Photo: Toyota
Expected to drop the GT 86 moniker for GR 86, the next generation of Toyota’s Boxer sports car is an important project for the manufacturer as well as Gazoo Racing. So important that the return of the MR2 takes a step back.
Previewed by the S-FR Concept from 2015, the next generation of the MR2 was expected to arrive in 2020 on the Toyota New Global Architecture with rear-wheel-drive. There was even talk about complete electrification as a BEV, but as fate would have it, the hopes for a revival are dashed for the time being.
Speaking to Autocar, the vice president of Toyota in Europe made it clear that the MR2 “is not a priority.” Focused on developing the GR 86, the Japanese automaker has a few surprises in store for the sibling of the BRZ.
Co-developed with Subaru, the GR 86 is expected to arrive in 2024 with the FA24 four-cylinder boxer engine. Subaru’s newest engine is a 2.4-liter with direct injection and a twin-scroll turbocharger. Capable of 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque in applications such as the Ascent crossover, the FA24 in the GR 86 would drop the turbo in favor of natural aspiration.
This would translate to around 220 PS (217 horsepower) and 240 Nm (177 pound-feet) of torque, an upgrade that would bring the Hachi-Roku closer to the GR Supra with the four-cylinder turbo engine. Those ratings would also ensure that the 86 wouldn’t overlap the Supra, which seems right given the pricing difference.
Speaking of pricing, have you heard that Subaru has hiked up the starting price of the BRZ in the United Kingdom by almost 15 percent? The reason behind this dramatic change is the 2021 emissions target that will subject automakers to average no more than 95 grams per kilometer in Europe. Because it relies on boxers and all-wheel-drive, Subaru will be paying lots of penalties unless the automaker’s partnership with Toyota will generate more hybrid and plug-in hybrid options.
The wildest of rumors also peg the GR 86 as a hybrid, though that’s a little optimistic given the decreasing demand for sports cars. The closest Toyota has come to such a vehicle is the GR HV Concept in the main photo and gallery, which features a novel transmission that can be used as a comfy automatic or as an engaging manual with an H pattern.
Speaking to Autocar, the vice president of Toyota in Europe made it clear that the MR2 “is not a priority.” Focused on developing the GR 86, the Japanese automaker has a few surprises in store for the sibling of the BRZ.
Co-developed with Subaru, the GR 86 is expected to arrive in 2024 with the FA24 four-cylinder boxer engine. Subaru’s newest engine is a 2.4-liter with direct injection and a twin-scroll turbocharger. Capable of 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque in applications such as the Ascent crossover, the FA24 in the GR 86 would drop the turbo in favor of natural aspiration.
This would translate to around 220 PS (217 horsepower) and 240 Nm (177 pound-feet) of torque, an upgrade that would bring the Hachi-Roku closer to the GR Supra with the four-cylinder turbo engine. Those ratings would also ensure that the 86 wouldn’t overlap the Supra, which seems right given the pricing difference.
Speaking of pricing, have you heard that Subaru has hiked up the starting price of the BRZ in the United Kingdom by almost 15 percent? The reason behind this dramatic change is the 2021 emissions target that will subject automakers to average no more than 95 grams per kilometer in Europe. Because it relies on boxers and all-wheel-drive, Subaru will be paying lots of penalties unless the automaker’s partnership with Toyota will generate more hybrid and plug-in hybrid options.
The wildest of rumors also peg the GR 86 as a hybrid, though that’s a little optimistic given the decreasing demand for sports cars. The closest Toyota has come to such a vehicle is the GR HV Concept in the main photo and gallery, which features a novel transmission that can be used as a comfy automatic or as an engaging manual with an H pattern.
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