Model Review: 2027 Toyota GR86

Meet the 2027 Toyota GR86 at Cloninger Toyota

The 2027 Toyota GR86 is a lightweight, rear-wheel-drive sports car built for drivers who want their commute to feel engaging without giving up everyday technology and driver-assistance features. Its naturally aspirated 2.4-liter boxer four-cylinder produces 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque, while shoppers can choose a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. For 2027, Toyota also refined throttle response, improved shift feel, expanded safety technology, introduced the Thunder exterior color, and updated the cabin.

Available in GR86 and GR86 Premium trims, this two-door four-seater gives Salisbury shoppers a focused alternative to more conventional commuter cars. The team at Cloninger Toyota is breaking down this 2027 model’s interior space, exterior dimensions, performance hardware, technology, safety equipment, available packages, and differences between the two trims.

Interior Features

The 2027 Toyota GR86 seats four and places the driver in a low-slung cockpit designed around clear controls and performance information. The GR86 trim uses sport front bucket seats with black side bolsters and GR-embossed fabric inserts, including a six-way adjustable driver's seat and four-way adjustable passenger seat.

Interior styling:

• Two-stage heated sport seats with leather-trimmed bolsters and Ultrasuede® inserts
• Black or available Cockpit Red treatments
• Red leather bolsters
• Floor mats
• Door accents
• Cast-iron-black interior ornamentation

Despite its sports-car proportions, the GR86 provides 6.26 cubic feet of trunk space and a one-piece folding rear seatback for added cargo flexibility. Parents also get LATCH lower anchors and tether anchors on the outboard rear seats.

Additional interior highlights include:

• Dual-zone automatic climate control with dual LCD toggle displays
• GR leather-trimmed tilt-and-telescopic three-spoke sport steering wheel
• Power windows with one-touch auto up/down for both front occupants
• Remote keyless entry with trunk release and GR Push Button Start
• Leather-trimmed parking-brake handle with silver contrast stitching
• Two USB 2.0 charging ports and an auxiliary port

Premium models add aluminum sport pedals, illuminated vanity mirrors, heated seats, and Ultrasuede® rear-seat trim. Manual models feature a leather-trimmed six-speed shift lever, while automatic versions use a leather-trimmed automatic shift lever and add steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Exterior Design

At 167.9 inches long, 69.9 inches wide, and just 51.6 inches tall, the 2027 GR86 has dimensions suited to its low, agile character. Its wheelbase measures 101.4 inches, while minimum ground clearance is approximately 5.1 inches. The body uses an aluminum hood, front fenders, and roof panel to help reduce weight.

Standard exterior equipment includes:

• Dual chrome-tipped exhaust outlets
• LED daytime running lights
• LED side markers
• LED rear combination lights
• Black rear lower valance
• Heated power mirrors

Also included are a functional black matrix grille with G-mesh insert and functional front-wheel-arch air outlets. The GR86 has 17-inch machined-finish wheels with 215/45R17 Michelin® Primacy HP summer tires, while Premium upgrades to 18-inch matte-black wheels with 215/40R18 Michelin® Pilot® Sport 4 summer tires.

Available exterior colors:

• Raven
• Steel
• Thunder
• Trueno Blue
• Track bRED

Premium also adds a duckbill rear spoiler and Adaptive Front-Lighting System. An available GR Aero Kit adds a front splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser. New for 2027, Thunder is a solid gray paint that changes in appearance with surrounding light.

Performance Details

Every 2027 Toyota GR86 uses a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter horizontally opposed FA24 boxer four-cylinder engine producing 228 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 184 lb-ft of torque at 3,700 rpm. The engine features D-4S direct injection, a 12.5:1 compression ratio, DOHC 16-valve construction, and requires 93-octane-or-higher gasoline. Rear-wheel drive and a Torsen® limited-slip differential is standard. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, while a six-speed electronically controlled automatic with paddle shifters is available.

