Report: Toyota Is Cooking Up a Rival for the Mazda Miata

Citing a report from the Japanese car magazine Best Car, Forbes reports that Toyota is developing a compact sports car that would slot below the existing GR86 and take on the Mazda MX-5 Miata.

Toyota's tiny sports car will allegedly get the name S-FR-not all that creative. The letters supposedly signify 'Small,' 'Front-engined,' and 'Rear-wheel-drive,' which alludes to the sporting personality such a car would have. The S-FR is reported to be based on a svelte concept revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2015, which boasted a 2+2 layout draped over a rear-drive platform.

Toyota is no stranger to 2+2, rear-drive cars: Look at the GR86 and the Supra, both already available here in the States. Interestingly, both cars were developed in partnership with another automaker-Toyota teamed up with Subaru for the GR86, and with BMW for the Supra. Like its two larger brethren, the S-FR would reportedly also be the byproduct of a collaboration between Toyota and another automaker-two, in this case: Daihatsu and Suzuki. Daihatsu already makes a little runabout roadster called the Copen, and its recently revealed concept called the Vision Copen certainly carries the same silhouette as the 2015 S-FR.

According to the report, the S-FR will be powered by a 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing around 150 horsepower. While there's no explicit mention of a manual gearbox in the Forbes article, the 2015 concept certainly featured one (pictured above), and we don't see any reason why that would change. (Toyota, along with Mazda, proudly remains one of the few automakers still offering manual-equipped cars here in the U.S.)

The S-FR will reportedly debut sometime in 2026 for Asian and European markets. Any potential for such a little spitfire to reach U.S. shores is, for now, optimistic speculation.

Let's speculate, then! The three-cylinder engine may be a bit off-putting to some folks, but Toyota has already proved the efficacy of a three-pot to stateside buyers with the snarly, rally-bred GR Corolla. That car has a 1.6-liter three-cylinder; the S-FR would allegedly use a smaller, 1.3-liter version. Given how common it has become for automakers to engineer the same engine block for different displacements, there's a decent chance the hypothetical powerplant would share most of its componentry with an engine already sold in the states, a huge plus in the regulatory environment.

While making assumptions on pricing for a car that isn't A Real Thing yet is a stretch, the Forbes article does note that Best Car expects such a car to cost around 3,500,00 yen, which at current exchange rates would equate to roughly $22,500. The GR86 starts just a smidge above $30K, so that pricing hierarchy would certainly hold water, if we put ourselves in the shoes of Toyota product planners.

As for the supposed rival of the S-FR? Mazda squeezes 181 hp from the current Miata's free-breathing, 2.0-liter inline four; that would put it around 30 ponies north of the Toyota. However, when it comes to torque, the Miata is rated for a mere 151 lb-ft, a figure which the S-FR may be able to beat with a turbocharged powertrain.

But if a North American version of the S-FR were to get the 1.6-liter three-pot from the GR Corolla? Hooooo buddy, that changes the calculus. The GR Corolla's engine is rated for a whopping 300 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, stats which handily trounce those of the Miata.

Let's pump the brakes; that was, after all, pure speculation. We've reached out to a Toyota North America representative to ask for comment on either the S-FR's development or the potential that such a car could be sold stateside. We'll update this article when we hear back, although don't get your hopes up; this is likely to be a classic case in which a company rep cannot comment on future product.

Fine by us. Dreaming is free.

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