The 2022 Toyota GR86 is a no-frills sports car with a wallet-friendly price tag. Yes, Toyota could have added more weight, power, and features if it wanted to, but we'd rather have a simpler coupe that puts the emphasis on the driving experience. The result of all this is that the new GR86 is barely more expensive than its predecessor. It starts at only $27,700 for the base model. Now, the online configurator for the new-generation 86 has gone live and that gives us the opportunity to play around with the options and see how much we can spend on the Supra's baby brother.

For this exercise, we'll start off with the GR86 Premium which has a base price of $30,300.

The Premium model is mechanically identical to the entry-level one but throws in a few welcome extras like larger wheels, a duckbill spoiler, and nicer interior materials. We immediately ticked the box for the manual gearbox because if any car seems at odds with an automatic, it's this one. We specified ours in a Track Red color that adds $425 to the price, but most colors are free of charge. Black Ultrasuede and leather seats are standard, with no other options. The first package we added was… nothing. Yes, the GR86 comes with no major packages whatsoever.

However, there are some interesting accessories available. We added a frameless HomeLink mirror ($230), a carpet mat package ($249), and black lug nuts ($215).

GR fender vent inserts cost $159, a GR shift knob is $149, and there are two Preferred Accessory Packages, one of which comes with items like a first aid kit and an all-weather cargo tray for $364. Perhaps the most exciting option is a 10-inch powered subwoofer for $699. These options and one or two others took the total cost to $33,685 including the delivery charge. The price increases to just over $35,000 with the same options and the automatic.

While some customers may be disappointed in the lack of options, Honda had a similar idea with the sporty Civic Si Sedan. It starts at almost the same price as the GR86 yet barely cracks $34,000 with all the options added. These may be different performance cars, but the Japanese clearly believe in the ethos that less is more. Now, if only someone could sell the same idea to the Germans.