Driving Impressions

For all its weight loss, the Supra is still a big car, which makes its agility that much more remarkable. Even at racing speeds, the Supra displays very little body roll when hurled into corners, and it sticks to the road like barnacles on a ship. The Supra's extra-wide wheels reduce tire sidewall flex, which lends an exception-ally precise response to the Car's all-around handling. And big tires and big brakes add up to unusually strong stopping power. In this area, the Supra's performance may very well be the best in its class. We were also impressed by the performance of our test Car's limited slip differential, which helped keep the rear wheels driving smoothly even in hard cornering and emergency avoidance maneuvers. What this adds up to is a driving experience That's at least as satisfying as its major competitors - provided you're on dry roads. On slippery surfaces, the Supra's substantial power, rear-wheel drive and fat tires - designed for maximum performance on smooth, dry roads - can make for tricky driving. Considering its finely honed handling, our test car's ride quality was surprisingly comfortable. It was fairly compliant over reasonably well-maintained roads, although tar strips and pavement ripples provide little reminders of the steel in its sinews. On rougher surfaces, the ride tended toward choppy, and it was choppier still in the Turbo, which has stiffer suspension tuning. In fact, this transmitted a fair amount of road noise to the supra's interior, although we never found this to be really objectionable.

Final Word

The Supra is the best sports car Toyota has ever produced and one of the best of its breed. toyota's smaller MR2, a mid-engine 2-seater, is balanced, beautiful and far more affordable. But the Supra offers a combination of smooth power, fighter-plane response and sheer chutzpah that make it stand out in any crowd. There's a problem, obviously, with the price. But, just as obviously, that's a problem with the supra's competitors, too. If $37,000 or so doesn't make you clutch your heart, this is a car that's easy to love.