Apparently convinced that its 2022 GR 86 will be so exciting to drive that you’ll want to go racing, Toyota is including a 1-year membership in the National Auto Sport Association and a high-performance driving event with expert instruction to each buyer.
Toyota says the 2022 Gazoo Racing-badged 86 sports coupe is “track-tested” and “pro-driver approved.” This newest version has increased rigidity, more power — peak torque arriving at lower rpm — and a new interior.
Thanks in part to increased bore size as well as changes to the intake and exhaust systems and optimized injection technology, the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder boxer engine increases output from 205 to 228 horsepower and from 156 to 184 pound-feet of torque when linked to a 6-speed manual transmission.
The result is a drop from 7.0 to 6.1 seconds in the 0-to-60 mph sprint with the manual, and from 8.0 to 6.6 with the automatic transmission.
Toyota said the paddle-shifted 6-speed automatic has more clutch discs than before and has been equipped with adaptive controls “that sense brake and accelerator options, automatically shifting to the optimal gear.”
Inside the cockpit, the car gets upgraded front seats with side bolsters designed for “serious cornering” and offers a premium version in Alcantara and leather. The new interior includes a 3-mode digital display — normal, sport and track.
Toyota also has explained the car’s name: “When the 86/Scion FR-S was introduced in 2012, Akio Toyoda’s aim was to re-capture the spirit of Toyota’s famed sports car from the 1980s and ‘90s. With a name in tribute to the mid-1980s AE86 known in Japan as the ‘hachi-roku’ (meaning 8-6) and known in the U.S. as the Toyota Corolla GT-S, the 86/FR-S was developed to give sports car purists an affordable, agile rear-drive sports coupe.
“The new generation GR 86 takes cues from its ‘hachi-roku’ forefather.”
As for the 1-year NASA membership, it includes one free driving event as well as discounted admission to other NASA programs, Toyota said.
Pricing of the 2022 Toyota GR 86 has yet to be announced.
