Pre-Facelift Toyota GR86 And Subaru BRZ Become Better Touge Toys

Toyota’s main Tokyo Auto Salon news may be the mid-engined GR Yaris, but the company lavished some attention on a few of its other products as well. Alongside Subaru, Toyota Gazoo Racing announced it would offer owners of the 2021-2024 BRZ and GR86 sport coupes the same software update that appears on the 2025 models, giving everyone access to the sharper throttle response and (in automatic models) sportier shift characteristics. Unfortunately, the software update has only been announced in the Japanese home market, but we hope the companies will lavish some attention on their US fans soon.

• 2024 Toyota GR86

  Base MSRP

  $29,300

  Engine

  2.4-Liter Four-Cylinder

  Horsepower

  228 hp

  Fuel Economy

  20/26/22 mpg (Manual) | 21/30/24 mpg (Automatic)

• 

  2024 Subaru BRZ

  Base MSRP

  $30,195

  Engine

  2.4L Flat 4 Gas

  Horsepower

  228 hp

  Fuel Economy

  20/27 MPG

Cheap Thrills For A More Engaging Sports Car Experience

For manual-gearbox BRZs and 86s (Toyota doesn’t use the GR prefix in Japan), the software entails a revised accelerator map that allows the driver to blip the revs for better, smoother downshifting. The throttle itself is reportedly more direct as well, enabling skilled pilots to perform minute attitude corrections at the car’s handling limits. Automatic-equipped cars also get a friendly little flash-tune that allows a wider engine speed tolerance for downshifts, allowing keen slushbox users to step down gears more aggressively.

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Toyota Gazoo Racing hasn’t announced pricing for the software update, but CarScoops reports that Subaru will sell the manual transmission remap for ¥55,000 ($315 at current exchange rates), while the auto version will cost ¥33,000 ($190). CarBuzz wasn’t able to independently verify that pricing at the time of publication, but if it’s accurate, that’s not a lot of coin for a tidy little drivability upgrade. The software is admittedly pretty mild – no power upgrades or anything – but as sharp and snappy as the Toyobaru twins are, any added driver involvement is a bonus.

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Invested In Its Fans

The mild retune may not be particularly comprehensive, but it does signal a big philosophical win for Toyota and Subaru enthusiasts. The revised 2025-model-year cars are incrementally better than their immediate predecessors, but rather than leave their fan base high and dry, Toyota and Subaru are making the updates available for existing owners. Rather than forcing them to trade in and trade up, the automakers are inviting their current patrons to visit a GR Garage or a Subaru dealership for the update, which will be available in Spring 2025.

For our part, we’ve never had much to complain about with the playful Subaru and Toyota coupes, but at the same time, we’ll never turn down some frisky little upgrades. In our testing of the 2024 BRZ tS, we found it to be exciting and involving to drive, and despite less torque than a Honda Civic Hybrid, the rear-drive sports car is a real thrill at just about any speed. Again, here’s hoping that Toyota and Subaru see fit to offer that software update on American-market cars soon.