If you have ever thought that the Toyota 86 might need a little nip and tuck on its looks, worry not as Toyota has something for us to ogle upon. Taking the stage at the 2016 New York Auto Show is Toyota’s new 2017 86 that not only comes with a new look, but more power as well.
“The name 86 is shared globally, and is passed down from the car that inspires it, the Corolla GT-S, known by its true fans as the AE86 or “hachi-roku”, which means 8-6 in Japanese,” said Bill Fay, Group Vice President and General Manager of Toyota USA. “As you can see, the name isn’t the only thing that has changed. We’re investing in the 86 to make it better than ever, with styling updates, new wheels and more premium materials throughout.”
The most obvious change on this new 86 would be in the front where it receives a redesigned bumper, a larger front grille, and new LED headlamp fixtures and turn signals. At the rear, the bumper was also updated and it now has LED taillights. Toyota had also given the 86 a new set of alloy wheels to complete the refreshed look.
On the power department, the six-speed manual variant gets a change in the differential ratio and an increase of 5-horsepower to bring the 2.0-liter Boxer unit’s output to 205-horsepower and 156 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately for the automatic, it still retains the same 200-horsepower output as the ones before.
Toyota had also added a new “Grandlux” soft-touch material on the instrument panel surround and the door trims, alongside different upholstery for the seats with silver stitching. The new sports steering wheel now has integrated audio controls, and bigger paddle shifters for the automatic model.
