Toyota produces some of the most reliable vehicles on the road today, but reliability isn’t the be-all, end-all for many drivers. While some see driving as nothing more than a way to get from Point A to Point B, there’s nothing wrong with trying to get a few kicks in your morning commute or weekend cruise. Luckily, Toyota isn’t new to the world of performance engineering; the Japanese automaker has been designing sports cars for over 50 years, starting with the Sports 800. That two-door coupe might have only produced 44 hp, but with a curb weight of 1,200 lbs, it offered an electrifying ride that announced Toyota as a new force to be reckoned with in the sports car segment.
The brand has consistently built on this reputation over the past half-century, producing iconic vehicles like the 2000GT, MR2, and Celica GT-Four. While these sports cars have all ridden off to the great racetrack in the sky, they’ve been supplanted by a new generation of models that are ready to carry the mantle. If you’re in the market for a used Toyota for sale, there’s no reason to settle for a stolid SUV or pedestrian pickup when you could get behind the wheel of a GR Supra, GR86, or GR Corolla.
Widely available on the preowned market, these three sports cars take everything there is to love about the Toyota brand and up the fun factor with their sporty design, potent engines, race-tuned suspensions, and more. Strap in as I take a spin in three of Toyota’s modern performance masterpieces and describe just how exciting a used car can be.
The GR Corolla
The Toyota Corolla boasts a resume that few vehicles can match. Not only is this compact sedan Toyota’s best-selling car, but it’s also the world’s most popular model, with over 1.1 million sold in 2023 alone. But while the Corolla is famous for its quality, consistency, and reliability, excitement has generally taken the back seat. That all changed in 2023 when Toyota tapped its Gazoo Racing (GR) division to give this compact a race-ready makeover.
The GR Corolla has won a lot of praise since it debuted in 2023, earning an impeccable 10/10 rating from Car and Driver as well as being named AutoTrader’s Best New Car and Best Mainstream Performance Car. The GR Corolla’s engine was also singled out by Wards, which named the turbocharged 1.6-liter setup as one of the industry’s best propulsion systems for 2024. It doesn’t take a seasoned gearhead to see what all the fuss is about. With 300 hp on tap, the 1.6-liter engine is astoundingly potent for its size. The mighty mini motor comes courtesy of the GR Yaris, but a little tuning allows it to produce 43 extra ponies and 273 lb-ft of torque.
Looking for an even speedier ride? Toyota has rolled out a number of limited edition GR Corolla trims that pull out all the steps to deliver a hair-raising experience. Introduced in 2023, the Morizo trim turns the GR Corolla into a true track contender thanks to lightweight forged wheels, a new suspension, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, and an extra 22 lb-ft of torque. With the ability to rocket from zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, there’s no mistaking the Morizo for your average Corolla. The Circuit Edition lacks some of the Morizo’s high-end components but leverages front and rear limited-slip differentials to provide drivers with a 4.9-second zero-to-60-mph time.
No matter which version you choose, you’ll get access to Toyota’s GR-Four all-wheel drive system. With the ability to tailor the engine’s power distribution to a specific driving scenario, the GR Corolla can easily transform from a daily driver into a ready-made racing machine. Want to max out the hatchback’s traction to get an edge at the track? The 50/50 split will evenly distribute power between the front and rear axles. If you’re looking to send a message with a few smoke signals, simply opt for the 30/70 split, and you’ll be burning rubber with the best of them as you drift around every corner.
The GR Corolla also comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission. While this might be a little intimidating to those unaccustomed to rowing their own gears, Toyota has thoughtfully included an automatic rev-matching feature that will briefly “blip” the throttle to ensure smooth shifts and minimal wear-and-tear to the clutch and transmission.
The GR86
While “GR86” might not have the same brand recognition as a “Corolla” or the flashiness of a “Supra,” the name is actually pretty telling. While I don’t know my Japanese kanji from my elbow, I can offer a brief translation that should help to shed a little light on the moniker. We’ll start with GR, which is short for Gazoo Racing: While Toyota’s in-house racing division is largely focused on climbing the podium at some of the world’s foremost motorsport competitions, GR is also responsible for crafting the automaker’s sports and performance-oriented production road cars.
GR has been behind some of the most exciting Toyota models in recent memory—including all three cars on our list—but its influence only tells half the story. The “86” portion of the name can be traced to the AE86, a series of Toyota Corolla Levin and Toyota Sprinter Trueno coupes and liftbacks offered by the brand between 1983 and 1987. The front-engine/rear-wheel drive cars represented a sportier take on the standard Toyota and were an instant hit with drivers seeking a light, affordable car that could be easily modified for racing purposes.
Like the GR Corolla, the GR86 represents a triumph of collaboration between Toyota and another established automaker. While BMW was instrumental in getting the GR Corolla off the ground, it was fellow Japanese brand Subaru that stepped in to help make the GR86 a reality. The GR86 first hit the market in 2012, though US drivers will know this sports car as the Scion FR-S. The model was rebadged as the Toyota 86 when the Scion brand was discontinued, and it earned its GR designation with the debut of the second-gen version in 2022. Built on the Subaru Global Platform, the GR86 is marketed by Subaru as the BRZ and holds the distinction of being the brand’s only model without all-wheel drive.
