What would win in a drag race between a rear-wheel-drive Toyota sports car with a 2.4-liter engine and a new Honda sedan with a 1.5-liter turbo? We’re talking about the GR86 and the Civic Si, of course.
These things are obviously not direct rivals, but a young gun looking to spend about $30,000 on something fun (with a warranty) will look into these two. One is a true sports car, but the other is practical and comes with a turbo.
Ever since the 2022 Toyota GR86 came out, people have been wondering how the new 2.4-liter engine stacks up against a variety of cheap rivals in a drag race. Jason Cammisa set an interesting precedent 8 months ago with a landmark shootout between what he called “the world’s best $30,000”, an ND2 Miata, and the Mk8 Golf GTI. I recommend watching that as well if you haven’t already. It’s at the bottom of the story.
This new video from Throttle House is basically an encore to that. Thomas and James are standing on the same dusty, legendary track at Willow Springs. This is probably done after the Hummer content, and you can probably buy four of these economy sports cars for the price of one EV 4×4, which means it’s a perfect drag race for us plebs.
Civic Si vs. GR86: the specs
These two rivals couldn’t be more different. Before you place any bets on the outcome, let’s look at the factors which will influence the race, aka the specs, starting with the new Civic Si.
Similar to a normal Civic, the hot version has a 1.5-liter turbo, which is rated at 200 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. The Si comes standard with a 6-speed manual transmission, and it’s a great one, featuring the same rev-matching as the Type R. The pocket performance car also gets a standard LSD that gives this FWD car better grip. But Toyota has other advantages.
Like its predecessors, the FRS and 86, the GR86 is a natural athlete. This bespoke sports car chassis is very low to the ground, and the boxer engine helps with optimal weight balance. RWD cars are usually better in drag races too, and power has gone up significantly. The 2.4-liter flat-four delivers 228 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque.
And… yeah, the Toyota GR86 is going to win. It’s a faster car. But the gap that forms between the two grows very slowly, plus it’s always fun to watch Thomas and James making jokes. And even though the Civic Si is the loser, we’re all winners for having so many sports car choices in 2022.
