Toyota GR86 updated with retuned dampers, EPS – Hakone, Ridge Green Limited special editions added

The Toyota GR86 has been given a running update three years after its initial debut, which also sees the introduction of limited special-edition models in Japan and the United States. According to the carmaker, the revisions serve to improve handling with insights gained from motorsports.

For manual and automatic versions of the GR86, the shock absorber damper characteristics have been improved for a better sense of contact with the ground while maintaining the direct handling response.

Additionally, the electric power steering (EPS) has been retuned for better interaction with the driver, which the company says results in agile response performance without jeopardising steering stability, while also improving steering sensation at the upper limits of performance.

Specific to manual transmission vehicles is a modified engine torque control to enable easier blipping when performing heel-and-toe shifting. The throttle control also gets some tweaking to provide more direct response to accelerator operation, which improves ease of handling at the upper limits of performance.

As for automatic transmission vehicles, the engine-speed tolerance range during downshifting has been expanded, enabling sporty driving supported by a wider torque band. Toyota also touts a newly available tyre pressure warning system and daytime running lights for the GR86.

In Japan, the special-edition model is called the Ridge Green Limited that is based on the existing RZ trim. It comes with a Ridge Green exterior finish paired with bronze wheels, while the primarily black interior gets tan accents as well as exclusive embroidery on the door trim. The optional performance package that includes Brembo brakes and Sachs shock absorbers are standard here too.

Toyota GR86 updated with retuned dampers, EPS – Hakone, Ridge Green Limited special editions added

Over in the US, the Ridge Green Limited is known as the Hakone Special Edition, which gets the same enhancements, albeit with further aesthetic touches like a boot lid badge as well as a branded shift knob and puddle lamps.

Only 860 units of the Hakone Special Edition will be offered in the US, while the Ridge Green Limited is even rarer in Japan with just 200 units offered through a lottery system ending July 28. Pricing for the revised GR86 in Japan ranges from 2.936 million to 3.616 million yen (RM87k to RM107k), with the newly added Ridge Green Limited being the most expensive variant at between 3.897 million and 3.995 million yen (RM115k and RM118k) depending on the transmission.

Order taking has already begun in Japan, with deliveries set to commence on August 1. The US will get their 2025 model year cars in the fall (between September to November), although pricing has yet to be announced for the market.