Toyota tweaks 2025 GR86 with handling, suspension upgrades
Including special edition model for JDM
It’s been three years since Toyota gave the world the second-generation GR86. After joining the brand’s high-performance Gazoo Racing lineup in 2021, the rear-wheel-drive 2-door sports coupe is receiving subtle upgrades to enhance its driving dynamics.
After extensive motorsport testing and feedback from professional racecar drivers racing the GR86 around the world, Toyota Gazoo Racing has improved the suspension, steering, throttle, and engine mapping characteristics of the GR86 for the 2025 model year. TGR says the changes were made to improve turning performance, and on-the-limit handling.
The shock absorber damping was tweaked for a more direct handling feel along with heightened response and feedback from the GR86’s electric power steering control unit.
Meanwhile, TGR also says the engine torque and throttle mapping have been modified for finer accelerator pedal control during heel-and-toe downshifting and corner exits for the manual transmission variants. For the AT variants, the engine speed tolerance range has been raised to enable quicker downshifts on corner entry.
In terms of styling, TGR left the GR86 unchanged both inside and out, but there are new daytime running lights and an added tire pressure warning system on the sports coupe’s multi-information display.
Much like before, the 2025 GR86 is still powered by the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter boxer-four engine from Subaru called the FA24D. It produces 237 PS at 7000 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 3700 rpm, with a choice of a 6-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmitting power to the rear wheels.
But for those living in the Land of the Rising Sun, Toyota is releasing a limited special edition GR86 called the RZ” Ridge Green Limited”. As the name suggests, the sports coupe comes with a Ridge Green paint job, Bronze-colored 18-inch wheels, black upholstery with tan trims, exclusive “Ridge Green Limited” embroidery along with Brembo ventilated disc brakes and Sachs shock absorbers.
The special edition model is only limited to 200 units and will be available through a purchasing lottery that starts this July. Retail sales of the Ridge Green Limited GR86 will then commence in October.
Since the GR86 units being sold by Toyota Motor Philippines come from the same factory in Japan, there’s good reason to expect that the PH market GR86 can also get these handling improvements for the 2025 model year. But nothing has been confirmed yet. If we take a wild guess, the new spec units might come in a few months’ time, if not next year once TMP has exhausted the remaining units of the older-spec GR86. Whatever the case may be, watch this space for further updates.
