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 1st thing I think of when I hear Toyota is…boring. I do see your point and yes, they do have something for everyone including options that are more interesting and fun. I just much prefer Honda in every way. I still like Toyota though (mainly some of their classic cars) Hell, my 1st car was an 87 Camry and that was fun to drive! It was light blue and ran like a top (It was an auto, I still prefer the 2 3rd gen Accords I had that were stick and had pop-ups!) The best would be the Toyota “truck” from BTTF
(1.21 Gigawatts!) That is one of my dream trucks (one like it anyway)
Also, I’ll never get over that there’s a rally Corolla…it’s still a COROLLA (it’s a ripoff too) Who cares? Well, not me
If Mr Morizo would get a GR Prius, I’d be up for it.
Sorry, can’t help but think of these guys when there’s a Morizo reference.
http://www.expo2005.or.jp/en/whatexpo/mascot.html
It’s great that they are making heritage parts. But that 4AGE cylinder head looks to be the later ‘small port’ version, not the large port version found in the AE86.
If anything they should have done a remake of the 5AGE 20V engine. That one is more or less the pinnacle of the A series engines.
Its great for sure.
But Toyota can do more.
I think where the author is wrong is the “In The World” part.For example: what do they sell in Europe? Hybrids, some EVs, a 50 000 € Yaris GR, an 80 000 € Land Cruiser, and Stellantis vans in (more than) 3 different sizes. Oh, and Chevy Spark-sized crossover (that one might be my favourite from the whole lineup). Not very enthusiast-friendly.
Plus the AE86 is as interesting nowadays, as a Porsche from the same time period: it must be great, but painfully overpriced now. (What is the last RWD sportscar, that still goes for an acceptable price, when it’s about the used examples? MX5/Miata?)
Clarksonisms are always hyperbolic
Doesn’t the new Supra only have one turbo? I don’t think there’s been a twin turbo Supra since the 2JZ in the Mark IV
Turbos and fuel injection have come a long way since the MKIV Supra. Unless you’re using a V engine, two turbos don’t offer enough benefit for the added complexity.
I’m in favor of any support for enthusiasts, but these offerings seems pretty focused on enthusiasts with deeper pockets. A lot of trim pieces for Supras and Land Cruisers.
I know I’m going to be the guy whining about manual transmissions, but a sporty trim manual corolla (preferably hatch) would bring a lot more enthusiasts to the brand than new castings for the start of a $20k ITB engine build.
Yes, they have a couple of sports cars in the lineup, but they’re manufactured by other OEMs and branded with a Toyota badge. That’s not an insult to either car. I had an FR-S and will probably get a GR86 and the Supra seems like a great machine. It just shows Toyota is at most half-committed to these enthusiast markets.
They seem more devoted to off-roaders, but I don’t know how long people are going to keep doing full overland builds to do the school run.
That Toyota will continue making the Land Cruiser 1958 in 2026 proves this point. Equipping a $58k SUV with tiny screens, comfortable cloth seats, durable hard plastic, small wheels, and little else is definitely not made to appeal to the general public.
If they would just be straight with us rather than try to pull fleece over our eyes, it would go a long way. I believe it was this very site had an interview with a Tacoma engineer during some launch or another where he tried to claim that the drum brakes in the rear of the Tacoma in 202X were BETTER for trucks, despite every other truck in the lineup behind him having discs. Trying to put nonsensical marketing spin that insists we are complete idiots on black and white engineering/cost cutting decisions is a serious slap in the face. It’s just insulting.
Additionally, their distribution model is anti-enthusiast as well. You can pick whatever the product planner deems you worthy of, and nothing else. You can custom order anything as long as the same focus groups that brought you “grounded to the ground” selected the option set unanimously.
I appreciate the range of enthusiast oriented models, but there is more to it than that.
Not to “wElL AkChALLy” you but big rigs are primarily drum breaks. for applications that generate a LOT of heat, drums can stand up to the heat cycles much better than disc breaks. Discs will tend to wrap and eventually crack, but by the nature of Drums, they have a much larger radiant surface/heatsink capabilities; and can last much longer given the overall design.
Having said all that, I have servicing drum breaks, and for most vehicles absolutely prefer discs, I don’t have the context for why Toyota said that, but it CAN be a true statement.
In a lot of applications, the rear brakes are still drum setups inside the hats of the rotors.
So now I have to do a disk brake job on the rear and still deal with the spring hell that is drum brakes. I remember gladly disposing of my drum brake tools when I got rid of my last car with rear drums. I never get rid of tools, but I didn’t want anyone even asking me for help with drum brakes so I tossed them. (My Nissans and Miata had self-adjusting rear calipers that acted as both road brakes and parking brakes.)
Fast forward a few years and I had to re-buy them to work on my Subarus.
Yeah, those are just for the parking brake right?
Yes, and they can get by with longer replacement intervals.
The problem is that all those wonderful fun springs and pins need to come off if you have to change wheel bearings. And on a Subaru, you’re going to have to do the wheel bearings.
I don’t like this game.
Nobody wins.
There’s tools for doing drum brakes? I always just used my dad’s screwdrivers as prys and a hammer.
Oh, and swearing. Lots of swearing.
There are. They make the job marginally less sweary.
I start at 8/10 sweary, so the difference is not always noticeable.
Loving my GR Corolla after a little over a year. I’m almost looking forward to swapping the RE-71RS’s out for the Cooper snow tires on BRAID wheels.
The 4A-GE is far from lightweight when you have to manhandle it in the back of a Suzuki Ignis by yourself.
