Is Toyota planning a hotrod Scion FR-S with turbocharging and all-wheel drive?

By Stephen Edelstein September 9, 2014

The Scion FR-S (and its Subaru BRZ sibling) has an ability to generate rumors that rivals its ability to generate tire smoke.

There have been reports of everything from sedan and convertible versions of this small, rear-wheel drive sports car, to a possible hybrid powertrain. So far, none have translated into tangible production plans.

One can always hope, though, especially when the potential upgrades include turbocharging and all-wheel drive.

That’s what 4wheelsnews claims is in store for the Toyota GT86, as the FR-S is known overseas. Citing reports from Japan, it says Toyota is planning a hot-rod version that will continue to use a Subaru flat-four, but with displacement bumped from 2.0 to 2.5 liters, and the addition of at least one turbo.

Related: 2015 Scion FR-S gets suspension and aesthetic upgrades

That sounds like the Subaru WRX STI’s engine, and the GT86 version is expected to produce similar grunt: around 301 horsepower. That will be sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, reportedly a concession to fuel economy.

Enthusiasts have been clamoring for Subaru and Toyota to give the Toyobaru more power, so it seems odd that Toyota would forego a manual transmission in a car so well tailored to the stick-shift set. Unless it’s just trying to mess with customers.

Toyota hasn’t confirmed anything, but it hasn’t explicitly ruled out a hotter GT86/FR-S variant either. That’s more than can be said for Subaru, which quashed rumors of a BRZ STI a few months back.

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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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