2025 Toyota GR86

A single 2.4L naturally-aspirated FA24 flat-four powers every 2025 grade — GR86, GR86 Premium and the limited Hakone Edition — with identical output on the 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic. Output is unchanged from 2024; the 2025 updates were chassis and calibration only.

Peak torque of 184 lb-ft arrives at a relatively high 3,700 rpm from the naturally-aspirated boxer — modest against turbocharged and larger-displacement coupe rivals, and identical across all three 2025 grades and both transmissions.

Toyota's published figure for the volume 6-speed manual is 6.1 s, with a ~140 mph top speed. Instrumented results for the ZN8 GR86 range from about 5.4 s to 6.2 s depending on outlet, rollout and surface; the manufacturer claim is used as the conservative, comparable figure.

2025 is the year Toyota revised the GR86's throttle mapping specifically to ease rev-blipping and give more direct, linear response, and the FA24 remains eager and lag-free with far better low-end than the old FA20. It is still a coarse, thrashy boxer near the 7,500 rpm redline with a well-documented mid-range torque dip, which holds it to mid-pack among sports coupes.

The standard Aisin-based 6-speed manual is a segment benchmark — short, precise throws with a well-weighted clutch — and the 2025 throttle recalibration makes heel-toe downshifts easier still. The optional 6-speed torque-converter automatic with paddles is competent but distinctly duller; the manual is the volume configuration and the reference for this rating.

Rear-wheel drive only across GR86, Premium and Hakone Edition — no all-wheel-drive option exists anywhere in the lineup. That is deliberate to the car's rear-drive character, but it scores at the bottom of this rubric; a Torsen limited-slip differential is standard partial mitigation.

One engine, take it or leave it — the 228 hp 2.4L naturally-aspirated boxer in every 2025 grade, with the only drivetrain decision being 6-speed manual versus 6-speed automatic. No turbo, hybrid, PHEV or EV variant is offered.

The 2025 GR86 carries the ZN8 generation's 2.4L naturally-aspirated FA24 flat-four (228 hp) unchanged across all three grades — GR86, GR86 Premium and the limited Hakone Edition — with the 2025 revisions confined to throttle calibration, dampers, steering and rev-match software, so EPA ratings are unmoved. The volume 6-speed manual's 22 MPG combined sits at the very floor of the coupe band, which runs to 60 MPG for economy-minded two-doors.

EPA city rating for the volume 6-speed-manual GR86 — the naturally-aspirated boxer has to be revved to make power and there is no hybrid assist to recover anything in stop-and-go traffic.

EPA highway rating for the volume 6MT, at the bottom of the 26–58 MPG coupe band; the automatic's taller top gear is worth a substantial 4 MPG on the highway cycle, so buyers who cruise are penalized for choosing the enthusiast transmission.

Range is derived from the 13.2-gallon tank and the EPA combined rating for the volume 6MT — a small tank paired with modest economy makes this one of the shorter-legged cars in the segment on a single fill, and premium-only refuelling makes each stop costlier as well as more frequent.

EPA's annual-cost estimate at 15,000 mi/yr for the volume 6MT pairs a low 22 MPG combined with the premium-fuel price assumption — the double penalty pushes the figure past the top ($2,800) of the coupe cost band.

Toyota specifies premium for the FA24 — the 228 hp / 184 lb-ft ratings are quoted on premium, with 93 octane called for at maximum performance and 91 acceptable where 93 is unavailable — so the pump-price premium is unavoidable. Nothing exotic is required (no E85, diesel or home-charging setup) and premium is available everywhere, which keeps this above the bottom of the band despite being a genuine premium requirement.

NHTSA has published no overall star rating for the 2025 GR86 — the nameplate has never been selected for NCAP testing at its low US volume, and the 2025 vehicle detail page lists equipment (airbags, LATCH, belt pretensioners) with no crash-test stars. Estimated at 4 stars from the ZN8 Subaru Global Platform structure and the car's Good IIHS crashworthiness results.

The second-generation GR86 earned a 2022 Top Safety Pick+ under the older criteria with Good results across small overlap (both sides), moderate overlap, side, roof and head restraints — and IIHS explicitly extends the passenger-side small overlap rating to 2022–25 cars, so those Good results carry to the 2025 model. But 2025 holds no award: IIHS has not run the updated side test or the updated moderate overlap (rear-passenger) test on this generation, and the current award requires both. Good where tested, no award — mid-band.

