It looks to improve on the old car’s weaknesses by offering more power from a more flexible engine, sharper handling and an interior that feels posher inside and sports modern kit like an infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
It’s one of three performance Toyotas, the others being the larger GR Supra sports car and the rally-inspired GR Yaris.
The Toyota GR86 is already on sale in the US and we’re expecting it to arrive in the UK towards the middle of the year. It’ll carry a price tag of around £30,000. The GR86 straddles the line between everyday coupes – cars like the BMW 2 Series and Audi TT – and cars aimed more at enthusiasts, such as the Mazda MX-5 and second-hand examples of the Porsche Cayman.
In terms of styling, the Toyota GR86 is an evolution of the old GT86, you get the same long and low bonnet and the same short rear end. That said, the new car is 10mm lower (1310mm) and has a 5mm longer wheelbase (2575mm) than the car it replaces.
Up front, you get L shaped LED headlights and a gaping grille complete with a GR badge in its top right-hand corner. Large vents on the edges of the bumper make the car look imposing and they flow into confident side skirts complete with air breathers that sit behind the front wheels.
At the back, the sloping roofline drops into a subtle boot-mounted ducktail spoiler and you get the same large twin exhaust pipes that you got in the old model.
Wheel sizes range from 17-18 inches with the smaller wheels coming with low-grip Michelin Primacy tyres while the larger versions come with grippier Michelin Sport 4 rubber.
The inside follows the same rulebook as the outside – improving the old GT86 while keeping its spirit very much intact.
You get an excellent driving position with a seat that sits low to the floor, a steering wheel that has lots of adjustment, sports seats that grip you in place and a high transmission tunnel that makes you feel like you sit in not on the car. That said, the back seats remain useless for anyone with legs, it’s better to fold them away and treat the GR86 as a big-booted two-seater.
Interior quality has improved compared to the chocolate-tray inspired old model and so has the infotainment which Toyota claims is now much quicker than the pedestrian outgoing system. It will also come fitted as standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so you can mirror your phone’s display and use its apps for things like navigation and music playback.
One of the biggest criticisms of the old 200PS GT86 was that it lacked the power to feel truly quick or keep up with baby hot hatches like the Ford Fiesta ST or VW Polo GTI – the new Toyota GR86 should solve both those issues.
It has the same flat-four engine as the old car – which helps keep the weight low in the chassis – but it’s been bored out from 2.0 to 2.4 litres upping power from 200PS to 231PS. As a result, the new car gets from 0-62mph in 6.3 seconds – from 7.6 seconds – and top speed has gone up from 137 to 140mph.
The 250Nm maximum torque, meanwhile, comes in from 3700rpm meaning the car will have nippier in-gear acceleration without the need to change down to make swift progress.
Improvements have also been made to the chassis. It’s 50 per cent more rigid than before and lightweight aluminium is used for the front wings and roof as well as the bonnet, as was the case in the old model.
Sharp steering (with just 2.5 turns lock-to-lock) and ventilated brake discs front and rear (which should help dissipate heat during hard track use) are two more carryovers from the old model. As is the limited-slip rear differential that makes the car easier to slide out of corners.
Bookmark this page to read a full UK review of the GT86 in the coming months.
The Toyota GT86’s replacement may be just months away, but the outgoing car still has plenty in its favour. It delivers a level of driving enjoyment that models like the Audi TT and BMW 2 Series can only dream of, while being more practical and cheaper to buy than serious performance machines like the Porsche Cayman. Around £10,000 buys you an early leggy GT86, but we would spend around £15,000 to get a 2015 model with around 50,000 miles on the clock.
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The Toyota GR86 is expected to cost around £30,000.
Yes, the Toyota GR86 will be sold in the UK, it’s expected in showrooms by the middle of 2022.
Technically speaking, the Toyota GR86 is a 2+2 meaning it has roomy front seats with a pair of occasional seats in the back.