Following the reveal of a facelifted Toyota 86 at the New York Motor Show earlier this year, some fresh details have surfaced about the revised coupe which includes small tweaks that should amount to a noticeably better overall driving experience.
Information gained via the class victories that the 86 took home at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring have helped in the development of this upgrade. Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada said:
"We overhauled everything - primarily as a result of technological feedback from the 86's participation in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring - and repeatedly tested the vehicle on roads all over the world as we manufactured every single part,”
"The new 86 has been perfected to such an extent that, from the moment the steering wheel is gripped and the vehicle accelerates away, every driver will be able to recognise its evolution.”
The 2.0-litre four-cylinder flat-four engine has had its power bumped to 152kW and 212Nm thanks to a revised intake and exhaust manifolds for models equipped with the six-speed manual transmission. Low-end grunt too is improved and peak torque is also reached and sustained within a wider rev range of between 6,400 to 6,800rpm.
Tada’s team also concentrated their efforts on the 86’s steering and cornering response, delivering a sharper feel and enhanced agility while offering a more compliant ride thanks to additional spot welds to the rear pillar and reworked shock absorber valves.
You might not spot the aerodynamic differences between the original 86 coupe and this 2016 refresh but Toyota claims it contributes considerably to support its improved handling and steering.
There’s a new wing-tip rear spoiler, a lower front suspension, new nose fins, foglamp bezel fins and small canards beneath the redesigned front grille.
Visually, the 2016 Toyota 86 features a revised fascia with LED headlamps, new trapezoidal new 17-inch alloy wheels with machine cut highlights and gun-metallic paint, and reshaped tail lamps that are now LEDs.
Inside, the new 86’s improvement are just as subtle as the ones seen outside, but equally appreciable. Since there wasn’t much wrong with how it was before, Toyota focused on the details.
There’s now a revised tachometer showing the 7,000rpm mark at the very top and an instrument panel that can be selected with a black suede-like material finish called Grand Luxe.
The new Toyota 86 sports coupe will be arriving in Australia somewhere in Q4 2016.
For more on Toyota vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
