Yahoo Autos 2022 Toyota GR 86 First Drive Review | A rousing refrain
MONTICELLO, N.Y. — It’s a story playing out all over the industry: When the time comes for a new generation, internal-combustion performance cars are being significantly overhauled rather than completely redesigned. The Nissan Z is going this route, and rumors have suggested a similar fate for the next-generation Ford Mustang. Even Cadillac’s Blackwing variants were really more akin to remixed versions of their predecessors than entirely new vehicles. And so it goes with the 2022 Toyota GR 86 (and its Subaru sibling, the BRZ, but that will have to wait a bit).
Toyota’s variant has now been blessed with the “GR” designation. That stands for Gazoo Racing, which started life as a Toyota skunkworks motorsports team. While it’s still the name for Toyota’s now-official factory racing efforts, the shorthand is also being used to denote models like the 86 and Supra that were built to be fun first and transportation second. So, not a Corolla.
Toyota’s marketing team has latched onto the new designation as an indicator that the little coupe has “graduated” to Toyota’s official performance division. That’s not the wildest pitch we’ve seen come toward the plate, but considering that the updates to the 2022 model were fairly modest, it’s not one we’re inclined to swing at.
The most noteworthy upgrade to the 2022 GR 86 is its engine. Out: a thrashy 2.0-liter boxer-four making 205 horsepower and (seemingly) about 9 pound-feet of torque. In: a more refined 2.4-liter mill that produces 228 horses and a peak of 184 lb-ft that arrives 2,700 rpm sooner than the old one (it was 156 lb-ft if you must know). Still around: six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes, both of which were tweaked to account for the new engine and improve quality of life.
The 2022 model is offered in two trims: Base and Premium. The former comes standard with 17-inch wheels and Michelin Primacy HP tires (yeah, the same ones originally and infamously referred to as “Prius tires”) in 215/45R17, while the Premium gets 18-inch wheels shod in the properly summer-spec Michelin Pilot Sport 4. Even this sticky rubber remains skinny from the factory, checking in at 215/40R18.
The GR 86’s wheelbase (101.4 inches), overall length (167.9 inches) and curb weight (2,811-2,868 pounds) are all near-as-makes-no-difference the same, too, thanks to the carry-over platform. The standard Torsen limited-slip differential also soldiers on, as does the MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear. In short, the GR 86 is the same size and shape as the old 86, but slightly more powerful. With the manual, Toyota claims the 2022 GR 86 will hit 60 in 6.1 seconds on the way to a 140-mph top speed; the auto is a half a second slower and runs out of revs 6 mph sooner.
Second verse, same as the first, right? Well, that’s what Toyota was worried we’d say, so just to make it absolutely clear that the GR 86 is appreciably better than its predecessor, a few examples of the outgoing model were on-hand at the Monticello Motor Club in New York so that we could see (feel, really) for ourselves.
We started on Monticello's South Course in the morning, allowing us to get acclimated to the cars on the shorter, slower configuration before we were turned loose on a modified version of the Full Course in the afternoon. I took my recon laps in a current-generation car to refamiliarize myself with its character and quirks while learning Monticello’s basic school line.
Stepping into the GR 86 afterward, the most immediate difference is just how less intrusive the 2.4-liter boxer-four is compared to its predecessor. It’s about as loud at wide-open throttle, but the old 2.0-liter's gruffness has been largely smoothed over. There’s far less powertrain vibration in the steering wheel too, which is a welcome improvement.
Despite a 20% bump in both displacement and torque, the 2.4 actually feels a bit more free-revving too. We wouldn’t go so far as call it “eager” to climb the tach, but it’s nonetheless more willing to breathe near the top of the rev range. In fact, the difference is so pronounced that I found myself short-shifting on occasion after getting behind the wheel of the GR 86 after becoming re-acclimated to the outgoing car’s wheezier top end.