I have a ’25 GR86 Hakone and I LOVE this car. It hits all the right buttons for a fun, affordable, enthusiasts car. Sure, it harkens back to the AE86, but with more than 100hp extra and plenty of modern amenities to make daily commutes fun.
The driving feel is very similar to my 911SC. It’s a little faster, but the overall “feel” you get when driving it is in the same spirit. It is not a drag car. It’s the kind of car where you enter the roundabout and just want to keep going around and around with the tail out. Which it will happily do. It encourages fun which is saying something. Most people have no idea what it is (still pretty rare cars in these parts) so they usually assume it’s something far more expensive or exotic than it is.
Toyota (and Subaru) hit this one out of the park, IMHO.
I had an early FR-S and loved it. A young woman and her phone ended my time with it.
Whenever I’m car shopping, it’s not long until I am back looking at those cars again. I’ll probably end up with another one.
I’m cheap. With the GR86 I can use all the performance that I paid for.
I am jealous of you having a Hakone, they look beautiful
Yeah, I’m going to have to disagree here. Toyota (and Lexus) has been phoning it in for a long while, and doing so while trolling us with truly ugly vehicles. The legendary reliability of their older models isn’t really a thing any more. I’m not saying every Toyota vehicle was a turd. A huge percentage became completely adequate transportation appliances.
Nonetheless, I have found their entire lineup unappealing for various reasons and haven’t considered buying any Toyota for, well decades. Having a couple of mildly-interesting models and reintroducing a niche part doesn’t make them the “best carmaker” by a long shot.
My unrelenting criticism of Toyota is abating somewhat. The new truck designs (including Lexus) are really good looking and not overly done. The new Prius is fantastic looking. It’s good to know that Toyota has some discerning designers on the payroll and they they’re not being required to overcomplicate designs any more. I just hope that past legendary quality can make a comeback as well.
I like your passion but you reference current product offerings, aftermarket products, and thumbnail of a classic.
If that’s the framework for this piece , then it’s got to be GM or Ford.
Many legacy to current crate offerings, sports cars in many flavors, off roaders, bland appliances and everything in between. Toyota does not offer a 6 speed NA or blown V8 coupe or sedan.
I do miss the rear power down window in my tundra however… why don’t the domestic trucks have that!? My RAM has a 12” slider .. lame
Reading this gave me the same feeling one gets seeing guys on Twitter down bad for OF models.
GM has offered its V8s as kits for decades and I’m supposed to be impressed by one offering from Toyota?
I love the brand for its appliance models, but this take is not it.
You’re missing the overall point, which is that Toyota, in general, has done, and continues to do, a lot for enthusiasts.
I don’t agree with the thesis that they’ve done anything worthy of note compared to other brands.
Chevy has sold current V8s. This is an engine that has been out of production for a long time, so it is a little different than just plucking a few engines off the production line and selling them in crates instead of completed cars.
I am curious what they will be selling the head and block for, and what degree of complete they will achieve before shipping. If it’s just the block and an assembled head, this is going to leave the people who would buy this $10k from complete depending on their final build.
This seems more like someone in the company’s personal interest than part of an organized commitment to enthusiasts.
Chevy has also continuously sold multiple lines of small and big block engines that haven’t been put in new vehicles since the 90s or earlier.
Their portfolio is wayyyyyy more than current offerings.
https://www.chevrolet.com/performance-parts/crate-engines
The reason this announcement from Toyota is noteworthy is that they mostly haven’t done this.
Yeah per this article they sell:
The Japanese in general have been doing the most to keep enthusiast cars alive since the 1970s and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.
While I agree wholeheartedly with this I think GM should also get a little bit of credit for keeping the SBC available in various forms for decades on end, serving as inspiration for who knows how many engine swaps.
I mean yes, but IMHO offering factory crate engines for a few decades is cool but building dozens of different enthusiast models encompassing almost every drivetrain configuration, cylinder count, and vehicle type known to man is a more impressive achievement.
Yes, absolutely this. 🙂
I don’t get this. Especially with the current era where the Japanese are the experts of designing a platform for a cheap car and slapping on stuff to make it a $60k enthusiast-targeted vehicle.
If we want to talk about an insane variety let’s talk about Piech-era VAG…
You could have your pick of any number of over-engineered sedans and SUVs that had 29 timing chains and only 4 people in the country knew how to fix.
Dozens?
I know, the AE86, the Supra, the Crown, the GR Yaris, the GR Corolla, the IS F, the Altezza….
I am not including other Japanese manufacturers, so…
Depends on what you define as an enthusiast car. If you mean BRZ, Supra, IS F, Honda NSX, RX 7, GTR, Skyline, yes, because some of these cars are designed for handling more than performance.
I am no expert, but what you mean as an enthusiast’s car may not be the same for others.
But for raw power? There are other better options.
I wouldn’t say that, and I am a fan of Japanese cars.
The Japanese brands left us with a Z / Supra / RX-7 shaped hole for a very long time. The first of the replacements was an Infinity sedan in spanks.
BMW has been making M cars the entire time that Japan left us lonely. Some better than others, but still. By the time the Supra came back, the Mustang was a real performance car and the Camaro could be ordered as a monster straight from the dealer.
The Z is here… I guess. Mazda does not have the money to be wasting development costs on a new RX-7. They would kill off the Miata in a second if it meant they could have a solid third place in mid-sized SUVs. Hell, even Toyota’s offerings (besides the GR Corolla) are co-branded and built out of house.
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*