The Toyota GR86 has been the undisputed king of the affordable hill for a few years now, somehow convincing American enthusiasts to open their wallets more often than they do for the legendary Mazda MX-5 or its own mechanical shadow, the Subaru BRZ. Toyota’s marketing department has been working overtime to keep the flame alive, slapping on Sachs dampers, Brembo brakes, and “Yuzu” yellow paint as if they were anti-aging cream. Adding four exhaust tips to a five-year-old platform is like putting a fresh coat of paint on a crumbling Roman ruin. It looks great, but you can still feel the bricks shifting.
Enthusiasts are restless. We’ve moved past the “lethargic” 2.0-liter days of the old FA20, and while the current 228-hp 2.4-liter unit is a massive improvement, the “Toyobaru” formula is starting to show its wrinkles.
Fortunately, the whispers from Japan, specifically from the usually-dead-on insiders at Best Car, suggest that a third-generation savior is slated for a Summer 2028 debut. This is a total reimagining that will likely share DNA with the officially confirmed 4WD Celica.
The good news for those of us who break out in hives at the thought of a silent sports car? It’s staying gas-powered. However, to appease the gods of efficiency (and likely those looming Brussels regulations), it will almost certainly be hybridized. The goal is to keep the curb weight around a featherlight 2,900 lbs, preserving the RWD purity that makes this car a driver’s favorite.
Recent renders suggest a shift from the current “playful” aesthetic to something much more predatory. Think sharper, focused LED headlights and a mesh grille that finally ditches the cheap plastic look for something worthy of a Gazoo Racing badge.
The side profile is where things get truly aggressive, featuring flush door handles for a touch of Lexus-level luxury and 19-inch Michelins that actually fill out those muscular haunches. Around the back, the design goes full “unhinged” with connected LED taillights and a rear splitter housing two unnecessarily large exhaust pipes.
If Toyota actually delivers a 2028 GR86 that looks this mean and stays under 3,000 lbs, they’ll be embarrassing the entire segment. We just have to hope the “S-curve” of its development doesn’t take as long as Elon’s promises.
