Next-gen GR86 will get GR three-cylinder engine
Power change would require big changes for next-gen car
A new Toyota GR86 is expected for next year, and the latest reports say it will have the potent three-pot that comes in the GR Yaris and Corolla models.
Best Car Web reports that for the third generation of the joint Toyota and Subaru sports coupe, Toyota is doing the lead engineering this time around. That means it will likely drop the 2.4L boxer-four that comes from the Subaru side of the company in favour of Toyota’s 1.6.
Putting the 300 hp 1.6L three-cylinder from the GR Corolla and GR Yaris models will mean big changes for the car. Beyond just the extra horsepower, the three-cylinder engine is significantly taller than Subaru’s boxer four.
We’ve seen the GR Yaris engine under the hood of a GR86 race car, at Toyoda’s Rookie Racing shop. The taller engine would not clear a factory hood, rising well above the strut towers of the current GR86/BRZ model. So, putting the engine in that package would require a much taller nose or possibly a dry sump oiling system. The former solution seems more likely.
The report says that the 1.6L will be attached to a hybrid system. It’s likely to be similar to Toyota’s Hybrid Max drivelines, as found in the brand’s pickups and large SUVs. That system can work with a longitudinal driveline and rear-wheel drive. The report says that there will be a six-speed manual in addition to an automatic.
