Toyota 86 2013

Lore & Background

The 86 arrived in the Forza world as part of a broader celebration of affordable, engaging sports cars. In the Horizon open-road settings it is often found parked at the side of a coastal highway or idling outside a small garage, waiting for a player who wants to learn the craft of cornering rather than simply outrun everyone. Its light chassis and natural balance make it a favorite in time-trial events where consistency matters more than peak horsepower, and it slots neatly into D-class races that pit it against other light, rear-drive machines.

Fans of the franchise often treat the 86 as a rite of passage. Picking it up early in a Horizon campaign, spending an afternoon in the tuning bay, and then carrying that tuned build through a handful of events gives a satisfying sense of progression. The car does not shout; it hums. It does not dominate a leaderboard with a single straight-line burst; it accumulates tenths over a long, winding stage. That quiet competence is what makes it resonate in a game series that is, at its heart, about the joy of driving.

The boxer-four engine, a collaboration between Toyota and Subaru, gives the 86 a low center of gravity and a distinctive, raspy exhaust note that players frequently cite as one of the most satisfying sounds in the entire Forza audio library. Combined with its relatively short wheelbase and responsive steering, the result is a car that feels alive in a way that heavier, more powerful machines sometimes do not.

In Their Own Story

The sun was dropping behind the ridge, painting the asphalt in long amber streaks. You'd parked the 86 at the start of the coastal stage, engine ticking over in the cooling air. The cabin smelled of fresh rubber and something faintly metallic. You dropped the clutch, felt the rear tires bite, and rolled out onto the empty road. First corner: a gentle left, easy. Second: a tighter right, and you feathered the throttle, let the tail step out just enough to rotate the nose. The boxer-four sang its flat, four-cylinder song. By the fifth corner you were in the rhythm, shifting at the top of the rev range, trailing the brakes into the apex, and the car was no longer a machine—it was an extension of your hands and knees. The horizon stretched ahead, golden and endless, and the 86 was all you needed to chase it.

Reader's Guide

Full model: Toyota 86, 2013, D class in Forza Horizon titles.

Stock snapshot: roughly 200 hp from a 2.0 L boxer-four, a curb weight in the neighborhood of 1,100–1,200 kg, and a handling rating that leans toward nimble and rotation-friendly. It is not a straight-line monster; it is a cornering and braking car that asks you to be smooth.

Tuning levers: In the tuning bay you can upgrade the intake, exhaust, and ECU for a modest naturally-aspirated power bump. More dramatically, you can bolt on a supercharger or turbocharger kit, which can push the output well past 300 hp—but that extra power will overwhelm the stock suspension and tires, so you must invest in upgraded springs, dampers, anti-roll bars, and stickier rubber to keep the rear from stepping out under power. Transmission upgrades (shorter ratios, limited-slip differential) sharpen the feel out of tight corners. Brake upgrades are essential if you are adding power, because the stock discs will fade on long stages. Body aero (front splitter, rear wing) adds downforce at higher speeds but can make the car feel heavier and less playful at low speed.

Trade-offs: Every power upgrade you add without a matching suspension and tire upgrade makes the car twitchier and harder to hold on a slide. Going too heavy on aero kills the light, flickable character that made the 86 fun in the first place. The sweet spot is a moderate power bump paired with a full suspension and tire upgrade, keeping the car balanced and communicative.

Build philosophy: Keep it light, keep it balanced, and let the driver do the heavy lifting—tune the 86 to be a sharp, honest tool rather than a disguised muscle car.

Did You Know?

• The 2.0 L boxer-four engine in the 86 was co-developed by Toyota and Subaru, the same company behind the sibling Subaru BRZ, meaning the two cars share a very similar powerplant and chassis philosophy.
• In the real world the 86 is widely regarded as a spiritual successor to the legendary Toyota AE86 Corolla, a car that has its own cult following in Japanese pop culture and, by extension, in the Forza community.
• Because of its low weight and rear-drive layout, the 86 is one of the most popular 'first car' choices for new Forza Horizon players, often serving as the vehicle through which they learn handbrake turns and controlled s
• The distinctive flat-four exhaust note of the boxer engine is frequently praised by players as one of the most satisfying and unique sounds in the entire Forza audio catalogue, standing out from the V6 and V8 rumbles of