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After months of anticipation, Toyota has finally revealed its next-generation 2-door sports coupe. It’s no longer called just the “86” or “GT 86”. Instead, it joins the brand’s high-performance Gazoo Racing lineup as their third model. With that, it’s now officially called the GR 86.
The GR 86 is still jointly developed with the Subaru BRZ that also made its Japan debut. As a result, both models have nearly identical appearances sans some minor details at the front and rear. Styling-wise, the GR 86 adopts the same look as the BRZ featuring rounded headlights at the front. To distinguish it from its Subaru counterpart, it has a different bumper with L-shaped side vents and a GR-specific Matrix grille.
At the rear, there doesn’t appear to be any differences between the two. From the bumper down to the taillights, everything is a carryover from the Subaru. Well, that is except for the badging.
Inside, Toyota reworked the cabin, and it looks better than the outgoing model. The rounded air vents at the corner and rectangular central vents remind us of the current Lexus IS model. In front of the driver sits a new instrument cluster with a 7-inch digital display. Meanwhile, an enhanced touchscreen infotainment system sits front and center.
The GR86 uses A 2.4-liter naturally aspirated flat-four engine, the same as the one used in the BRZ. Interestingly, it does have a slight bump in power over its Subaru twin. Toyota says the engine is good for 235 PS and 250 Nm torque, allowing the coupe to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.3 seconds. Like before, all that power is sent to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission. An automatic transmission will be available and will include Subaru’s EyeSight safety suite feature.
Despite sharing the same vehicle base, Toyota did imbue the vehicle with a distinct driving feel different from the BRZ. Specifically, the automaker wanted to carry on the “driving sensation” offered by the 86 launched in 2012. One of those is by keeping the car lightweight. The 2021 GR 86 has a curb weight of only 1,270kg. Body rigidity has also stiffer than before, Toyota claims.
The 2021 GR 86 will go on sale in Japan in autumn 2021 alongside its Subaru twin. There’s no word yet when Toyota’s new sports coupe will hit markets such as the Philippines. Hopefully, we see it sometime later this year or early 2022.
FROM:AUTOINDUSTRIYA
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