Hey N,
As per our phone call yesterday, I drove the GT86 too. I echo your views almost to the tee.
In short: I absolutely loved it. If anything could highlight a dearth of torque delivery in the GT86's FA20 engine it would be the process of stepping out of a turbocharged WRX with 320 Nm and into a GT86 to drive around at Jozi's circa 1700m altitudes. I did just that. As a result my impressions are thus:
The not-so-good:
The FA20 definitely is light on the low-down torque scale. It initially feels plain slow in moving off the line, feeding into traffic etc. It even has that palpable dip in delivery as the AVCS kicks it up a notch in the upper realms of the rev-range. It's not ideal - the lack of linearity is exacerbated at altitude - something I'm all too familiar with from the ol' Leggy 3.0R Spec B manual. This is the only criticism I have in terms of the overall vehicle dynamics. In SA there is no option for a space-saver spare wheel it seems (I stand to be corrected on this) and a full size steel spare wheel is fitted necessitating a cut-out in the boot carpet exposing a protrusive spare wheel. This robs the boot volume of practicality.
The good:
What do you know - there
are soft touch plastics on the dashboard; sure, they're limited to the topmost surfacing of the facia and there are many Tupperware surfaces elsewhere but at R 298-odd K it's better than a kick in the groin with a steel-toe. Standard-model cloth seats are great and will wear well, ergonomics and general ease-of-use are fine. Brakes are feelsome without being ultra-strong and are up to the job of hauling 1180 kg to a standstill from most speeds.
The simply delightful:
At 298 000 bucks just about everything else - most notably...
The controls: Steering is magnificent at this price point - it's weighty and feelsome and accurate. Pedals are FHI-fabulous (as usual) to use. Well weighted and placed, even heel-n-toe is straightforward upon first acquaintances if you're familiar with the typical Subaru layout that requires a bit more of a splayed ball-and-side foot angle. The manual gearshift action is nothing short of remarkable - bolt-like and fast, it's not quite an S2000 shift but man it's sooo good for the money.
The engine @ 5000 rpm and beyond: It's a Boxer engine, so first order vibration is cancelled out as a result of the balanced opposing forces. It just darn well loves to give it its all at the top end of the rev range and, surprisingly, even at altitude the GT86 feels pleasingly quick. Not fast like a Megane RS but quick enough to engage. And engage it does; you feel like you're involved in the process of driving. You feel like you're making a concerted effort to drive spiritedly and the resulting immersion into the process without fear of insane speeds is simply addictive.
The handling: Oh it's better than I ever could glean from the press reviews. I'm not saying it's Cayman good - that's not possible in my opinion - but again, for the money... goodness gracious it's fabulous. All you need to know is, yes, it goes sideways in the dry - just pick your corners carefully and you'll reap the rewards. The ride-handling balance is exceptional. Primary ride comfort is firm but the el-cheapo 16" tyres do much to provide for secondary ride quality that's never brittle or jarring. Firm the GT86 certainly is, harsh...? Probably only on the most poorly maintained tarmac.
Quite simply - I want one.
But... I'm buying a house and my wife won't let me!
Careful - that thing's going to feel uiters stadig at altitude. Looking forward to your write up.
