Toyota GR 86

The Toyota GR 86 is going to make a comeback in the Malaysian market with a whole new fresher and sleeker design. What it successfully retains is the iconic two-door look and the promising performance from the Boxer engine. The Toyota GR 86 is expected to hit the Malaysian market before the end of 2022.

Toyota has made some extensive changes to the exterior design of the GR 86, while still retaining the two-door look and the iconic coupe-like silhouette. It certainly looks much fresher and swankier than the previous model.

At the front, the Toyota GR 86 has a minimalist appeal, with a proper trapezoidal grille with tapered edges present on the front bumper. The bonnet has a sloping and cleaner look, with the lower edges getting sleek-looking angular headlamps. These headlamps have LED projector bulbs and L-shaped daytime running LEDs on their outer edges. The corners of the front bumper also have sporty air curtains with inverted L-shaped garnish over them.

Coming to the side profile of the Toyota GR 86, the car has an impressive-looking coupe-like stance with a long hood and sloping-down roofline. The car has a sporty appearance with a two-door profile, angular air curtains in the front fenders, 10-spoke black alloy wheels, door-mounted rearview mirrors, and smoothly designed front and rear fenders.

At the back, the Toyota GR 86 has a neat appearance with a hump-like spoiler mounted on its boot lid, C-shaped wide tail lamps, LED light bar across the boot lid width with an LED stop lamp above it. The rear bumper looks aggressive with a large and wide black diffuser and dual exhaust ports.

While Toyota has extensively changed the exterior design of the GR 86, the same cannot be said about the cabin layout. The all-black cabin gets a slightly revised layout as compared to before, but it continues to have a very simple look, which could have been a bit more youthful and snazzier.

Toyota has continued with the same round-themed three-spoke multi-functional steering, which now looks dated by today’s standards. What is a reason for relief is the presence of a full-TFT instrument console and a large rectangular touchscreen infotainment system in the middle. The lower part of the centre console has three-rounded dials for automatic climate control and toggle-like switches for various functions of the car. The upper part of the centre console has basic-looking rectangular AC vents.

The cabin of the Toyota GR 86 is decently equipped with features like heated seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, power-adjustable driver’s seat.

The new Toyota GR 86 retains the good-old 2.4-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated Boxer petrol engine. Available with both the options of a 6-speed manual gearbox and 6-speed automatic, this engine produces a maximum power output of 228 bhp, while the peak torque output is rated at 250 Nm. The engine has always been known for its fantastic power delivery, and with revised power and torque outputs, it has become even more responsive.

The Toyota GR 86 also has a reputation of being a fine handler, and this new version continues to hold supremacy. The car gets Macpherson struts with a stabilizer at the front and multi-link suspension at the rear, both of which are armed with GR circuit-tuned coil springs. Even the steering wheel is GR circuit-tuned electronic power steering, which is super responsive and matches the agility of the suspension.

For safety, the Toyota GR 86 gets a decently long list of features like blind-spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert, vehicle stability control, traction control, ABS with EBD and brake assist, seven airbags, reverse camera, automatic high beam, hill start assist, tyre pressure monitoring system, adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, lead vehicle start alert and lane departure warning with sway warning.

With all the updates, the Toyota GR 86 is not only a much better-looking car from the outside, but has also become technologically more advanced and equipped than ever before. It is one of the finest driver's cars Toyota has ever produced.