2015 Toyota 86 arrives

Toyota's top-selling sports car, the 86 coupe, gets a number of subtle tweaks for the 2015 model year, with range-topping GTS models rising in price.

Changes to the car's suspension, wrought by the 86's global chief engineer, Tetsuya Tada, are said to deliver improved comfort and more polished dynamics via new suspension mounts, guide bushings and lower-friction oil and oil seals.

The shock absorbers have also been recalibrated, which results in less body roll but more control, asserts Tada.

"Shock absorbers were retuned. We used a new technology for stabilising damping force, and we improved friction control and responsiveness," said Tada. This results in "that extra bit of control, especially when the car is driven on the limit."

The car's 2.0-litre engine remains unchanged, winding up to peak performance of 147kW/205Nm, with either six-speed manual or six-speed auto.

Subaru is expected to release a 2015 model year update for the BRZ coupe, essentially the same car, before year's end.

Following the lead of the European market Toyota 86 earlier in the year, a shark-fin roof antenna is the only exterior alteration, and two new paint jobs are now offered, silver and white.

Look inside the low-slung cockpit, and entry-level GT models get the high-spec instrument cluster of the GTS models, adding a digital speedo, shift-position indicator and red line warning light.

The Toyota 86 GT variants maintain their $29,990 price ($32,790 auto), while range-topping GTS models have moved up $500 and $800 for the manual and automatic models; now $36,490 and $39,290 respectively.

The price rise provides a bit more fruit, with things like faux carbon dashpad accents and the fitment of a reversing camera.

Tony Cramb, Toyota Australia's Executive Director of Sales and Marketing, said the new model is still "an affordable sports car that is all about driver involvement".

"This clever fine-tuning of the universally acclaimed dynamics of the car will ensure its handling responsiveness is even more closely attuned to the driver's intentions," said Cramb of the 2015 Toyota 86.

The Toyota 86 has struck a chord with Australian buyers, who bought more than 10,000 of the sports cars since the 86 was launched about two years ago. That makes Australia the third-highest selling market globally, after Japan and the US.

Although monthly sales are starting to taper off in Australia, the new 2015 model year update is expected to deliver a slight uptick in sales, which is likely to be helped along by an 86 convertible and even a turbo 86 sedan in the next two years.