The stereo-camera Active Safety Suite (EyeSight-derived) is standard on every 2025 GR86 including six-speed manual cars — Pre-Collision Braking with throttle management, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning with Sway Warning, Lead Vehicle Start Alert — plus standard Automatic High Beams, backup camera and the Star Safety System. Blind Spot Detection and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert are Premium/Hakone equipment and cannot be had on the base car, and rear sonar with reverse automatic braking is tied to the automatic, which keeps this out of the top band.

IIHS front crash prevention is a top result for the 2025 GR86: the car avoided the collision entirely in the 12 mph vehicle-to-vehicle test and cut impact speed by 23 mph in the 25 mph run, with the pedestrian dummy avoided in the daytime runs. Held short of the 80s because nighttime pedestrian performance and the newer higher-speed vehicle-to-vehicle protocol have not been published for this car.

Blind Spot Detection and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert are standard on the Premium trim scored here (and the 2025-only Hakone Edition) but are not offered at all on the base GR86 — a real gap given the coupe's slotted rear glass. Coverage is alert-only with no braking or steering intervention, and no surround-view camera is available at any price; rear sonar with reverse automatic braking is the only active rear system and it requires the automatic.

The Active Safety Suite provides Lane Departure Warning with Lane Departure Prevention steering assist and Lane Sway Warning, but the GR86 deliberately deletes the assisted-steering/centering function of the donor EyeSight system to suit the car's sporting character — nothing will hold it mid-lane on a highway. Functional warning-plus-nudge rather than the Lane Tracing Assist that Toyota Safety Sense cars get elsewhere in the lineup.

Adaptive cruise came to manual GR86s with the 2024 model year and carries into 2025, so both gearboxes get it — on the manual it engages at 20 mph and above in second through sixth gear and stays live through clutch actuation. There is no highway-assist package pairing it with lane centering, manual cars cannot creep in stop-and-go traffic the way the 6AT can, and several 2025 dealer/Edmunds equipment listings still describe ACC as an automatic-transmission item, so the manual implementation is caveated rather than refined.

No hands-free highway driving is offered on the 2025 GR86 at any trim or option level. Toyota's limited hands-off capability is confined to a handful of Lexus flagships, and a driver-focused sports coupe whose ADAS deliberately omits steering assist is the last place it would appear.

Full-LED headlights with standard Automatic High Beams earn a Good IIHS headlight rating on the 2025 GR86, with good low-beam visibility on both sides of the straightaway and high-beam assist compensating for the low beams' shortfall on curves. The same lighting hardware runs across the range; no steering-responsive adaptive function is offered, which is why this sits at the bottom of the top band.

The low cowl, low beltline and short hood give forward and over-the-nose sightlines that are genuinely excellent for a sports car and a repeated point of praise in reviews of this generation. Rearward and over-the-shoulder views are the weak point: the steeply raked fastback glass is shallow and the C-pillars are thick, with only a standard backup camera (and, on automatics, rear sonar) to compensate — no surround-view option exists, and blind-spot monitoring is unavailable on the base car.

The 2025 GR86 has LATCH provision in both rear seating positions, but the lower anchors sit deep in the seat cushions and everything has to be threaded through a two-door aperture after folding and sliding a front seat. With roughly 29.9 in of rear legroom in the 2+2 body, a rear-facing seat cannot be installed without pushing the front passenger seat forward to an unusable position.

The second-generation GR86 is a 2+2 fastback coupe with a fixed four-seat layout across all 2025 trims (Base, Premium, Hakone Edition); the rear bench is token seating usable mainly as extra cargo shelf.

Carry-over ZN8 body for 2025; no sunroof is offered on any GR86 trim, so the single published figure applies across Base, Premium and Hakone.

Front legroom is adequate for tall drivers despite the car's small footprint — the low seating position buys back room the roofline takes away.

The fastback roofline cuts rear headroom to 33.5 in, below the bottom of the coupe band — adults cannot sit upright in the back.

At 29.9 in the rear seat falls well under the coupe band floor; reviewers routinely describe the GR86's back seat as effectively nonexistent for passengers.

The 6.3 cu ft trunk is far below the coupe band floor of 10 cu ft; the redeeming feature is the fold-down rear seatback, which Toyota designed to swallow four wheels and tires for track days.