Performance specs:

• Zero-60 mph in 6.1 seconds (Manual)
• 140-mph maximum speed
• Zero-60 mph in 6.6 seconds (automatic)
• Widened shifter interlock chamfer between fourth and fifth gears by about 0.02 inches

For 2027, engineers also revised accelerator-to-torque calibration for more linear response. The manual GR86 trim weighs 2,811 pounds, helping maintain the lightweight character buyers expect from Toyota sports cars. The manual GR86 Premium weighs 2,833 pounds. Both have a 13.2-gallon fuel tank and an EPA-estimated 20 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined in the manual configurations.

Performance hardware includes:

• GR circuit-tuned electric power steering
• MacPherson-strut front and multi-link rear suspension
• GR circuit-tuned springs, shocks, and rear stabilizer bar
• Torsen® limited-slip rear differential
• Vehicle Stability Control Track Mode
• Center hand brake

Drivers seeking more track-focused hardware can add the Performance Package with high-pressure nitrogen-and-oil-filled SACHS® dampers and Brembo® brakes. Brembo hardware includes four-piston front calipers with 12.8-inch ventilated rotors and two-piston rear calipers with 12.4-inch rotors. The Performance Package adds Brembo® brakes and SACHS® dampers; on the GR86 trim, it also includes 18-inch matte-black-painted alloy wheels.

Technology Systems

The 2027 GR86 balances performance-focused information with the connectivity drivers expect from sports cars for commuters. A standard 7-inch TFT GR digital gauge cluster displays a central tachometer plus engine coolant and oil temperatures, fuel consumption, outside temperature, trip information, rpm and horsepower/torque curves, and instantaneous and historical G-force data. A stopwatch and lap timer are also built in for performance driving.

Top technology features include:

• 8-inch touchscreen
• Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ compatibility
• SiriusXM® three-month trial subscription
• Six-speaker GR86 audio system
• Available eight-speaker system with amplifier
• Five-year Remote Connect trial

Remote Connect can support compatible Toyota app functions such as door locking and unlocking, vehicle status checks, parked-location information, and guest-driver monitoring. Safety Connect® also comes with a five-year trial and includes an Emergency Assistance button, Enhanced Roadside Assistance, Automatic Collision Notification, and Stolen Vehicle Locator. Connected functions are 4G network dependent.

Safety Suite

Toyota expanded the GR86's safety technology for 2027 by nearly doubling the stereo camera's recognition range for improved preceding-vehicle detection during cruise-control operation. Toyota also added a monocular camera to help detect nearby objects at intersections.

Standard safety and driver-assistance features include:

• Pre-Collision Braking System and Pre-Collision Throttle Management
• Adaptive Cruise Control and Lead Vehicle Start Alert
• Lane Departure Alert with Sway Warning System
• Automatic High Beams
• Backup camera with projected path
• Seven airbags, including a driver's knee airbag

The Star Safety System™ adds Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, an Anti-lock Brake System, Electronic Brake-Force Distribution, Brake Assist, and Smart Stop Technology®. Hill Start Assist Control, a Tire Pressure Monitor System, three-point seat belts for all seating positions, an engine immobilizer and alarm, and Track Mode are also included. GR86 Premium adds Blind Spot Detection and Rear Parking Sonar with Reverse Automatic Braking.

Find the 2027 GR86 in Salisbury at Cloninger Toyota

If your next car needs to make the weekday commute entertaining and still feel at home on a winding North Carolina road, put the 2027 Toyota GR86 on your test-drive list. Visit Cloninger Toyota in Salisbury, NC, to compare GR86 and GR86 Premium models, explore transmission and package options, and find the configuration that matches how you drive. See what makes the 2027 Toyota sports cars at Cloninger Toyota worth a closer look.

Disclaimer: This content was drafted with AI assistance for initial drafting, reviewed by a subject-matter expert for accuracy, and edited by our team of writers and editors.

* All fuel economy mpg listings in the content above are EPA estimates. Actual mileage will vary.