Toyota GR86 To Replace 86 And Pack More Than 255 Horsepower?

Perceived quality will be improved with a better fit and finish.

By: Adrian Padeanu

Jan 13, 2020 at 2:18am ET

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Having been around since early 2012, the Toyota 86 is one of the oldest sports cars on the market and some would say it’s in dire need of a replacement. Although we have yet to see spy shots of the second generation, we at least know straight from the horse’s mouth that a new car is being developed and it will once again have a sister model in the Subaru BRZ. Now, a new report published by Autocar attempts to shed some light on the dynamic duo, which is expected to switch from a Subaru platform to Toyota’s TNGA.

Transitioning to the new architecture will be done to provide the 86 and BRZ with an improved rear-wheel-drive behavior as the cars will allegedly go through “substantial changes” compared to the current models. But while Toyota will provide the platform, it is believed Subaru will be in charge of providing motivation by installing a flat-four boxer engine, presumably a turbocharged 2.4-liter derived from the Ascent.

Horsepower count is slated to increase from just over 200 hp to more than 255 hp along with a substantial torque bump available much earlier in the rpm range thanks to the implementation of forced induction. As a refresher, the current Toyota 86 offers 156 pound-feet (212 Newton-meters) of torque for a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 7.6 seconds when equipped with the manual and 8.2 seconds for the automatic model.

Toyota and Subaru are also determined to make some changes inside where the cabins will benefit from better materials to improve the perceived quality. Not only will there be better materials throughout the interior, but also the fit and finish will go up a notch and so will the amount of technology crammed inside.

Gallery: Toyota GR HV Sports concept

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All of these tweaks will come at a cost as the second generation of sports cars will be more expensive than the current models. However, they’ll still be more affordable than the fancier Audi TT. In the case of the 86, Toyota certainly won’t want the next-gen model to step on the toes of the base four-cylinder Supra sold in Japan.

When the new duo will eventually come out, the Toyota model might make the switch to the “GR86” moniker to follow the sports car nomenclature used already for the GR Supra and the new GR Yaris. The lineup will be crowned by a legitimate hypercar – previewed by the GR Super Sport concept – with around 1,000 hp. At home in Japan, the company has a comprehensive GR sports car range with everything from a Prius to the Noah minivan.