There are two people in this world; those who think the Toyota 86 has just the right amount of power and oomph, and those who have been slamming their fists on the table ever since its inception — pleading for forced induction.
We at Driven rather like the 86 (and its blue-badged Subaru cousin). It's one of the only true entry-level sports cars left next to the Mazda MX-5 (a car that's also been continually dogged by suggestions it should be powerful). Cars like these that hero driver involvement and satisfaction over traffic-light straight-line wars are an endangered species, and one we'd rather like to protect.
However, times may well be a changing.
A recent report by JapanTimes in ... uhh ... Japan, has stated that a new 86/BRZ is coming in 2021. And while the outlet are rather thin on additional details, they say that the sports coupe is "likely" to have an engine size of 2400cc.
This could be the solution for those who've never believed the Toybaru never had the guts to justify its near-$50k price tag, but the lack of information could mean that even more is in store for the platform. Power will no doubt go up, but we don't know by how much. Will there be a turbo or supercharger? Time will tell.
Nonetheless, it's probably pleasing news to a majority. And it also ensures the future of the 86 nameplate, which might've been under threat for a while with the new Supra on its way.
We just hope that, unlike the rumours surrounding the Supra, the 86 will come with a manual gearbox.