I remember first reviewing the GT86 and being somewhat blown away by the potency of what is a small – dare I say entry-level – sports coupé. But it really did deliver in spades. So could the team behind the Toyota GR really make that much of a difference to something already that impressive?

It turns out that the answer is a resounding yes.

Something so small and with only a four-cylinder engine – and a boxer engine at that – has no business being so impressive and, above all, so fun. Speaking of which...

There are circles in motoring that dislike, or even despise, a boxer engine – a four-cylinder engine with two symmetrical banks of two cylinders. It can mean a more balanced ignition sequence, but is generally more expensive to manufacture and harder to work on. But from a driving perspective, I’m a big fan.

The end result in the GR86 is a 2.4 litre engine that generates 230bhp and weighs only 1.25 tonnes, or thereabouts. That power is sent to the back wheels courtesy of a great short-shift gearbox.

There is an argument that the GR86 could be a bit better specced – more modern inside – but in reality I don’t think there’s a need. It boasts Apple CarPlay, so that ticks most tech boxes you might want without issue. My review car didn’t come with satnav so the CarPlay was needed in fairness, but I couldn’t mark it down for this as it simply wasn’t missed.

A genuine pleasure to get behind the wheel

And then there’s the drive. Oh dear lord, the drive! It was a genuine pleasure to get behind the wheel, the low seating position looking over the bonnet meant you had to point the thing and press your foot down. And when you do that, you got a great deal of movement and a very pleasing noise.

Practicality: there are rear seats, but I wouldn’t advise trying to use them too much. I did force the kids in for a quick trip up the road (in the interests of research, of course) but suffice to say they didn’t enjoy it! I genuinely don’t think you’d get an adult in without a crow-bar. However, it does have a useable boot – not massive but it took my hockey stick bag without trouble, so all good there.

I think it’s clear that I have a particular soft spot for this car, and while giving genuine smiles every time I got in, it’s not too ostentatious, it’s not flashy and it has a Toyota badge, so reliability is baked in. Would I buy one? I think I just might –and a very enjoyable £30k car it would make, too.

In a few weeks I’ll be testing the revised and updated GR Yaris and, if the GR86 is anything to go by, that’s going to be a real handful too. But here’s the thing: for a lot less practicality, it costs almost 50% more. Will it be worth it? Time will tell.