In-cabin storage is genuinely sparse — a small glovebox, a tiny center console bin and shallow door pockets, with no underfloor or hidden cubbies. The fold-flat rear seatback sized for a set of track wheels is a real, purposeful touch, which keeps this above the floor of the band.

Front seats are a genuine strength — reviewers call them among the most comfortable in the class, with improved bolstering that holds without pinching, and the Premium/Hakone add two-stage heating and Ultrasuede/leather trim. The score is pulled down by the rear seat, which is unusable for adults on any trip, and by six-way manual-only adjustment with no lumbar or memory.

Body control is excellent and the ride is composed on smooth pavement, but the short wheelbase and stiff sports-car damping produce genuinely harsh impacts over broken surfaces — the 2025 Hakone's Sachs dampers sharpen control rather than soften it.

Road and tire roar — much of it from the rear of the cabin — is one of the GR86's most consistently criticized traits, with reviewers noting the stereo struggles to be heard at highway speed. There is no acoustic glass or active noise cancellation, and the lightweight construction offers little sound deadening.

Dual-zone automatic climate control with physical knobs is standard on every 2025 trim including Base, which is generous for the price, and heated front seats arrive on Premium and Hakone. Nothing beyond that is offered — no ventilated seats, no heated steering wheel, no remote pre-conditioning, no rear climate.

The 2025 base GR86 takes a $650 increase over 2024 to $29,950 plus $1,135 destination. It remains the cheapest way into a new rear-drive sports car and undercuts the 2025 Subaru BRZ Premium by roughly $250 delivered.

Premium is the mainstream volume grade at $32,550 plus $1,135 destination, adding heated leather/Ultrasuede seats, 18-inch wheels and the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires most buyers want. The 860-unit Hakone Edition caps the range at $36,405 delivered.

Published estimates diverge by more than 4x: Edmunds' 2025 True Cost to Own totals $7,381 (maintenance $6,608 + repairs $773) while CarEdge projects only ~$314/yr in scheduled service (~$1,570 over five years). The figure used splits that gap, crediting ToyotaCare's first two years and Toyota's mechanical reliability while accounting for the summer performance tires, brake wear and 6-month severe-service intervals this car's owners actually invite.

iSeeCars rates the GR86 the best-retaining sports car it tracks, at 14.0% depreciation over five years versus 27.3% for the sports-car class and 41.5% for all vehicles — and it beats its own BRZ twin, the MX-5 Miata and the Camaro. Confidence is held at MEDIUM because the GR86 nameplate only dates to MY2022, so this reflects a supply-constrained enthusiast market rather than a completed five-year cycle; forward-looking residuals are likely lower even if class leadership is not in doubt.

Standard Toyota bumper-to-bumper coverage, level with most mainstream brands but two years short of Hyundai/Kia's 5-year basic term and at the floor of the segment band.

Toyota's standard 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain term sits at the bottom of the segment band — half of Hyundai/Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile coverage, though on par with Subaru, Ford and Nissan.

ToyotaCare covers all factory-scheduled maintenance for 2 years/25,000 miles plus 2 years of unlimited-mileage roadside assistance — coverage the mechanically identical Subaru BRZ does not receive at all, and the single clearest ownership-cost advantage the GR86 holds over its twin. Every 2025 GR86 buyer also gets a one-year full-benefit NASA membership with a complimentary one-day HPDE track event, an unusually well-matched perk for this car's audience. Held below the top band only because the included-maintenance term is two years rather than three or more.

$33,685 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (86% retained, or about $28,969) leaves about $4,716 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,600 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $10,316 in total.

The 2025 GR86 is a carry-over ZN8 with only chassis/software refinements (retuned dampers, revised throttle mapping, updated EPS, easier rev-match software), so no new hardware risk was introduced. Aggregated owner-complaint and recall data rate it in the 'good' band, and the naturally aspirated FA24 avoids the turbo/DI complexity that hurts most sport-compact rivals — but this is a low-volume nameplate with thin survey samples, so it is not a top-tier verified result.

Toyota is unambiguously a top-tier dependability brand on both major indices — first overall in Consumer Reports' 2025 brand reliability rankings and third among mass-market brands in the 2025 J.D. Power VDS, comfortably better than a 2025 industry average that hit its worst level since 2009.

