Photo: Toyota
Other than the Yaris iA, Corolla iM, and the Prius Prime, the Toyota stand at the New York Auto Show saw the debut of the 2017 Toyota 86. Yes, the Scion FR-S is officially dead. I won’t miss it, though, because the Toyota-branded sports car serves as the mid-cycle refresh for the FR-S.
It’s been four years since the boxer-engined trio (Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, and Toyota GT86) started production. With the 2017 model year, the facelift brings some goodies to the table. The biggest news is the refreshed exterior styling. That aggressive-looking front fascia does it for me, bumper, grille, headlights, and all. The taillights are a little ricey if I’m being completely honest.
All in all, Toyota did its best to update the exterior aesthetics of the 2-door sports car. The highlight of the interior is the addition of a soft-touch material christened Grandlux. Other changes include a different upholstery with silver stitching, a sports steering wheel, and bigger paddle shifters for the model equipped with the unorthodox 6-speed automatic.
I’ve used unorthodox because the 2.0-liter boxer under the hood doesn’t deserve to be matched with a lazy auto. Instead, the 4U-GSE engine wants the driver to do that fancy heel-and-toe action with the aid of a third pedal and manually selectable ratios. Speaking of the engine, little updates here and there upped the ante to 205 horsepower and 156 lb-ft (211 Nm) of torque. Is it too much or too little? You decide.
In any case, those who aren’t happy with what the 2017 Toyota 86 has to offer can wait for the second generation to arrive. Fuji Heavy Industries head honcho Yasuyuki Yoshinaga confirmed that Subaru and Toyota have agreed to create a second generation of the sports car. The only uncertainty is that Subaru and Toyota haven’t decided when it will be introduced. Fingers crossed it won't be long.
All in all, Toyota did its best to update the exterior aesthetics of the 2-door sports car. The highlight of the interior is the addition of a soft-touch material christened Grandlux. Other changes include a different upholstery with silver stitching, a sports steering wheel, and bigger paddle shifters for the model equipped with the unorthodox 6-speed automatic.
I’ve used unorthodox because the 2.0-liter boxer under the hood doesn’t deserve to be matched with a lazy auto. Instead, the 4U-GSE engine wants the driver to do that fancy heel-and-toe action with the aid of a third pedal and manually selectable ratios. Speaking of the engine, little updates here and there upped the ante to 205 horsepower and 156 lb-ft (211 Nm) of torque. Is it too much or too little? You decide.
In any case, those who aren’t happy with what the 2017 Toyota 86 has to offer can wait for the second generation to arrive. Fuji Heavy Industries head honcho Yasuyuki Yoshinaga confirmed that Subaru and Toyota have agreed to create a second generation of the sports car. The only uncertainty is that Subaru and Toyota haven’t decided when it will be introduced. Fingers crossed it won't be long.
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