2017 Toyota GT86 facelift revealed

This year’s New York Motor Show will see the public debut of the revised Toyota GT86 sports car.

It’s a fairly mild mid-life refresh, however, with changes confined to a new look, revised interior and some suspension tweaks.

In terms of styling, there’s a new, larger front grille, new trim fittings around the foglights and a revised front bumper. The refreshed model also gets LED headlamps and a new ‘twisted spoke’ alloy-wheel design.

Inside, you’ll find leather upholstery, with grippy Alcantara – a suede-like material – trimming the seats and covering the door cards, highlighted by contrasting silver stitching. There’s also a new steering wheel, with integrated controls for the stereo and an ‘86’ logo at its centre.

Toyota has also promised the facelifted GT86 will be even sharper to drive than the current model, as it comes with tweaked suspension. The company says the new setup will make the car more comfortable, but also control body lean in the corners better and make the car more agile.

Although the GT86 is often criticised for not having quite enough power, Toyota has resisted the temptation to make any changes to the engine or gearbox, keeping the same Subaru-developed ‘Boxer’ flat-four petrol engine developing 197bhp. This will drive the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox.

As a result, performance is likely to stay the same, with the 0-62mph sprint being competed in 7.6 seconds by the manual and 8.2 by the automatic. Running costs are likely to be similar, too, returning around 36mpg and emitting between 164 and 180g/km of CO2, for a road-tax bill of either £180 (automatic) or £225 (manual) per year.

There’s no word yet on pricing, but don’t expect it to change much from the current car’s £22,495 starting figure. After being revealed at this month’s New York Motor Show, the revised Toyota GT86 will go on sale in the UK towards the end of this year.