2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition plays catch-up to its Subaru sibling

By Stephen Edelstein Published July 26, 2018

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2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition — Image used with permission by copyright holder

2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition — Image used with permission by copyright holder

2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition — Image used with permission by copyright holder

2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition — Image used with permission by copyright holder

2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition — Image used with permission by copyright holder

When it comes to the Toyota 86 (formerly the Scion FR-S) and Subaru BRZ sports-car twins, Subaru seems to be having all of the fun. First the BRZ got a performance package with Sachs dampers and Brembo brakes, then came the limited-edition tS model. But Toyota is catching up with the 2019 86 TRD (Toyota Racing Development) Special Edition, a limited-edition model that adds some useful performance upgrades.

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Said upgrades are almost a carbon copy of what you get with the BRZ performance package, but that’s not a bad thing. Like the Subaru, the TRD Special Edition gets Sachs damper and Brembo brakes. It also rides on 18-inch wheels (instead of the standard 17-inch) wheels, shod in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires. That’s a key change, as the standard 86 makes due with Michelin Primacy HP tires designed for low rolling resistance, not grip. They were meant to give the 86 a more playful demeanor, but serious drivers will likely appreciate the Pilot Sports’ increased stickiness.

The Special Edition also gets a TRD body kit, including a new front bumper, side sills, rear bumper, and spoiler. The only available color is Raven (black), with TRD’s red-orange-yellow racing stripes adding a little color. While Toyota rarely applies the name to production cars, TRD has been around since 1979, and has been involved in all kinds of racing, from the Baja 1000 to NASCAR. The interior gets some red trim and more TRD callouts.

What the 86 Special Edition doesn’t get is more power. The car’s 2.0-liter boxer-four remains pegged at 205 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque if you opt for the six-speed manual transmission, or 200 hp and 151 lb-ft with the six-speed automatic. The 86 still won’t rip your face off with acceleration, but its rear-wheel drive chassis does offer excellent handling, as a well as a solid foundation for tuning.

The 2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition goes on sale in August. Toyota will sell just 1,418, priced at $33,340 each (including a mandatory $920 destination charge). That’s a hair less than the $34,355 price of the limited-edition Subaru BRZ tS, which was limited to 500 units. But if exclusivity isn’t important, a non-tS BRZ with the performance package offers similar mechanical upgrades for $30,500.

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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Cars

The week in EV tech: From sky-high dreams to ground-level drama

tesla robotaxi feud alef in transition flight

Welcome to Digital Trends’ weekly recap of the revolutionary technology powering, connecting, and now driving next-gen electric vehicles.
Buckle up, folks — this week we’re taking off with a look at the futuristic dream of flying electric cars possibly gliding above U.S. roads sooner than you think. But before we get carried away, let’s bring it back down to the bumpy road of present-day realities.
Even if you’re mostly interested about the tech powering the electric vehicle (EV) revolution, it’s become increasingly hard to avoid the politics around it: You guessed it, we’re talking about this week’s public feud between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump.
What does this have to do with EV tech? Well, quite a lot actually. For starters, the technology behind Tesla’s Autopilot and Full-Self Driving (FSD) modes may return in the crosshairs of regulators: Despite the names, these are still driver-assist features that require active driver supervision, and until Trump’s election, they had been under heavy scrutiny by safety regulators for several years.
Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD. Big questions remain about the driver-assist system's performance under adverse, yet naturally-occurring conditions such as fog, sun glare, rain, and snow.
When Musk, who spent about $275 million to help elect Trump, was appointed to head a newly-created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), it raised more than a few eyebrows about his power and influence over the regulators who are supposed to oversee traffic safety, and therefore Tesla.
It didn’t help that the Trump administration followed Musk’s recommendations and relaxed crash-reporting requirements put in place since 2021, while also relaxing rules to accelerate the deployment of fully-automated robotaxis.
The Trump/Musk clash takes place just as Tesla is due to launch its robotaxi pilot progam in Texas later this month. While Trump is now threatening to pull billions of dollars in government subsidies and contracts from Musk’s companies, it’s unclear whether he might pressure the Department of Transportation to again tighten the regulatory screws on Tesla. What is clear is that Trump has never been a fan of electric vehicles and is already trying to end federal subsidies on EV purchases and leases. And while he had made a big deal about buying a bright red Tesla Model S back in March, Trump now says he wants to sell it.
Back to the tech
Meanwhile, Tesla is still required to respond to information and data requests from NHTSA regarding the safety of its robotaxis by July 1. And ultimately, it should come down to the performance of the technology.
For Autopilot and FSD, Tesla has opted for less expensive navigational tech relying on multiple onboard cameras that feed AI machine-learning models. But especially for so-called adverse driving conditions, it’s the more expensive technology relying on a blend of pre-mapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-light radar) which has received the nod of regulators.
Waymo, the sole robotaxi service currently operating in the U.S., and Zoox, Amazon’s upcoming robotaxi service, both use that blend of navigational tech.
For its robotaxis, Tesla is said to have upped its game in terms of autonomous driving with its Hardware 4 (HW4) technology, which does include radar sensors and promises enhanced environmental perception.
Will that be enough for Tesla to convince regulators, catch up with Waymo, or compete effectively with Zoox?
We’ll have to wait and see.
Flying cars
In a recent edition, we noted that while consumer confidence about robotaxi technology is on the rise, most people also want more data before they hop into a self-driving vehicle.
What about flying taxis? According to a recent survey by Honeywell, nearly all U.S. airline fliers, or 98%, said they would consider using a so-called electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, or eVTOL, as part of their travel journey.
But while the buzz around flying electric vehicles has mostly focused on air taxis— like Archer Aviation’s Midnight, expected to fly athletes around the 2028 LA Olympics, or Joby’s slick air taxi, backed by Toyota — one California startup is shooting for something a little more... driveable.
Meet Alef Aeronautics, a Bay Area company that wants to put the “car” back in “flying car.” This week, Alef announced it has received over 3,400 pre-orders for its electric flying vehicle, the Model A — and get this: it’s not a futuristic prototype gathering dust in a lab. Alef says production could begin by the end of 2025, or early next year.
On the ground, the Model A operates like a low-speed electric car, complete with hub motors in the wheels and—wait for it—a real steering wheel. You can legally drive it at up to 25 mph on public roads, parking it in a normal garage like any other EV. It’s refreshingly manual in an increasingly hands-free world.
But when it's time for lift off, the steering wheel takes a backseat. For vertical takeoff and flight, the Model A transforms into a drone-like aircraft. Its cabin rotates sideways to create lift, and eight electric rotors—controlled by a flight system and joysticks—take over. No pedals, no yoke, just a bit of joystick magic (or autopilot, if you prefer).
The Model A has already received the nod from regulators for test flights.
While the $300,000 price tag won’t fit everyone’s budget, the company is clearly betting on a future where you don’t have to choose between a car and a flying machine—you can have both.

Mobile

8 key things you need to know from Apple’s WWDC 2025 event

From a fresh look and updated names, to new features, more intelligence and live translation

iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 shown on devices.

The WWDC 2025 keynote ran for just over an hour and a half. For those of you who don't fancy sitting through the whole presentation, we've pulled out the key things you need to know from the latest Apple event.

1. Welcome to the 26 club

Cars

Tesla’s robotaxi service is almost here, but it’s not the car you want to see

Silver Tesla Model Y Juniper side

Tesla chief Elon Musk has said that the automaker is aiming to launch its robotaxi service on June 22, in Austin, Texas.

“Tentatively, June 22,” Musk said in a post on X on Tuesday, adding: “We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift.”