"Now holding on to the Cayman, the 86 begins to reveal its greatness, a cohesive balance that is utterly addictive. The sweetness of the beautifully direct, linear steering, so razor-sharp when snapping from one direction to another, yet never nervous or demanding of concentration. The Cayman's hydraulic steering is excellent, yet the 86's steering is even better: more incisive, quicker, demanding of less input through any given corner, with an instinctive purity that I'd previously thought impossible with electric assistance. Is it better than the new 911's electric set-up? Yes, because on-centre the 86's steering is sharper, more natural, with greater sensitivity.
The Toyota turns in instinctively, accurately, holding the line through constant radius corners with the gentlest of understeer. The 86's seemingly modest 215/45R17s generate enough lateral grip to maintain station with the Porsche, yet lift deliberately and the tail subtly drifts out, the nose tucking in, the car's stance so obviously utterly adjustable. Best of all, I can feel the tyre's contact patches working and know exactly how much they offer, effortlessly loading up the outside rear, or transitioning gently, flowing smoothly into oversteer. The car is alive--that word again--and I recall Tada-san explaining the benefits of the compact, low-mounted, boxer engine and the importance of a low centre of gravity--18mm lower than that of the Cayman, according to Toyota--to chassis balance, real agility and composure. These qualities combine with the ability to instantly settle even as it skips a couple of millimetres sideways over a bump that would seriously upset any lesser car. I'm staggered by the 86's talents, at once delicate and precise, and its inherent ability to reward the enthusiast driver. It never intimidates, never needs to be goaded, is always on the driver's side. The Cayman may be more planted and capable of higher levels of lateral acceleration but, amazingly, the 86 manages to be even greater fun."
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