So they both have the same engine. They both are available with a six-speed manual transmission. They are both rear-wheel drive. They both have a Torsen limited-slip differential. They both have a top speed of 140 mph. They both are rated at 0 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds. They are both fairly similar.

But then it is important to get to the Hakone aspect.

That comes from the Hakone Freeway in Japan, a two-lane toll road.

The road, which traverses mountains, is not designed like many freeways in the U.S. that seem to have been laid out by someone with a T-square. Rather, the Hakone Freeway has plenty of twists, turns and gradient changes.

So maneuverability is important to going fast.

While the GR86 and the Hakone both have MacPherson struts in the front, the Hakone has SACHS dampers, too. And while both have a multilink rear suspension, again Hakone goes SACHS.

Brembo two-piston rear brakes and four-piston front brakes are standard on the Hakone. Optional on the GR86.

The vehicle is structurally engineered with a specific selection of steels and aluminum, with high-strength fasteners and the addition of structural adhesives so that while the vehicle is light (2,811 pounds), it is solid.

Inside there are Ultrasuede sport seats that keeps one fairly planted. The shift knob for the manual has a special badge on top:

Although there is a backseat, let’s face it: this is essentially a two-seater. The truck has a volume of 6.26 cubic feet, so you’re not taking this to Costco.

But as it is rated providing 20/26/22 city/highway/combined mpg, you could conceivably use it as a daily driver. But as you’re pumping premium, you might reconsider that.

This is a car that is fun to drive. It may not be the most functional. But that isn’t the point. Toyota has plenty of models that can fulfill the function.

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*A quick word about the name. The “GR”—which is used for other Toyota models, too—refers to “Gazoo Racing,” the motorsports division of Toyota. The GR badge indicates that the vehicle is engineered for performance. The “86” goes back to the AE86 Corolla GT coupe, which was available in Japan from 1983-87 and extremely popular among performance enthusiasts.