Toyota has updated the Toyota GR86 and no we can’t buy it
The Toyota GR86 was removed from sale in the UK two years ago but Japan is still getting updated versions
The grass is always greener on the other side: an age-old adage that doesn’t always hold true, unless as is the case with Toyota’s GR86, you’ve sampled that grass before having it taken away. Toyota’s sublime affordable sports car was removed from sale in the UK some two years ago now, but for its home market, it’s still in production and getting updates.
The latest sees the coupe get detail changes to its interior, options list and dynamic tweaks, as well as a revised driver assistance system with an extra camera. Only Toyota would redesign climate control switchgear for ‘improved grip’. They’ve also been repainted in cast iron black to ‘heighten the sense of class’ and ‘allow the driver to focus more on driving’. There’s a new Solid Grey paint colour, returning after only being available for six months on the GT86 in 2017.
> Driving the mid-engined GR Yaris – everything we know about Toyota's secret sports car
What about the driving experience itself? That didn’t need much work in our opinion, but Toyota’s been nipping and tucking nonetheless. Software tweaks to the throttle have improved response and modulability, with ‘better linear response between pedal application and acceleration’. The power steering has been tweaked too with learnings from the Super Taikyu race series, to eliminate high-speed wobble in the rack.
The only physical change you’ll be able to feel in the new GR86 is in the gearbox, as Toyota has also modified the shift gate, shaving 0.5mm off the chamfer for a smoother fifth-fourth downshift. Another change we suspect is the result of feedback from racing experience in the car. Power and performance are unchanged, the 2.4-litre flat four-cylinder engine still producing 231bhp and 184lb ft, allowing for 0-62mph in 6.3sec.
We shouldn’t be waiting too long for Toyota to re-enter the sports car space in Europe and the UK. A mid-engined model, expected to be badged either MR2 or Celica, is under development. Testing first began using the mid-engined GR Yaris M as a mule, before proper prototypes started appearing last month. Sadly, we don’t expect this new model to be as affordable as the GR86 and it’s unlikely to feature a manual transmission. In these respects, only the 86 will do and if you want one new, you’ll have to go down the import route.
