Toyota’s GAZOO Racing has unveiled a partially upgraded GR86 for the Japanese market, with Toyota dealers across Japan set to begin accepting orders on August 28. The update applies to Japan only for now, and there has been no official announcement for the US-market GR86. Since its 2021 launch, the GR86 has reached approximately 110,000 units delivered, making it the most widely delivered model in the GR-exclusive lineup.
The update brings back Solid Gray, an exterior color previously offered on the Toyota 86 for roughly half a year starting in 2017. On the RZ trim, redesigned switches with improved grip are painted in a low-reflectivity cast iron black, and the factory-optional black-and-red interior scheme now places red accents around the driver in a nod to the late-model Toyota 86.
Driving changes focus on retuning rather than new hardware. Adjusted throttle control settings target more precise acceleration control on corner exit and on low-friction surfaces such as wet or snow-covered roads, while revised electric power steering control, developed from Toyota’s Super Taikyu Series racing experience with the GR86, eliminates wobble in high-speed corners and on rough pavement. On manual transmission cars, the chamfer on the shift interlock is now 0.5 mm broader to improve fifth-to-fourth downshifts during corner entry.
The EyeSight driver-assist system moves from a two-camera to a triple-camera configuration, combining wide-angle stereo cameras with an ultra-wide-angle monocular camera tailored to the car’s low stance for a broader field of view. Separately, the GR86 Cup Car Basic competition model for the GR86/BRZ Cup one-make series is now available with an automatic transmission, giving entrants a choice of transmissions for the first time.
