When I first got into cars in the early 2010s, Toyota was the butt of jokes in enthusiast circles. Aside from a couple of charming SUVs, there was virtually nothing interesting about its lineup, a sea of beige and grey sedans and crossovers. Fast-forward to now, and Toyota is the undisputed champion of enthusiast offerings.
If you think I’m wrong, you’ve been living under a rock for years. Toyota’s lineup has a vehicle for every type of enthusiast, from track fiends to off-road adventurers. Hell, even its “normal” cars, like the Prius and the Land Cruiser, have designs that get me excited.
It comes down to choice. No other brand has this sort of variety in its lineup right now. If you love track days, there’s the GR86. If you love tuner culture, there’s the Supra. And if you live the rally life, there’s the GR Corolla. And if you just love carving back roads, you can pick any of the above. And if you hate carving back roads but love adventure, you have three great off-roaders to choose from. All from one brand!
The Sports Car Lineup Is Nothing But Bangers
The GR86 is a good starting point; it’s Toyota’s cheapest performance car, and also the most fun car the company builds. By checking a bunch of basic boxes—lightweight, manual, rear-wheel drive—it’s a proverbial blank slate for a wide range of enthusiasts, something that can be left stock and enjoyed on back roads, or modified to suit the needs of the owner. With a good set of brake pads and upgraded fluid, it can turn laps on a race track all day. Or, with an angle kit, melt tires on a drift course until the sun goes down.
The Supra takes those ideas a bit further and caters to a slightly different crowd. Like the GR86, it sends power to the rear wheels, and you can have it with a proper six-speed. It’s an excellent thing to drive, and the twin-turbo straight-six can also handle a lot of power upgrades, making it an enticing option in the tuner scene. To naysayers who criticize the Supra because it’s mostly BMW underneath, I say: Good. BMW makes amazing performance cars, too. I won’t kick one out of my garage just because it has a Toyota badge on it.
Then there’s the GR Corolla. Sure, it might just be a compromised, heavier version of the real homologation special GR Yaris, but after driving one, I don’t really care. It’s a widebody hot hatch that looks cool and feels amazing from behind the wheel. The adjustable all-wheel drive system and pointy front end will make you feel like you’re the number one 2026 WRC draft pick, even when you’re just tearing up your favorite back road.
The Off-Roaders Are Just As Fire
It’s not just traditionally sporty cars where Toyota shines. The overlanding crowd has relied on Toyota (and its luxury brand, Lexus) for decades with the Land Cruiser and its cheaper sibling, the 4Runner. Both of those cars have huge communities behind them, and for good reason. They’re two of the best adventure mobiles you can buy right now, from any brand. Not to mention the Lexus GX—the fancier, more powerful version of the Land Cruiser—is an essentially perfect SUV.
No other brand has this sort of variety in its lineup right now. Subaru might come close in its selection and price point, but I’d rather have a GR86 over a BRZ, and I’d definitely take a GR Corolla over the WRX (the WRX is a fine car, but I think it’s a bit overpriced for what it is these days). And it has nothing on the 4Runner’s or Land Cruiser’s off-road prowess. BMW also comes close; they have a vast lineup of true enthusiast cars, including four available with manual transmissions (the most of any manufacturer in America). But they’re also vastly more expensive, and lacking a real off-roader (though a rumor claims that might soon be fixed).
This huge push towards the enthusiast market is thanks in part to the company’s past and present CEOs. Akio Toyoda, who stepped down from the CEO role in 2023, famously loves driving and racing. He raced in the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring under the pseudonym Morizo, and personally validated test mules for the GR Yaris. The current CEO, Koji Sato, is also a real one. He drives a Supra handed down from his father-in-law and served as chief engineer to one of the greatest Lexus products ever, the LC.
Toyota Is The Gift That Keeps On Giving
It’s not just new performance cars Toyota cares about, either. On Wednesday, the company proved once again it’s putting the enthusiast first. The company’s Gazoo Racing division announced plans to put the cylinder head and block from one of the company’s most famous cars, the AE86-generation Corolla, back into limited production.
The legendary 4A-GE made appearances in the AE86 Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno, and also the first-generation AW11 MR2. Its reputation as a lightweight, simple, reliable, high-revving engine has meant continued demand decades after production ended, with prices for used engines always on the rise. So, Toyota is simply cashing in on demand that already exists. The best part is, it’s not just putting the same design back into production. It’s making both parts better. From the release:
The cylinder head sub-assembly features combustion chambers with additional machining that lessens the untouched cast surface area, reducing differences among individual engines that arise from slight variances in compression ratios. The intake ports undergo a coating process to reduce pre-polishing surface irregularities. Cam cap knock pins, which were originally only partially used, have been added throughout for improved assembly workability.
The cylinder block sub-assembly features cylinder bores that undergo a modern honing process to improve bore machining precision. Durability has been improved through the use of higher-rigidity cast iron and simulation-based modification of the crank-cap structure.
True Yota-heads will know this is not the first time it’s reissued parts for old cars to satisfy an enthusiast fanbase. The company has an entire catalogue of over 200 parts for its most desirable classic cars—the goal being to keep them on the road and uphold the brand’s unwavering reliability image. It’s a win for the brand and also a win for the enthusiasts who get to keep driving these cars.
Toyota plans to start selling new blocks and heads in May 2026, though there’s no telling how much they’ll cost. Considering the added benefits that’ll come with those modern manufacturing upgrades, the parts will likely cost more than the 4A-GE at your local Pick-n-Pull. But the added availability means that perhaps the old used motors will get a bit more affordable.
In all, this is a good thing for car lovers. Toyota: Don’t change a thing.
Top graphic images: ThijsDeschildre/Wikimedia Commons; Toyota Gazoo Racing
The Japanese in general have been doing the most to keep enthusiast cars alive since the 1970s and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.
Yeah, gonna have to chalk this one up to a major difference of opinion.
Bring back the RN38!
Do dashboards next!
Im stoked they are FINALLY giving a shit about enthusiasts of classics, but Toyota has historically been one of the worst in that regard, so they don’t get my accolades just yet.
*Eurobeat Intensifies*