Late last year, Subaru whipped the covers off the highly-anticipated second-generation BRZ, and while we thought that Toyota's sister car wouldn't be far behind, they've made us wait a while.
Over the weekend, we finally got our first look at this new 86, which has been dubbed the 'GR 86' to fall in line with the rest of the Japanese brand's performance products.
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Like the last generation, the new BRZ and GR 86 are very similar looking, with bumpers being the main difference. Both wear the vented front guards that look like they've come off a Lexus F-Sport.
On the inside, the GR 86 looks a lot like the GR Yaris with a similar steering wheel and dash. Like the Yaris, it gets a manual hand brake, and those all-important three-pedals in the footwell.
Despite keeping the car's weight at 1,270kg, Toyota has managed to make it handle even better than the last, through the use of lightweight materials such as aluminum through the roof and body panels.
At the business end of the GR 86, it gets the same 2.4-litre boxer engine as its Subaru sibling. This engine is good for 173kW and 250Nm, which is a healthy bump over the last generation and will send it to 100km/h one second faster.
The infamous torque gap reported doesn't exist in this new engine, with maximum torque arriving at 3,700rpm. Peak power comes on at 7,000rpm, right before the redline at 7,400rpm.
In terms of safety, automatic transmission-equipped models will get Subaru's EyeSight Driver Assist Technology, meaning that it will be a lot more advanced than the manual alternatives. It will be interesting to see if this drives more buyers away from the three-pedaled cars.
