The Subaru BRZ and it’s twin the Toyota 86 have been on the market for a little more than eight years (since January 2012), and now it’s time to say goodbye to one of the coolest compact sport coupes to grace the last decade. All told, 2020 will mark the final year for the Subaru BRZ, at least as we know it, but that’s a good thing, as long as you’re willing to wait for the next-gen model. Don’t bother sounding the fake news or rumor alarm, either, as this news comes directly from Subaru itself – if you can read Japanese, that is.

Subaru Is No Longer Taking Orders for the BRZ Sports Car

If you head over to Subaru’s Japanese portal for the BRZ and let your browser to the handy translating for you, you’ll find big, bold letters at the very bottom that read “We have closed the built-to-order manufacturer order for the models listed.” Subaru has refused to comment on the matter, telling Automobile Mag that they “can’t comment on the BRZ at this time,” and Toyota has said nothing about the 86. But that’s also where the good news comes in.

We’ve known for a while now that Toyota and Subaru have partnered up on the next-gen BRZ and 86. but we knew even before that when we predicted that neither will be offered with AWD or a turbocharged engine. Since then, we’ve learned that the next-gen 86 (and probably the BRZ) is set to arrive very soon, along with a 255-horsepower, turbocharged engine. With all of that said, however, there is some other recent news that you probably won’t like.

Will The Next-Gen Subaru BRZ Be Turbocharged

A leak as recent as January 13, 2020 and March 25, 2020, said we’d be looking at some 252 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque, but more recent news as all but debunked those claims.

It seems simple enough, right? If Subaru and Toyota are going to place the FA24 from the ascent into the next-gen BRZ and 86, the turbo should go too. It is, unfortunately, not as simple as that. However, the latest reports (you know, the stuff I told you would piss you off back in May 2020) say that the next-gen BRZ will ride on the same Subaru platform that underpins the current models. That platform, by the way, was the reason why the current-gen BRZ and 86 couldn’t be turbocharged.



FAQ

Q: When Is the Next-Gen Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 Launching?

Mix in that fairly recent report and the fact that Subaru is now killing off orders for the current-gen BRZ, and it looks like the next-gen BRZ will likely debut in before the end of fall 2020 and will launch as a 2021 model. If it doesn’t happen by fall of 2020, we’ll see it in the first quarter of 2021, and it’ll launch as a 2022 model.

Q: Why Won’t the 2021 Subaru BRZ Be Turbocharged?

Despite the calls for forced induction from BRZ and 86 fans over the better part of the last decade, neither car will be turbocharged for the next-generation. Rumor has it that both cars will see just a mild power bump up to 217 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. Subaru’s FA24 engine will still provide that grunt, but it’ll do so with natural aspiration.

Q: Why Isn’t the Next-Gen Subaru BRZ Riding on Toyota’s TNGA Platform?

Toyota’s TNGA platform sounded like a big step forward for the BRZ and 86 – it would have opened the door for AWD and turbocharging. It would have also been lighter, offered better weight distribution, and would have – in theory- provide for an impressive bump in on-road handling. However, as reported by Torque News, Toyota’s TNGA platform – found under cars like the Toyota Auris, Lexus UX, and Toyota CH-R, among many others – isn’t really suited for RWD. So, you could have AWD, but RWD wouldn’t really work, and that’s one of the biggest selling points of the current-gen cars. However, if you know Toyota’s TNGA platform, you know it can support RWD. What car am I talking about? I’m talking about the Lexus LC 500, which is underpinned by the TNGA-L platform. It, along with the TNGA-N platform, are – according to Toyota – capable of supporting rear- or all-wheel drive. So, if there’s truth to this report, it likely has to do with the fact that the TNGA-N and TNGA-L are too long for the BRZ and 86 twins. The next platform down, the TNGA-K that underpins cars like the Camry, Avalon, and RAV 4, only supports front- and all-wheel drive configurations, as does the TNGA-C, which underpins the Prius, C-HR, and Auris. That’s why this report holds even the slightest bit of water.