Toyota’s small-boned, fun-filled 86 sports car took a gap year for 2021 and has returned to us fully refreshed with new design inside and out, more horsepower and torque, and even a new name: GR86, to reflect the car’s evolution to Toyota’s Gazoo Racing lineup.

The 2022 Toyota GR86 is available in base and Premium models, with the choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission for both versions. Pricing with the $1,025 destination charge included starts at $28,725 for the base GR86 with a manual transmission. The GR86 Premium with a manual shifter has a $31,325 sticker. For both models, an automatic transmission is an extra $1,500.

GR86 is a 2+2 sports coupe, meaning it’s more than a two-seater, but not quite a true four-seater. Someone who could sit comfortably behind the GR86 driver’s seat would be too small to see out the windows, but the extra space behind the front seats does come in handy for cargo, giving the GR86 a touch of practicality beyond its 6.26-cubic-feet trunk.

The GR86 has front-engine, rear-wheel drive configuration. For 2022, both models receive the benefit of a new 2.4-liter, horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine delivering 228 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. Compared with the previous engine, those capacities represent a nearly 18% increase in horsepower and 11% boost in torque. It hastens the zero-to-60 mph times from 7.0 to 6.1 seconds for the manual transmission and 8.0 to 6.6 seconds for the automatic.

In fuel-efficiency competition, the automatic transmission takes the checkered flag. Its EPA ratings are 21 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined, while manual transmission numbers are 20/27/22. Premium fuel is required.

Standard features of the base GR86 include 17-inch alloy wheels, Michelin Primacy HP tires, LED headlights, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system with six speakers, SiriusXM satellite radio, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.

The GR86 Premium has 18-inch wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires. It also adds two more speakers to the sound system, Ultrasuede heated front seats with leather side bolsters, and a duckbill rear spoiler.

Every 2022 GR86 comes with a complimentary one-year membership in the National Auto Sport Association, one free high-performance driving class, and discounted admission to NASA-sanctioned events.

I drove a GR86 Premium with an automatic transmission. Sports-car enthusiasts may gravitate toward the manual transmission, but there are persuasive reasons for choosing the automatic. Along with the better gas mileage already mentioned, a number of safety features that come standard with the automatic are not available for the manual. They include pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and high-beam assist. In addition to Normal driving mode, the automatic provides Sport, Snow and Track settings, whereas the manual offers only Track mode. And, finally, from an existential perspective there’s the reality of increasing stop-and-go traffic in the Pacific Northwest, when stick-shifting fun turns into bad feng shui inside the car.

The GR86 interior is simple but not dull. At highway speeds it lets some road noise in but remains calm over rough surfaces. The new multimedia system advances in sophistication without wandering off into Frustrationland.

Performance theatrics are nicely enhanced by the new engine, but power is kept within reason for a car being driven on patrolled public streets where massive amounts of horsepower are largely wasted.

2022 TOYOTA GR86 PREMIUM

Base price, including destination charge: $32,825

Price as driven: $32,825

Mary Lowry is a member of the Motor Press Guild and a member and past president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association. She lives in Snohomish County. Vehicles are provided by automotive manufacturers as a one-week loan for evaluation purposes only. Manufacturers do not control content of the reviews.