Toyota GR86 – Thai launch Q3 2022, Malaysia after?

Revealed to the world back in April last year, the Toyota GR86 will soon make its way to Thailand, according to Headlight Magazine. The publication reported that the entry-level sports car will be launched in the Land of Smiles in the third quarter (yes, we’re already well into the second quarter, it’s been that kind of year) of 2022, during which it will join its Subaru BRZ twin that has been on sale there since March.

There are no details regarding specs or pricing, but they should mirror the car’s Pleiades-badged sibling. The BRZ is sold in full-spec form and costs an eye-watering 2,699,000 baht (RM342,600), or 2,849,000 baht (RM361,700) if you want to lose all your petrolhead credentials (i.e. buy this thing as an automatic).

As previously reported, the GR86 is the second generation of the two-door coupé jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru and uses the base platform of the previous 86. The revised design features taller headlights, smoother front and rear fender bulges, functional front fender vents and sleeker wraparound taillights joined by a gloss black strip; the rear number plate recess has also been moved to the bumper.

The Toyota continues to get its own front end treatment with a trapezoidal “matrix” grille and slim corner air inlets with inverted L-shaped frames. The black 18-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels on higher-spec models are of a similar design to the GR Yaris‘, albeit cast instead of forged and lacking BBS branding. The 215/40R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres are also narrower than on the hatch.

Inside, the GR86 gets a more modern cabin that features heavier seat bolstering and a new seven-inch digital instrument cluster inspired by the boxer engine under the bonnet. In Thailand, the BRZ is offered with an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen, dual-zone automatic climate control, a Track drive mode and a reverse camera, and the Toyota should get the same features there.

Under the skin, the GR86 utilises high-strength steels, as well as aluminium in the bonnet, engine underbody, roof and front fenders. This not only reduces weight but also increases torsional rigidity by a claimed 50%, helping to deliver more stable and agile handling.

While the new car has broadly similar dimensions as before, the lower height and seat hip point have allowed for a lower centre of gravity in concert with the flat-four engine. The Subaru 2.4 litre naturally-aspirated FA24D is larger than the old 2.0 litre unit; it continues to be equipped with Toyota’s D-4S direct injection system and produces 237 PS at 7,000 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 3,700 rpm.

Those figures represent increases of 29 PS and 38 Nm, allowing the GR86 to sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 6.3 seconds – over a second quicker than before – before hitting a top speed of 226 km/h. That’s with the six-speed manual gearbox; the six-speed slushbox (which gets its own Sport mode) takes more than half a second longer to reach 100 km/h (6.9 seconds) and tops out at just 216 km/h.

Safety-wise, the GR86 finally receives Subaru’s EyeSight suite of driver assists, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, front departure alert, reverse AEB and automatic high beam. However, this is only offered on the automatic version; the manual car sadly continues to lack these items. Seven airbags and stability control continue to be standard across the range.

The GR86 will likely make its Malaysian debut soon after its Thai launch, following in the footsteps of the GR Yaris. This tallies with UMW Toyota Motor’s confirmation that it will introduce new models later this year. You’d better hope that the Malaysian model will adopt pricing closer to that of the local BRZ, which is available to order at dealers with more reasonable expected pricing of RM229,245 for the manual model and RM239,245 with the automatic.

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