The 2025 model year itself carries no NHTSA recall campaigns to date, and the second generation's total of roughly three campaigns across 2022-2024 is light by industry standards. It falls short of a clean record because one of those — the improperly manufactured FA24 valve springs on early 2022-2023 builds, which could fracture and stall the engine — was a serious powertrain campaign, and there are open TSB-level themes around oil-pickup RTV debris plus a small cluster of 2025 complaints about a fuel line rubbing under the hood.

The 228-hp naturally aspirated 2.4L FA24 boxer is relatively unstressed and avoids the head-gasket and turbo failure modes that dogged older Subaru flat-fours, and both the six-speed manual and Aisin six-speed automatic are proven units. What keeps this out of the top band is a well-documented oil-starvation weakness — an asymmetric pickup and shallow pan let pressure drop from ~60 to ~20 PSI under sustained right-hand cornering load, and factory RTV debris in the pickup strainer has caused spun bearings — which is a real hazard for the track-day buyers this car specifically courts.

The cabin is deliberately utilitarian: hard, scratch-prone plastics dominate the lower dash and door panels, and reviewers describe the design as basic and already dated. The Premium trim's Ultrasuede and leather-trimmed sport seats lift the volume configuration to acceptable-for-the-price, but nothing here is class-leading against pricier sport coupes.

Assembly at Subaru's Gunma plant is consistently solid, with tight panel gaps and no initial-quality red flags for the 2025 car. Scattered owner reports of interior rattles and squeaks over time — typical of a light, stiff coupe with hard trim — and easily marked plastic surfaces keep it out of the top band.

Toyota runs one of the densest service networks in the US — roughly 1,200 dealers, meaning a GR86 owner is rarely far from factory service even in rural markets — and the brand scores above the mainstream industry average in J.D. Power's Customer Service Index. This is the clearest ownership advantage the GR86 holds over its mechanically identical Subaru twin.

The GR86 sits on one of the largest enthusiast aftermarkets in the modern car world, shared with the Subaru BRZ across two generations, so wear and performance parts are abundant and cheap. Routine maintenance is inexpensive and the mechanicals are conventional — the reservation is that a failed FA24 is a genuinely expensive event, and low production volume means some model-specific OEM trim can lag.

The second-generation GR86 uses a single 8.0-inch center touchscreen across every 2025 trim; there is no larger display option anywhere in the lineup, which is small against a coupe segment that now runs to 12-15 inches.

The GR86 runs the older Subaru-sourced 8-inch head unit rather than Toyota's newer Audio Multimedia system — reviewers describe it as dated and low-resolution, though the simple menu structure and retained physical climate/volume/tuning knobs keep it usable at speed.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on all 2025 trims but wired only — the factory head unit has no wireless projection on any trim, and owners resort to third-party USB dongles for it.

No factory native navigation is offered on any 2025 GR86 trim and voice control is limited to basic embedded commands — mapping is entirely a phone-projection job, which works but leaves the car dependent on a cable and a signal.

Base GR86 gets a six-speaker system; Premium and Hakone Edition step to eight speakers with an amplifier. There is no branded premium audio option at any price, and cabin noise in a lightweight coupe limits what the hardware can do.

A 7.0-inch full-TFT GR digital gauge cluster is standard on every 2025 trim, with Normal, Sport and Track layouts that reposition the tach and add a shift indicator — genuinely useful for the car's mission, though the panel is small and not deeply configurable beyond the three presets.

The GR86's legacy head unit has no meaningful over-the-air software update path — there is no native navigation to push map updates to, and vehicle software revisions require a dealer visit.

The GR86 carries a DCM and works with the Toyota app for Safety Connect and Remote Connect (lock/unlock, locate, remote start), but it is a one-year trial then a paid subscription, remote start is app-only and automatic-transmission-only, and there is no digital/phone key.

Two front USB ports in the center armrest plus a 12V outlet cover the essentials for a 2+2, but there is no wireless charging pad on any trim, no rear-seat power, and no household outlet.

Smart-key proximity entry with GR push-button start is standard on the base trim as well as Premium and Hakone — better coverage than the BRZ, whose entry trim keeps a conventional key. No phone-as-key, no hands-free trunk, and no key-fob remote start hold it out of the top band.

A standard rear-view camera is the whole story — no surround-view system, no front camera, and no factory front or rear parking sensors on any 2025 trim. Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert on Premium helps in traffic but is not a parking aid.

