Toyota Tests New 2.0-Liter Naturally Aspirated G20E Inline-Four in GR86 Race Car

During the most recent round of Japan's Super Taikyu endurance racing series at the Okayama International Circuit, Toyota brought out more than just the mid-engined prototype widely believed to preview an MR2 successor. Gazoo Racing also used the event to field the GR86 Future FR Concept, an experimental racing coupe outfitted with a newly developed 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-four gasoline engine.

Previously, the racing variant of the GR86 had been equipped with the 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine from the GR Yaris and GR Corolla—delivering roughly 300 horsepower—as well as a destroked 1.4-liter configuration created to evaluate synthetic fuels. That boosted unit has now been replaced by a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter engine codenamed G20E, which belongs to Toyota's upcoming generation of compact, lightweight four-cylinder powertrains. While the G20E family has also been tested in mid-engined prototypes like the GR Yaris M Concept, in the GR86 Future FR Concept it is mounted under the front hood and generates around 220 horsepower.

Although the output is significantly lower than that of the turbocharged G16E-GTS, ditching the turbocharger reduces weight over the front axle and eliminates turbo lag. According to Gazoo Racing driver Kazuya Oshima in remarks to Car Watch magazine, the new four-cylinder unit revs higher than the engineering team initially anticipated, and the naturally aspirated configuration provides sharper, more predictable throttle response when exiting corners. Beyond the engine swap, the prototype incorporates double-wishbone suspension at both the front and rear axles to allow engineers to experiment with different suspension geometries and improve handling. Japanese media reports also note that the test car carries the internal nickname "Levin," referencing the classic sporty Corolla badge.

Toyota has not yet confirmed what engine will power the next-generation road-going GR86, and the ongoing track tests are still far from production readiness, meaning a potential road application is likely at least a couple of years away. Since the production GR86 has historically relied on a Subaru-sourced 2.4-liter flat-four boxer engine, moving to an in-house Toyota inline-four would represent a major shift in the model's formula and could alter how Toyota and Subaru collaborate on future sports cars. Earlier, Toyota also tested a new development four-cylinder engine inside a Lexus IS at Fuji Speedway, emphasizing how the compact dimensions allow the motor to sit farther back in the bay to lower the center of gravity.