Toyota GT 86 TRD

8 Feb, 2013 5:53pm Tom Phillips Comments

The new limited-edition Toyota GT 86 TRD coupe gets styling tweaks but no power upgrade

The Toyota GT 86 TRD has been confirmed for the UK. Just 250 examples of the limited edition model will be brought to the UK, and sales start on 1 March.

TRD is short for Toyota Racing Developments, and the upgraded GT 86 is the first production car to be sold in the UK that features a suite of TRD parts as part of its showroom spec.

Both six-speed manual and automatic versions will be available, and buyers will have the choice of just two exterior colours: Pearl White and GT 86 Black. Prices for the GT 86 TRD manual start at £31,495 and £32,995 for the auto, which is £6,500 more than the standard GT 86 coupe.

For the extra investment, you get special 18-inch alloys, a deeper front bumper, extended side skirts and a revised rear bumper that features a quad-exhaust system and diffuser.

Under the bonnet, the 2.0-litre boxer engine remains almost completely unchanged, except for a TRD-branded radiator cap. The fuel filler cap also gets a TRD makeover, while inside, there’s a new TRD gear lever.

Like the regular GT 86, the TRD model features HID headlamps, front fog lamps, a limited slip differential, climate control, sports seats, cruise control and the Toyota Touch multimedia system.

The performance figures remain unchanged, at 7.6 seconds for 0-62mph and a 140mph top speed for the manual and 8.2 seconds and 130mph for the automatic.

However fuel consumption does take a hit. Fuel economy drops from 36.2mpg to 34.9mpg, while CO2 emissions increase from 181g/km to 192g/km for the manual model. The automatic also drops from 39.8mpg to 36.2mpg, while CO2 emissions rise from 164g/km to 181g/km for the automatic.

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Submitted by Cuzy on Fri, 2013-02-08 22:24.

This is stunning. Although there's nothing wrong with the way the standard car looks or performs the extra kit here makes the GT look fantastic. That said, £6.5k extra for some extra body kit seems a bit cheeky to me.

Submitted by Lagoya on Sat, 2013-02-09 09:19.

I thought the 'Fast & Furious' ricer cars went out of fashion 10 years ago?

Submitted by Dexterwest on Sat, 2013-02-09 11:35.

It's underpowered. A diesel golf is nearly as quick. I hope they change it to the low 200bhp range soon.

Submitted by dukebox9reg on Mon, 2013-02-11 12:38.

That is shocking that the edition of some alloys (wider tyres i'm assuming) and a bodykit affects the fuel economy so much. You would be mental to pay 6k more for something that is no faster, worse on fuel and doesn't look much different to the standard car.

Save yourself 5k and get some lightweight aftermarket alloys if you want bigger wheels.

Submitted by Andrew Matthews on Mon, 2013-02-11 16:04.

Am I only person who 'doesn't get' the GT86?By this I mean the tyres which are too narrow to grip when needed (donuting isn't the characteristic of a great car ala Clarkson), and it is woefully underpowered for such a sporty looking design.

Bring me a 260bhp behemoth with fat 18s and I might be interested.... A four pot exhaust on a car with four cylinders pushing less than 200bhp? No thanks.

Submitted by ABlivit on Mon, 2013-02-11 16:14.

A TRD-branded radiator cap, fuel filler and gear lever, eh? - just too much excitement for one afternoon - I must go and have a lie down. On a serious note - I'd consider paying £25k for a basic GT86 but there better coupe choices for £31.5k - BMW's 135i and 335d Msport being just two.

Submitted by Cuzy on Mon, 2013-02-11 16:30.

Perhaps missing the point of this car rather than not getting it. The tyres are fairly narrow for a sports car (215/45 17) but hardly narrow in the general sense, and this sort of size is found on many D segment family cars. It was not designed to be an outright performance car, just a simple lightweight and very sharp drivers car in the style of the MX5. At the end of the day it compares well on performance figures to rivals like the 1.8 TT and VW Scirocco. I can understand the above car being dismissed on price but the standard one makes more sense. All becomes clear once you have driven the GT86 and as Clarkson said you will be smiling....

Submitted by marcusbond on Tue, 2013-02-12 07:40.

I've only seen a couple so far, but I barely noticed them, they are pretty underwhelming in my view, and just blend in with other cars on the road.

Perhaps these changes are to address this issue, but as others have pointed out, they put the car into a completely different price bracket.

Submitted by Daniel on Wed, 2013-06-19 17:06.

an extra £10,000 For a Limited Edition TRD Badge and Interior Extras some Body Kit, sound abit too much for me, I'd Rather Buy a standard GT86 then upgrade by Aftermarket Parts.