No head-up display is offered on any 2025 GR86 trim, including the Hakone Edition — a real omission for a driver's car whose rivals (Corvette, Mustang, GR Supra) all offer one.

Two-door 2+2 coupe: rear LATCH anchors exist, but every child load means tipping and sliding a front seat, and 29.9 in of rear legroom cannot clear a rear-facing seat behind an average-height driver. The 6.3 cu-ft trunk will not take a full-size stroller.

Since the 2024 model year the EyeSight-based GR86 Active Safety Suite (pre-collision braking with throttle management, lane departure with sway warning, lead vehicle start alert, auto high beams) is standard on manual as well as automatic cars — a real improvement over the launch-year manual, which got none of it. Adaptive cruise, rear parking sensors and reverse automatic braking remain automatic-only, blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert starts at Premium, there is no rear-occupant reminder, and IIHS lists no award for the 2025 GR86.

Functionally a two-seater for anyone past toddler size — no rear vents, no rear USB, no rear climate, and 29.9 in of rear legroom. Luggage room with four aboard is a 6.3 cu-ft trunk, roughly two soft duffels. Multi-hour four-up travel is not on the menu.

A 2,833 lb, 167.9 in coupe with light controls, a docile low-rpm 2.4L flat-four and decent forward sightlines is more livable than most sports cars, and the automatic adds adaptive cruise for stop-and-go. Against that: a firm, low-slung ride, a low hip point that makes ingress/egress a daily chore, sparse interior storage and constant road roar.

EPA 20/26/22 mpg with the six-speed manual and 21/30/24 mpg with the automatic — respectable for a naturally aspirated rear-drive sports car but nothing more, and the 2.4L wants premium fuel. Sticky summer-biased tires on Premium/Hakone are a recurring consumable cost; insurance and parts are relatively modest by sports-car standards.

167.9 in long, 69.9 in wide and 2,833 lb with a 35.4 ft turning circle and a low cowl — it slots into city spaces most modern cars cannot, and the standard backup camera covers the shallow rear glass. Only the low ride height and over-shoulder blind spots cost it points.

No factory tow rating in the US, no payload utility beyond two adults and a 6.3 cu-ft trunk, and a high-revving naturally aspirated boxer with no low-end torque for load hauling. Not meaningfully work-capable.

Toyota badge and the FA24 boxer earn a reasonable durability presumption, and the chassis has a hard-use track record in one-make racing and driving schools. But an aluminum-hood, 5.1 in ground-clearance coupe with cloth/leather sport seats has no fleet history and no wear-friendly work interior.

No bed, no factory roof rails, no trailer wiring, no 110V outlet, no washable surfaces and no work-oriented upfit ecosystem. Folding rear seats are the only cargo trick.

The front seats are genuinely good and among the better ones in the class, but minimal sound deadening, constant tire roar and a boxer buzzing near 3,000 rpm at 75 mph make it fatiguing over a full day. Range is roughly 290 mi (manual) to 315 mi (automatic) on a 13.2-gal tank, and the key fatigue-reducing ADAS — adaptive cruise — is automatic-only.

Rear-wheel drive only, 5.1 in ground clearance, no factory tow rating and no factory roof rails or published roof-load rating for bike, ski or kayak carriers. Winter tires make it usable in snow; that is the extent of its off-pavement story.

6.3 cu ft is tiny in absolute terms, but the fold-down rear seatbacks open a pass-through that famously takes a full set of four track wheels and tires — unusually flexible for a coupe. No roof rails, no factory hitch, no underfloor storage beyond the spare well.

The 2025 model year is a genuine chassis-tuning update, not a carry-over: Toyota re-tuned the shock absorbers for better handling response and sense of ground contact, and added engine torque control for more linear response mid-corner. On a sub-2,900 lb second-generation (ZN8) platform with a low-mounted flat-four and rear drive, the result is exceptionally neutral cornering and tight body control — handling is the single attribute reviewers single out first.

Toyota re-tuned the electric power steering for 2025 specifically for more responsive handling feel and an improved sense of direct contact with the road, building on a rack already regarded as one of the most communicative EPS setups at any price. The car's light front end is the enabler — little mass over the axle means real fidelity through the wheel rather than the artificial weighting most electric racks substitute for feedback.

