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Toyota Announces Global Launch Of The All-New GR86

vuyi on November 1, 2021

The long-awaited Toyota GR86 is now available for sale in Japan but we’ll have to wait till 2022 to find out when it will be available in South Africa.

Press Release: Toyota South Africa Motors

The GR86 was jointly developed with Subaru Corporation (Subaru). In addition to building New Energy Vehicles, the two companies also share a desire to continue delivering the excitement, thrill, and joy of driving sports cars.

The GR86 shares the same base as the Subaru BRZ. However, Toyota focused on delivering the unique driving feel of a GR vehicle, with intuitive handling and instinctive responsiveness, linear response as well as outstanding agility at the upper limits of performance.

While carrying on the tradition of the 86 and engaging in friendly rivalry with Subaru’s BRZ development team, TGR sought to develop a vehicle that would realize a GR-like evolution. As a result, the new GR86 has been reborn as a car designed with outstanding driving feel that is both direct and satisfying.

Exterior

The front of the vehicle features the GR-specific Functional MATRIX Grille, which fuses performance and aesthetics. To mark its evolution from the 86 to the GR86, the GR86 logo has also been redesigned.

Interior

Equipped with a BOXER Meter, comprising a 7-inch colour screen and LCD metres, the car’s opening animation sequence is inspired by the piston movements of the GR86’s horizontally opposed engine, and fosters a sense of excitement even before the drive begins.

The metre display embodies the GR86’s sports performance, changing according to which driving mode is engaged. NORMAL mode shows the current speed in large numbers inside a circular tachometre; in Sports mode (available on AT grades only), the edges and rings of the tachometre gauge turn red; TRACK mode takes inspiration from racing car displays, and shows engine speed in large numbers.

The GR86 seats deliver a sensation of being at one with the vehicle. The lightweight front seats use independent pads used to support the body, and, in order to withstand the lateral and longitudinal g-forces generated during aggressive sports driving, they are covered in an extremely grippy material.

The new GR86 provides outstanding agility

Sporting a lightweight, compact engine with a low center-of-gravity in line with previous iterations, the GR86 increases its displacement size from 2.0 to 2.4L. The engine delivers superior driving performance as a consequence, achieving 0-100km/h acceleration in just 6.3 seconds―down from the 7.4 seconds of the previous model. Engine responsiveness has also been enhanced, providing smooth, stress-free sensations from low to high rpms.

A sports car that provides a secure and safe car life

The GR86 is equipped with EyeSight⁵ Driver Assist Technology (AT grades only). Featuring pre-collision braking technologies that help avoid collisions and mitigate damage, the system provides support for safe everyday driving.

GR PARTS maximize the appeal of the GR86

TGR has prepared a selection of custom GR PARTS to maximize the appeal of the GR86. From everyday driving to sports driving, a wide-ranging parts line-up enables all customers to personalize their GR86.Toyota South Africa Motors says local timing for launch as well as sales will be confirmed in 2022.

4 Awesome things we look forward to experiencing in the all-new Toyota GR 86

vuyi on April 7, 2021

The all-new Toyota GR 86, which made its world debut today is the third model in the global GR portfolio, joining the widely acclaimed GR Supra and GR Yaris.

Before you get too excited, the first thing you ought to know is that the GR 86 is only set to launch locally in Q1 of 2022; so there’s no need to start reconfiguring your household budget – just yet. In fact, we don’t have the pricing of the new sports car but we’ll certainly share that critical tidbit as soon as we have it. Bar pricing, here’s what we do know and our top-4 reasons to be thrilled about.

We can’t wait to plant our manicured feet on its (gas) pedal! Similar to its predecessor, we expect that the GR 86 will remain faithful to its revered fun-to-drive characteristics. Powered by a new, lightweight, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder engine, the incoming GR 86 will be propelled by a four-cylinder, 2.4-litre engine, producing 173kW and 250Nm. This is a step up from the 2.0-litre unit found in its predecessor.
We can’t wait to turn heads in it! The GR 86 retains the dimensions of the GT86, meaning it will be drop dead sexy and impossible to miss. Apart from being incredibly good-looking, the GR 86 will maintain a low centre of gravity allowing for agile handling. Coupled with increased torsional rigidity (increased by approximately 50%) the GR 86 will deliver even sharper handling and steering. For drivers who have attended more than one advanced driving course, this means taking curves will be an adrenalin inducing experience.
We can’t wait to get into ‘girl-racer’ mode! Thanks to the GT86’s proven motorsport track record – pun intended – the GR 86 will feature functional aerodynamic components, most notable being the front air ducts and side-rocker panels. These should aid the sports car to achieve expected best in-class handling and stability.
We can’t wait to test its suitability to everyday driving! The GR 86 is expected to the the lightest four-seater coupe in its class, thanks to weight-saving initiatives such as the use of aluminum for the roof and body panels. We anticipate that this will result in lower fuel consumption figures. Of course the amount of pressure applied to the gas pedal might cancel that out, a trait which will be more about the driver than the design of the vehicle!

The Toyota GT86, which was launched in 2012, went on to find more than 200,000 homes globally. If Toyota has retained the authentic driver feel of their newest sports car, and have not saturated the all-new GR 86 with countless driver (aka nanny) aids, the GR 86 should do just as well if not better than its outdated sibling.