2021 Toyota 86 coupe caught testing
First glimpse of second-gen 86 suggests it will keep current car’s dimensions and sport a radically different front and rear stylingThe second-generation Toyota 86 has been spied testing for the very first time in the US near the car-maker’s Michigan R&D centre.
The prototype, caught on public roads by Instagram user
, is the first time we’ve seen the replacement for the driver-focused rear-drive coupe, despite an announcement by both Toyota and Subaru, back in 2019, that both the 86 and BRZ would live on for another generation.Sadly, the evidence of the new prototype being tested in the US, hasn't been backed up by any concrete details, by either Japanese brand, concerning how the next 86 Coupe will take shape.
Instead, we have to rely on rumours from well-placed sources that the 2021 Toyota coupe will again miss out on turbocharging and come powered by the Subaru’S FA24 naturally-aspirated 2.4-litre ‘boxer’ flat-four-cylinder engine that will, according to
, produce 162kW and 240Nm of torqueThose figures are a 10kW and 38Nm improvement over the out-going 2.0-litre and, with an average weight reduction of at around 10kg should bring a meaningful improvement in performance.
An insider talking to Best Japan suggests that instead of switching to Toyota’s TNGA platform a decision has been now taken for the coupe to remain on the current platform – which may explain why the proportions look eerily familiar.
Developed with heavy involvement from Gazoo Racing – Toyota’s high-performance and racing division - Best Car Japan also tips the 86 coupe to be renamed the Toyota GR 86, to help it fall in line with the nomenclature of the fast GR Supra.
Interestingly, adding complexity to the development of the BRZ is Subaru’s insistence it will come with the car-maker’s full suite of Eyesight driver assistance technology. If true, the Subaru version might only come as a two-pedal automatic version, as the safety tech has not been developed for manual-equipped cars.
Originally, the new Toyota 86 and its twin, the Subaru BRZ, was set to be revealed in the European summer, but those plans might have been pushed back in light of the global pandemic.
It’s now thought that both will be unveiled before the end of the year with the 86 and BRZ successor set to be on sale by early 2021.
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