2027 Toyota GR86 Revealed: Improved Shifter Feel, Throttle Response, and New Colors

Toyota still hasn’t added power to the 2027 GR86, but a handful of subtle changes could make every drive better.

At this year’s FuelFest event in Pleasanton, California—an annual celebration of car culture, live-action drifting, music, and art—“Taste of Tokyo” JDM car lovers were treated to an unveiling of the 2027 Toyota GR86 that will be available in American showrooms this summer. The revised model features numerous enhancements aimed at deepening the connection between the driver, the car, and the road.

Smoother Control

Extensive lapping by the Gazoo Racing team revealed an opportunity to improve the linearity of the accelerator response and shifter feel. Toyota said its engineers fine-tuned the relationship between accelerator motion and the resulting fuel and spark reaction to create a smoother, more linear response with no dead spots and no spikes.

Slicker Shifts

Toyota also revised the internal shiftgate geometry between the fourth- and fifth-gear planes to improve shift feel and reduce the chance of mis-shifts during high-speed operation. It did this by widening a chamfer (like a ramp that guides the shifter between gates) by just 0.02 inch (about half a millimeter), which seems insignificant but in this type of mechanism amounts to a fairly large change.

Performance Package

The press release referred to an “Impressive Performance Package,” but alas it’s still not a turbo, supercharger, hybrid helper, or rocket booster. Engine output remains stubbornly locked at 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. And you still have the same red Brembo brake calipers (four-piston front, two-piston rear) clamping the same 12.8-inch front, 12.4-inch rear discs, and unchanged Sachs suspension dampers.

Thunder Gray and Cockpit Red

Outside, there’s a new solid gray color that reportedly shifts its appearance depending on the angle of the light hitting it. Inside, there’s an even more exciting chromatic development as Cockpit Red provides a welcome option to solid black. We’re told it includes black Ultrasuede and red leather accents on the side bolsters, red floor mats, and red door accents, but Toyota unfortunately has not yet provided a photo of it.

Still Light and Stiff

Thanks to savvy engineering and extensive use of structural adhesives, the 2027 Toyota GR86 remains a light (just more than 2,800 pounds) and stiff car that craves attacking a hilly, twisty back road, its rear-drive power always distributed equitably thanks to a standard Torsen differential. A paddle-shifted six-speed automatic transmission is still available for those who can’t or don’t want to work the newly slickened shifter of the six-speed stick.

Pricing TBD

Toyota won’t release model year 2027 pricing for a few more weeks, but these changes won’t warrant much of a bump, so expect base pricing to increase only slightly from today’s $32,695, with the Premium grade starting at a little more than $35,295, and the Yuzu Special Edition (or some new, as yet unspecified color and packaging upgrade) around $37,660. Expect the 2027 Toyota GR86 to arrive at Toyota dealerships this summer.