2020 Toyota 86 review
The Toyota 86 has all the elements of a classic sports car—front engine, rear-wheel drive, and an available manual gearbox. Add to that a good dose of horsepower, a lightweight physique, and excellent handling, and the GR86 is one of the more entertaining vehicles on the road. The sporty styling is complemented by the driver-focused cockpit with digital instrumentation and sport seats. For the 2026 model year, the sporty GR86 will turn heads with the special Yuzu Edition, painted in very bright Yuzu Yellow with contrasting black wheels.
Explore the evolution of the Toyota 86
Get our expert take on used Toyota 86 models, or view year-by-year changes.
First generation Toyota 86
When Toyota discontinued the Scion brand in 2016, it saved the FR-S sports car and made it part of the Toyota lineup. Not only did it get a new name and brand, but the 86 also adopted a more aggressive stance with a large center air intake that made the car look low and wide. Standard LED headlights, new fog lights, redesigned LED taillights, and new alloy wheels helped to differentiate the 86 from its predecessor. Sporty touches in the cabin included simulated carbon-fiber trim with aluminum sport pedals, while seats got a new trim material with silver stitching.
While its engine carried over from its Scion days, the 86 received a slight bump in horsepower for models with a manual gearbox. As one of the lightest sports cars available, the 86 was great fun to drive with agile performance and impressive handling aided by its revised suspension.
Model highlights
New model for Toyota, replacing the Scion FR-S
More power for manual transmission models
Seven-inch touchscreen display
Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ (added in 2020)
TRD Handling package (added in 2020)
Changes by year
Latest generation from 2017 - 2020
2020 Toyota 86
Highlights
New 86 Hakone Edition
Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ standard
TRD Handling package, with larger Brembo® brakes, upgraded suspension, and 18-inch wheels
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2019 Toyota 86
2018 Toyota 86
2017 Toyota 86
Highlights
Renamed Toyota 86 from Scion FR-S
Increased horsepower
Updated design
860 Special Edition added
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Perry Stern has been writing about cars for almost 30 years and has been an enthusiast for much longer than that. Contributing to multiple automotive publications, Perry drives almost every new car on the market, ranging from base-level Kias to exotic high-performance Lamborghinis. But his favorite is still the 2006 Mazda Miata parked in his garage.
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