The Toyota 86 Lives! This Time, It Goes By “GR 86”

New title apart, the GR 86 copies the recipe for Toyota’s former 86, a rear-wheel-drive 2+2 coupe—that means it’s as soon as once more mechanically an identical to the Subaru BRZ. That each inexpensive sports activities automobiles lived to see a second technology and preserve doing battle with the likes of Mazda’s MX-5 Miata and, considerably tangentially, the soon-to-be-replaced Nissan 370Z marks a nice shock. It reveals the worth in two automakers (on this case, Toyota and Subaru) collaborating on low-volume however extremely enjoyable automobile, sharing the event prices and making the venture pencil financially. It is the rationale the GR Supra exists, having been co-developed with BMW (the venture additionally birthed the newest Z4 roadster).

Should you’re aware of the most recent Subaru BRZ’s particulars, then you definitely already know what is going on on underneath the GR 86’s new duds. The last-generation mannequin’s 2.0-liter flat-four engine has been enlarged to 2.four liters (simply because it has within the new BRZ), and whereas Toyota is not speaking energy and torque outputs simply but, we will supply an informed guess: Each outputs will develop. Anticipate peak hp and torque figures to reflect the brand new BRZ’s 228 hp and 184 lb-ft—positive aspects of 23 horses and 28 lb-ft of twist, respectively.

Each six-speed handbook and six-speed computerized transmissions can be provided. You recognize which one we would counsel shopping for—trace, it is the one with a 3rd pedal—although automatic-transmission fashions will embody Subaru’s camera-based EyeSight suite of lively security options. Toyota says the larger engine (and its yet-unspecified energy) can be extra responsive and quicken the automobile’s estimated zero-to-62 mph time from 7.four seconds to six.3. That is fairly the bounce.

As a result of the GR 86 continues to make use of a flat-four engine, which lays the cylinders down flat reasonably than vertically as within the much more widespread inline-four format, its hood stays very low. Dimensionally, the brand new Toyota is almost the identical dimension because the previous 86; the claimed 2,800-pound curb weight, too, is correct on the cash. A 2017 Toyota 86 860 Version we examined weighed in at 2,785 kilos. Fortunately, the brand new GR 86 maintains the earlier mannequin’s front-engine, rear-drive proportions, with a protracted hood, tight greenhouse, and stubby rear deck. Solely minor modifications had been made to the 86’s entrance finish relative to its BRZ sibling.

In a bid to pull the sports activities automobile’s heart of gravity nearer to the pavement, the GR 86’s roof and fender panels are actually created from aluminum, and unspecified revisions to the seats and mufflers assist, too. General, torsional rigidity is up by “roughly” 50 %, a possible boon to the rear-driver’s dealing with and trip consolation; a extra strong base for the suspension to mount to can permit engineers to fine-tune responsiveness and bump absorption with fewer compromises. Keep in mind, massive energy was by no means the 86’s sport—candy dealing with and a splendidly balanced chassis had been, and we anticipate extra of the identical from the brand new automobile, particularly following a latest trip within the new Subaru BRZ.

As for the extra boring bits, you realize, the stuff that does not have a lot to do with clipping apexes, drifting, or nailing the right heel-toe downshift. The GR 86 boasts a reworked inside that’s a lot nicer than earlier than. There’s a 7.0-inch TFT show within the instrument cluster and a extra horizontally themed dashboard; the previous even boasts a startup sequence that echoes the engine’s horizontally opposed cylinders.

Toyota is not speaking value but, however we anticipate the GR 86 to as soon as once more begin close to the $30,000 mark when it lastly hits dealerships later this yr. Search for extra U.S.-specific particulars to emerge nearer to that on-sale date, too.