With little else left to do but to clean the carpets and lock the doors, the fading Scion division has begun the process of preparing its products to play for team Toyota. While several models will make the move to Toyota showrooms, it?s the well-being of the FR-S sports car that most concerns us. To aid the transition, it appears Toyota is giving the FR-S some well-deserved upgrades and, despite official reports to the contrary, a change of name.
When the 2017 version debuts next week at the 2016 New York auto show, it will do so wearing ?86? badging, leaving its FR-S name behind with the rest of the Scion-branded detritus. While it may not be the European-spec GT86 moniker that many enthusiasts had hoped for from the start, it at least shares the ?86? tag with the car as sold in Asia, South Africa, South America, and Australia. Take notice, dilettantes, because the upgrades in the engine compartment apply only to cars equipped with the manual transmission. Horsepower and torque are both up by five, the 2.0-liter flat-four now producing 205 horsepower and 156 lb-ft of torque. Mild improvements to be sure, but a new, as-yet-unspecified revised gearing comes onboard to make the most of it. No word on when or if the automatic car will get a power bump or revised ratios of its own, so you best start exercising your left leg right now. All 86s get new damper tuning and spring rates that are said to enhance control and agility. (Toyota hasn’t mentioned if its Subaru BRZ t...