New Toyota GR 86 may be quicker than BRZ

Shorter gearing, revised engine tuning and retuned suspension could make the upcoming second-generation Toyota GR 86 quicker and more agile than its twin-under-the-skin, the new Subaru BRZ (pictured).

Media reports in Japan are quoting Toyota CEO, Akio Toyoda, as having ordered the Toyota GR 86 development team to “Aim to differentiate performance from BRZ”.

According to Bestcarweb.jp, the 86 engineers is struggling with the unexpected “difficulty” imposed by the Toyota president, but is exploring changes to final drive gearing, engine calibration and suspension tuning.

Such changes would extend the development time and production complexity for Toyota’s new-generation affordable coupe, given it is fundamentally a Subaru vehicle built at the smaller Japanese car-maker’s Gunma assembly plant in Japan.

Once again the second-generation Toyota 86 (this time badged as a GR model) and Subaru BRZ will share their rear-drive platform, chassis, engine, body and 2+2 interior.

The new Subaru BRZ – and its bigger, more powerful new 170kW/249Nm 2.4-litre non-turbo FA24-series four-cylinder boxer powerplant – was revealed in late 2020 and will go on sale in Australia in the second half of 2021.

If Toyota’s engineers successfully revamp the way the new 86 drives to create more air between itself and the BRZ, it could lead to manufacturing delays and even compel Subaru make mechanical running changes to the BRZ earlier than expected.

However, carsales understands the new Toyota GR 86’s global reveal is still on track to take place in the first half of this year, but its precise time of arrival in Australia remains unknown.

The Toyota 86 was originally slated to be launched in the northern hemisphere summer (our winter) this year, according to a dealer leak in the US that confirmed a mid-2021 launch date.

Official details – or at least the GR 86’s design – are expected to be announced by Toyota in the next few months.