Offering an alluring blend of performance and affordability, the GR86 pulls off a trick that few other sports cars can match: This coupe has a standard six-speed manual transmission, a 5.4-second zero-to-60-mph time, a 140-mph top speed, and 228 hp that, while not eye-popping, is all the more impressive given the car’s featherlight 2,838-lb curb weight.
Toyota has gone to great lengths to keep the weight off, fitting the GR86 with an aluminum roof, bonnet, and front wings that allow it to shed pounds while also lowering the center of gravity for a more dynamic, responsive ride. That’s not a bad resume, especially when you consider the low price. Pre-owned second-gen GR86s can be found for as little as $20,000, and even new 2024/2025 versions carry a starting MSRP of around $31,000, which is a real bargain in the sports car segment, where high-speed fun often comes at a high price.
Subaru’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder Boxer engine provides the GR86 with its power—and while Toyota has eschewed a turbocharger for the naturally aspirated approach, it’s hard to complain when you’re getting up to cruising speed in less than six seconds. Toyota has paired the GR86 with a well-rounded suspension that’s both sporty and practical, giving the sports car the ability to double as both a daily driver and a weekend racing rig. It might not have the pure performance pedigree of the GR Supra, but if you want to get a taste of the sort of performance that Toyota has on tap, the GR86 represents an affordable starting point.
The GR Supra
While the GR86 and GR Corolla might offer some serious thrills, those looking to experience a true performance vehicle need look no further than the Toyota GR Supra. This sports car is not only one of the most exciting Toyotas ever produced, but it’s also a bonafide pop culture icon thanks to its screen time in the Fast & Furious franchise. A star of both street and screen, the Supra reigns supreme as the go-to choice for those who prefer an edge-of-your-seat driving experience.
The Supra was noticeably absent from the market between 1998 and 2020. While the sports car’s 22-year absence from the North American market probably felt even longer for longtime fans of the famous Japanese model, their patience was rewarded with the 2020 debut of the new fifth-gen model.
Redubbed the GR Supra, the revived sports car was developed in collaboration with BMW. In fact, the GR Supra shares its platform and many of its parts with the BMW Z4, right down to its BMW-designed 4- and 6-cylinder turbocharged engines. It’s a promising pairing that’s allowed the fifth-gen Supra to pick up right where its predecessor left off in the late ’90s.
So, how does the GR Supra stack up against some of the sports car segment’s other heavy hitters? A quick look at the stat sheet provides some compelling answers. With a zero-to-60-mph of just 3.7 seconds, the six-cylinder GR Supra can give the Porsche Cayman GTS and Chevy Camaro a run for their money. The fifth-gen Supra is even speedier than its fourth-gen ancestor, and while the four-cylinder model is a bit pokier with a 4.7-second zero-to-60, it’s still an improvement over the BMW Z4 with which it shares so much in common.
With a turbocharged 255-hp 2.0-liter inline-four or a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder that churns out 382 hp, the new Supra certainly lives up to its legendary status. Still, the fifth-gen model debuted without one important attribute, as the GR Supra originally hit the market with an eight-speed automatic as the sole transmission; however, Toyota righted the ship in 2023 with a new six-speed manual that gave drivers the control that they craved. Available for no extra charge for the 3.0-liter engine, the manual transmission is a must-have for anyone seeking the true Supra experience.
The fifth-gen Supra initially debuted with two dedicated drive modes: a Normal setting for everyday driving and a Sport mode that adjusts the car’s throttle response, transmission shift points, and steering feel to create a thrilling, dynamic experience when you’re behind the wheel. Toyota upped the ante even further in 2023, releasing a new Hairpin+ mode that was designed with ultra-tight turns in mind. Hairpin+ mode tweaks the engine’s torque control to allow for a greater gulf in wheelspin between the left and right tires. It might sound like a subtle change, but it can make all the difference when accelerating out of a tight turn and allows the sports car to carve through even the most harrowing hairpin with ease. While most drivers don’t encounter many alpine switchbacks or hairpin turns during their daily commute, it’s good to know that the GR Supra is up to the task should the occasion arise.
The GR Supra also sounds every bit like a sports car, thanks to the inclusion of a high-performance cat-back exhaust system. In addition to producing a throaty growl, the cat-back system also offers some real performance benefits, reducing backpressure and increasing horsepower by allowing exhaust gases to exit the system more quickly. The system also improves the GR Supra’s fuel economy, while the cat-back’s upsized exhaust tips lend this sports car a distinct appearance.
Thrilling Drives in Used Toyota Models
If there’s one downside to these three sporty Toyota models, it would have to be their age (or lack thereof). The GR86 has been around in one form or another for over a decade, but the GR Corolla and GR Supra represent more recent additions to the Toyota lineup; this means they might be a little tough to find on the pre-owned market—but where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Even if you do run into a few difficulties when trying to source a used model, these three Toyotas are worth a little effort, as they provide an edge-of-your-seat ride that’s backed by Toyota’s solid reputation for reliability. Thrills aren’t hard to come by in the sports car segment, but dependability is. The ability to easily rocket to 60 mph or carve through a tight turn might be satisfying, but if your car spends more time at the shop than it does on the ride, these exciting moments can be few and far between.
