New Toyota GR 86 officially revealed

The second-generation Toyota GR 86 has finally broken cover, packing a sharper new look and a bigger, more powerful 2.4-litre petrol engine to boost performance.

After years of speculation over whether or not it would be turbocharged, the new 2021 Toyota GR 86 is propelled by the same naturally-aspirated 2.4-litre four-cylinder boxer engine as its twin, the 2021 Subaru BRZ coupe revealed late last year.

However, the third GR-branded sports coupe from Toyota generates slightly more power and torque than its Subaru sister model.

The 2021 Toyota GR 86 is claimed to pump out 173kW of power and 250Nm of torque – 3kW and 1Nm more than the Subie.

And while 173kW may not sound like much by hot hatch standards, it marks a 23kW and 35Nm hike over the outgoing Toyota 86.

According to Toyota, that reduces the new 86’s 0-100km/h acceleration time from 7.4 to 6.3 seconds.

And despite riding on the same platform as its predecessor, it now features a 50 per cent stiffer body.

The Toyota 86’s lightweight and engaging ethos should also remain, thanks to new aluminium parts, including the roof and fenders, to keep weight down to 1270kg.

Once again six-speed manual and automatic transmissions will be offered in the rear-wheel drive two-door sports coupe.

The 2021 Toyota GR 86 is expected to be the most affordable full-blooded GR model offered in Australia when it arrives in early 2022.

However, prices will rise significantly compared to the current car’s $32,180 (plus on-road costs) starting point.

Indeed, given the new coupe gets across-the-board performance upgrades (suspension, brakes, engine, etc), improved tech levels in the form of a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster and new seats, and the recent trend towards higher prices across the industry, the new Toyota GR 86 may barely slip in at under $40,000.

While the next-gen Subaru BRZ will beat the new Toyota 86 to market when it arrives in Australia later this year, the 86 has always sold in much higher numbers.

In fact, since its launch in 2012, Toyota has sold 20,800 examples of the two-door coupe here, equating to around 10 per cent of the circa-200,000 global sales of the car.

The new-gen compact coupe is likely to continue its cult status in Australia, where it is backed by the one-make race category, the Toyota 86 Series.

“The new GR 86 has been specially designed for sports performance with precise and playful handling, delivering pure driving pleasure and a strong emotional connection between driver and car," said Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia’s head of sales and marketing.

"It is a stylish, compact four-seater that draws on Toyota's impressive sports car heritage including the legendary 2000GT, Celica GT-Four, MR2 and original Supra, as well as its more recent GR siblings," he said.

Toyota has not yet confirmed whether it plans to build a hard-core GRMN version of the new 86, which would almost certainly have to adopt turbocharging to make the grade.

Stay tuned for more details on the local Toyota GR 86 rollout.