Toyota is going out on its own with the next GR86, abandoning the flat-four engine supplied by its sometimes engineering partner for the sports car project, according to reports from Japan.

Almost the whole life of the Toyota 86 – and its Subaru BRZ twin – has been peppered with commentary and criticism regarding the lack of turbocharging for the rear-drive sports car – and it seems like Toyota might be about to answer those calls.

According to Japanese publication Magazine X, as well as recent reporting by another Japanese magazine Best Car, the next-generation Toyota GR86 will borrow its powerplant not from Subaru, but from its GR relatives – the Yaris and Corolla.

This means a turbocharged three-cylinder engine, most likely to remain as unchanged as possible to keep costs low in true Toyota ubiquitous fashion.

While both Japanese magazines report that it’ll be a version of the three-cylinder engine, Magazine X expects it to be downsized, while Best Car’s most recent information pegged it as a 1.6-litre unit as it already is. We’d bet on Toyota doing all it can to keep the engine the same size if possible.

There’s talk of a new platform for the sports coupe, too, with Best Car expecting a modified version of the platform used by the current Lexus IS – itself not being a version of the brand’s near-ubiquitous TNGA platform.

This would allow Toyota to implement its own engine in the 86, something the Subaru-led platform for the first and second versions won’t allow as they’re built for a flat-four Boxer engine.

Best Car’s most recent information pegged it as a 1.6-litre unit as it already is. We’d bet on Toyota doing all it can to keep the engine the same size if possible. (Image: Best Car)

Despite the reported move to an inline turbo engine, it’s possible Subaru will continue to produce the sports car into its next generation, whether by obligation or by a cost-related need to keep production up.

Interestingly, all reports point to a new addition to the drivetrain, a form of hybridisation which is something well within Toyota’s wheelhouse.

It’s unclear whether the brand would move to implement a system similar to its traditional hybrids, with a small battery and the ability to run on EV-only power at times, or whether a 48-volt mild hybrid system as is about to be used for the Toyota HiLux is more likely.

In any case, confirmation might not be forthcoming anytime soon, with both reports suggesting the next 86 is at least two years away. Best Car says we won’t see it until at least 2025, while Magazine X expects the car to be revealed for the 2028 model year.