Street stopping power is strong for the class and the firm pedal is calibrated well enough for heel-and-toe work — 2025's revised throttle mapping was aimed squarely at making rev-matching blips easier. The standard single-piston front calipers on Base and Premium still fade under sustained track use; Toyota's 2025 answer is the new $1,500 Performance Package (Brembo four-piston front / two-piston rear calipers on 12.8-in front and 12.4-in rear rotors, plus Sachs dampers), optional on Base and Premium and standard on the Hakone Edition. Good as delivered, excellent only once optioned.

The 2.4-liter FA24 boxer (228 hp at 7,000 rpm, 184 lb-ft) revs willingly and the 2025 engine torque control makes throttle response more linear at all speeds, while the 6-speed manual is a highlight in its own right — precise shifter, light clutch, ideal pedal spacing. Two things cap the score: a midrange torque dip that the 2.4 mitigated but did not erase, and the dated 6-speed torque-converter automatic, which is roughly a second slower to 60 mph and is the clear weak link versus dual-clutch rivals.

Refinement is the clearest casualty of the light-weight, low-cost formula and 2025's tuning changes did nothing to address it. The boxer's hard-edged note is entertaining when extended but drones at highway cruise, with audible noise and vibration through the controls at low-speed part throttle; combined with heavy tire rumble it makes long highway stints genuinely tiring.

Toyota's official figure is 35.4 ft curb-to-curb, unchanged across Base, Premium and the Hakone Edition — a tight circle that lands in the better half of the 34–40 ft coupe band and makes the car easy to place in city parking and U-turns.

A textbook sports-car cockpit — wheel, pedals and shifter in natural alignment, a low hip point, tilt-and-telescoping wheel, front seats rated among the most comfortable in the class, a low unobtrusive dash and a legible digital cluster. The deductions are structural rather than fixable: the car is low enough that you fall into it and hoist yourself out, rear sightlines are compromised by the high deck, and drivers above roughly 6-foot-3 run out of vertical space.

This is the benchmark affordable driver's car and the item where the GR86 is essentially unbeatable at its price. Car and Driver named the GR86/BRZ twins to its 2025 10Best list for the fourth consecutive year, explicitly for the driving experience rather than the numbers — the definition of a 'take the long way home' car — and 2025's steering, damper and throttle retunes sharpen exactly the qualities enthusiasts buy it for.

Base GR86 at $29,950 includes an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a 7.0-inch digital gauge cluster, dual-zone automatic climate control, LED lighting and a Torsen limited-slip differential — solid content for the price, but the Toyota Safety Sense pre-collision/adaptive-cruise suite is tied to the automatic transmission, so the manual car most buyers choose goes without it.

A sub-$30k rear-drive coupe with a 228 hp 2.4L naturally aspirated boxer, standard six-speed manual and Torsen LSD is among the strongest performance-per-dollar propositions on sale, undercutting the mechanically identical BRZ Premium and costing tens of thousands less than a Supra, Z or Cayman.

Two regular trims (base, Premium) plus the 860-unit Hakone Edition, each with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, and a $1,500 Performance package (Brembo brakes, Sachs dampers) that can be added to either regular trim — decent flexibility for a niche coupe, but a single powertrain and RWD only.

The GR86 is the volume leader among affordable Japanese sports cars — 11,426 US units in 2024, up from 11,078 in 2023, more than the Supra, BRZ and Z combined and roughly five times BRZ volume — though absolute numbers remain niche and 2025 deliveries tracked lower as the whole sports-car segment contracted.

Toyota carries exceptional mainstream brand equity for durability and resale, and the Gazoo Racing sub-brand (GR Corolla, GR Supra, WRC program) gives the GR86 a genuine performance halo plus AE86 heritage — a clear image advantage over the mechanically identical BRZ.

Toyota puts essentially no factory cash on the GR86 and cars transact at or near MSRP, with the limited Hakone Edition prone to market adjustment; higher volume than the BRZ gives marginally more dealer competition, but bargain hunters have little to work with.

The second-generation ZN8 GR86 launched for MY2022, so 2025 is the fourth year of the cycle; it stays current with the newly available Performance package and the returning Hakone Edition rather than a redesign, and no replacement has been announced.

One of the most consistently praised affordable performance cars in the press — repeat Car and Driver 10Best honors including 2024, and regular comparison-test podiums against the Miata, Z and Supra where its balance, steering feel and price make it the value pick.