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Marton Pettendy9 Sept 2014
NEWS

Toyota 86 to go AWD turbo

Japanese report claims Toyota is about to release a turbocharged 2.5-litre all-wheel drive 86 coupe

We brought you news of turbocharged, convertible and even sedan versions of Toyota's 86 coupe in May, when our man in Japan reported that the drivetrain from a 2.5-litre turbo all-wheel drive 86 sedan due in 2016 would also find its way into the 86 coupe.

Now a report by Japan's Best Car magazine suggests a hotter 86 coupe, which has been rumoured since the car's mid-2012 launch, will happen sooner rather than later.

Pictured here via 4wheelsnews.com is Best Cars' rendering of what a higher-performance 86 could look like.

According to the magazine, the force-fed 86 will be powered by a Subaru-sourced 2.5-litre turbo-boxer engine offering up to 225kW – effectively the engine from the latest WRX STI.

However, Best Cars says it will drive all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission to improve fuel consumption, and makes no mention of a manual option, which would be surprising.

The news follows spy pics of a sharper 86 coupe testing at the Nurburgring in June, wearing the same bodywork as the GRMN 86 unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January, including a distinctive carbon-fibre vented bonnet, roof, boot-lid and rear wing.

The 2014 GRMN 86 concept, which followed the 2013 GRMN 'Sports FR' concept boasting a 235kW/421Nm turbocharged and supercharged boxer engine, featured polycarbonate windows, carbon-fibre front seats, chassis stiffening enhancements and lowered sports suspension, but no rear seats.

GRMN stands for 'Gazoo Racing tuned by MN'. Gazoo Racing is the factory Toyota racing team founded by current president Akio Toyoda, while 'MN' is a reference to the legendary Nurburgring race track where Gazoo has competed for the last eight years in the 24-hour classic. Toyoda has driven there the last four years under the pseudonym 'Morizo'.

Toyota Australia recently released a mildly revised MY15 86 with suspension tweaks and the same sharp $29,990 starting price, but no changes to the rear-wheel drive coupe's 2.0-litre naturally aspirated boxer engine.

Toyota has sold more than 10,000 86s here since June 2012, making Australia the third-highest selling market globally, after Japan and the US.

If the Best Car report is accurate, the hotter 86 turbo would deliver significantly more performance than the existing 86, which produces 147kW/205Nm and hits 100km/h in a claimed 7.6 seconds (as a six-speed manual) and 8.2 seconds (in six-speed auto form).

It would also deliver more performance than Subaru's latest all-wheel drive WRX sedan, which offers a 197kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo and sprints to 100km/h in a claimed six seconds (six-speed manual) and 6.3 seconds (CVT auto).

Indeed, if it shares the 1525kg STI sedan's 221kW/407Nm 2.5-litre turbo four, the lighter 86 coupe (about 1250kg, without all-wheel drive) should also be quicker than Subaru's manual-only performance flagship, which is claimed to hit 100km/h in 4.9 seconds.

While our sources continue to insist there will also be convertible, sedan and hybrid versions of the 86, the more powerful coupe for which so many fans have yearned could become reality as part of a midlife facelift due next year, priced about $5000 higher than existing 86 variants.

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