Top Five: MY17 Toyota 86 upgrades

Toyota’s 'Kouki' (facelifted) 86 made its debut in Japan this week. With revised looks and a little extra oomph, the model is sure to continue the strong sales performance of its predecessor, a model that has found more than 17,000 Australian customers since June 2012.

Ahead of the model’s arrival in Australia this November, here are the five most significant things you need to know about Toyota’s upgraded compact rear-drive sports coupe.

5. Electrical

LED lighting technology is rife on the revised 86, especially on top-grade GTS variants. LED headlights, DRLs (daytime running lights) and foglights grace the revised front-end, while LED tail-lights are now offered as standard across the range. There’s a new Track Mode for the stability control system and a new instrument panel on both grades (with the redline of the tachometer top and centre), while the GTS adds a new 4.2-inch MID (multi-information display) with lap-time and G meter and steering wheel controls. Unfortunately, the infotainment system is carried over.

4. Chassis

Taking lessons learnt from Toyota’s 24 Hours of Nurburgring 86 in 2012, the factory has bolstered spot welding in the rear-end and thickened sheetmetal between the wheel-arches, stiffening the frame. The rear suspension is softened (-15 per cent) to improve motive traction, ride comfort and turn-in, with new springs, dampers and a thinner anti-roll bar (-1mm to 14mm). Up front, the suspension is stiffened (+10 per cent), with new dampers and coils to improve stability and steering response at speed. The EPAS system is re-tuned to match. The GTS also scores new 17-inch alloys.

3. Engine

If you’re an automatic buyer, then you won’t need to embrace change under the hood – there isn’t any. But for manual buyers (who account for 60 per cent of sales locally) there’s a new, spider-style, cast aluminium intake manifold, new air intake plumbing, buffed intake and exhaust valve stems, a smoother camshaft journal and a new engine map for the ECU. The changes are said to improve low-end response, and extract a further 5kW/7Nm (now 152kW/212Nm). Manual variants also receive a new (shorter) final drive ratio, now 4.30:1 (previously 4.10:1).

2. Aero

The lower front bumper cover is probably the most noticeable change to the revised 86. More aggressive than it was on ‘Zenki’ (or original) 86, the bar improves frontal downforce while at the same time reducing turbulence over the wheel-wells – it also looks fantastic. For GTS models, there’s a new all-aluminium boot lid spoiler to replace the plastic unit used previously, while the vents and piston badge of the front quarter panel are altered, the logo replaced by a smaller, round 86 badge behind the front wheels.

1. Cabin

As well as the instrument panel listed above, the 86 also scores new black cloth seats on GT grades and perforated black Grandluxe (similar to Alcantara) and leather combination upholstering on the GTS. Grandluxe is also found on top of the instrument binnacle, to reduce glare, and on top of the door cards. The new 86 also receives a revised steering wheel across the range — the smallest-diameter wheel ever fitted to a production Toyota (-3mm to 362). The tan and red interior seen in other markets is not offered locally due to lack of demand.

Toyota has not confirmed whether the changes to 86 will affect pricing, which currently starts at $29,990 (plus on-road costs).