2022 Toyota GR 86 Could Look Better Than the BRZ With These Simple Fixes

The 86 and its predecessors aren't exactly what you'd call beautiful cars, but they have their own design identity, which often feels like it's separate from the rest of the Toyota brand. The new GR 86, on the other hand, now feels like a clone of the Subaru BRZ, especially when it made its debut so much later than its Fuji Industries brother.

Toyota may have missed an opportunity here. It's not like this will affect sales significantly since the GR 86 is a virtually unique offering with a strong following. But it will probably take about four years before a facelift can be implemented.

We don't want to wait that long, so instead, we'll feature this video from YouTube car designer TheSketchMonkey. He proposes several small changes to the 2022 model, which not only fix some of the issues but also give it an identity that's completely different from the BRZ.

The changes at the front start with the 86 getting a keener nose. The grille picks up a few more lines from the hood and side vents, but this ends up making it look like it came from an Aston Martin. Obviously, that's not a bad thing, plus it's a nice evolution of the old Scion design.

Just one big, easy to facelift plastic component, the bumper, is enough to revise the GR sports coupe. But TheSketchMonkey also makes a few updates that are trickier to implement. He adds strong creases coming off the front wings and going through the doors. We're pretty much stuck with these flat doors since new metal stamping is expensive.

The designer envisions stronger rear shoulders, revisions to the taillights, and a smaller diffuser at the back. Most of these upgrades would require the Subaru BRZ to be changed as well. But at least in the digital world, the GR 86 can now stand out.