Do we know if the TRD exhaust and handling package will be available for the GR86?
 

I saw the news about the weird company with the weird name releasing parts for the GR. I'm confused. Are these going to be the OEM options available when configurating the vehicle? That's what the announcement made it sound like.

Or do you think we will have the classic TRD exhaust and handling package that was available for last gen?

GR takes over TRD as far as the sports car stuff goes. So it’ll be the new OEM branding. Down the road there could be a handling package similar to the “TRD Package” from last gen, but it seems like Toyota is taking the old school route this time around with their performance products.

Pretty much make a sports car that’s good out the gate and release a bunch of oem parts that give the car a reasonable upgrade. (Similar to when the original AE86 came out or the MR2)

Damn that's a little disappointing. I love the sound of the TRD exhaust and was hoping to easily add that on to the purchase. Are the GR exhausts even good? And do you think there will be any way to request to have the TRD exhaust added on instead, seeing as how it's offered to some of their other vehicles?

Considering how hard Toyota is trying to brand Gazoo Racing, I’m sure the parts will be good. In a lot of ways Gazoo Racing is like the rebirth of TRD, it has a similar startup to Honda’s Mugen.

TRD is going to be a SUV/Truck thing going forward for now as I understood it.

The parts are already there in the JDM (brakes, exhaust, suspension etc.), but its extremely unlikely they will be offered as a 'package' (which is always way cheaper) until sales tail off.

You can still buy the parts separately from GR in japan, not sure about official local stock.

TRD never manufactured a single part. They designed them and contracted out to the best bidder. GR is exactly the same.
For all intents and purposes just scratch TRD off the parts, write in GR and call it a day.

Yeah pretty much, that’s why I was kind of saying the rebirth of TRD. As fr as the Mugen part I was referencing the CEOs sons making a racing brand

Exactly. It may be different staff in a different department or business entity, but from a consumer standpoint there's no difference. (And I'd be shocked if there weren't people at GR who used to work in TRD.)

My biggest question is whether the bolt-on exhaust "upgrade" you can buy from the dealership is going to do anything other than look/sound different. The description I've read in articles (since Toyota can't be bothered to pretend this car is a real thing and publish their own information on their own website) suggest it's a purely cosmetic upgrade.

I don't mind a different/better look/sound, but if it doesn't DO anything I may as well save my money and just buy a big NOS sticker or something like that. At least those add HP, right?

Yep.
Personally I feel that the GR branding is just diluting the badge. It used to be the actual racing arm but is now nothing more than a marketing tool.

The TRD was nothing more than a cosmetic upgrade so nothing will change there. There are no gains to be had from any catback exhaust including the TRD.
That said the sound on my TRD exhaust equipped FRS was far superior to my stock 86 and is worthwhile so I will pick up another TRD system someday.

My only take is that GR is a much better phonetic acronym than TRD.

No longer "turd" it is now "GURRR!"

I had the TRD exhaust on my 2000 Celica GT-S. It sounded pretty good revving out the 2ZZ-GE.

I would buy it for the sound (depending on price), if it weren't for the fact that this car is meant not only to end the too-many-years-without-a-sportscar drought but to also - hopefully - get my wife interested in sports cars.

She likes the way it looks (and that it's not expensive), so if I get an automatic she'll drive it and if I have any luck at all, love it.

THEN we start talking about how to make it more fun.