Toyota wants the next-gen 86 to be better than the Supra, which is a strange thing to say to your recently released sports car.
The Supra is a grand car. Sure, the first one that went to auction didn’t sell, but that’s probably just because everyone who wanted a Supra already has one and is busy ripping out the engine to install the previous-gen 6-cylinder and then tune it to somewhere north of 500 horsepower in true Supra tradition.
When the Supra arrived, we were concerned that it would mean the death of the 86/BRZ, the adorable little sports car that could. Thankfully, Toyota assured us that they’ll continue their partnership with Subaru to create the second generation of sports car, and now we’re being told that it will be better than ever.
And even better than the Supra.
Toyota chief engineer Tetsuya Tada spoke with Australian car site MOTOR to discuss the upcoming next-gen 86. He suggested that development is well underway and that customers expect the new car to be better than the Supra.
"We have to make a new 86 that surpasses the Supra… that is what the customer expects," he said.
Tada also noted that the Supra has a stiffer bodyshell and lower center of gravity than the current 86/BRZ, suggesting that the next-gen replacement might match or even surpass the Supra in these qualities.
Previous leaks tell us that the new 86/BRZ will arrive in concept form at the Tokyo Motor Show later in October, with the production version to come in 2021. Expect it to ride on a totally new platform which is widely believed to be a modified version of Toyota's TNGA platform but made for rear-wheel-drive.
The Toyobaru's engine is also expected to grow from the current 2.0-L to 2.4-L courtesy of the Subaru Legacy and Ascent engine. That'll mean about 220 hp, which will go a long way to solving the primary complaint of the 86 which is a lack of horses.