In addition to the Toyota 86 name change, two other Scion vehicles will have new designations for 2017. The Toyota Corolla iM and Toyota Yaris iA will join Toyota’s U.S. small car line-up.
The former Scion FR-S appeared as the 2017 Toyota 86 at the New York International Auto Show with interior and exterior changes, as well as suspension and powertrain tweaks. The new Toyota 86 will go on sale at all Toyota dealerships this fall.
“When we announced the transition of the Scion models to Toyota we hadn’t planned on changing the names of our cars, but by popular demand, for our sports car, we decided to adopt the global name of 86,” said Toyota Division Group Vice President, Bill Fay.
For its move to Toyota, the 86 sports car adopts more “aggressive styling” with a larger center intake emphasizing the low, wide stance. The front has LED front headlamps and turn signals, and a revised bumper. The rear now has LED tail lamps and a new bumper design. The alloy wheels have a twisted spoke design and 86 logos have been incorporated into a badge on the front fender, as well as inside the front headlamps.
The interior also has the 86 logo on the new “Grandlux” material used on the instrument panel surround. The same material provides a soft feel to the door trim. Drivers also will enjoy new seating material with silver stitching and a sporty steering wheel with integrated audio controls and an 86 logo on the center hub.
Enhanced control and agile performance are claimed via revised damper tuning and a spring rate changes. On the manual version of the car, additional performance comes from a gear ratio change and a torque increase to 156 lb.-ft., as well as a five-horsepower increase to 205. Hill start assist control helps prevent the car from rolling back on steep hills.
