Toyota Gives the Worst Excuse for Not Turbocharging the 86

Let’s be honest: we all knew a turbocharged Toyota 86 would never happen. Enthusiasts, including me, have been begging for one, but once more Toyota is saying no. As time goes on, the excuses get worse.

This time, the chief engineering for the 86 and Supra, Tetsuya Tada, told Car Advice that throwing a turbo on the little car would require a completely new chassis. If you’ve had the privilege of driving the car, it is incredibly well-balanced. According to Tada, adding the turbocharger, piping, intercooler, etc. would just throw all that off. Okay, sure, but is a completely new chassis the only fix?

How much does Tada think the turbo system would weigh? 500 pounds? 600? Why not just engineer a few bricks or sand in the trunk area? How many people are using these cars to go get a bunch of groceries at Costco?

Let’s just say for a moment that Tada is right, because he is after all the chief engineer. Why didn’t he and others in Toyota/Subaru see that everyone would want a turbo version of this car? The questions about when that would happen started immediately.

Maybe, just maybe Toyota will get that we want a turbo for the next-gen 86. And maybe the company will stop making excuses, too.