All about the whoosh
Sports car, yes, but cruiser too.
I think this new Toyota Supra’s a great motorway car. I know, that sounds a bit damning for a sports car, but it’s because it feels so planted when you’re cracking on. It’s satisfying in a way I can’t quite pinpoint just yet, although it’s something to do with the swell of torque always available from the silky BMW turbo six.
I always default to the softer damper setting, even when I’ve got the steering and powertrain in perkier Sport (press start, select gear, press Sport, it’s ingrained now), because the stiffer damper mode is a bit spiky.
You sit slightly recumbent in the low-set driving position (comfy enough, though my back’s had enough after two hours). Road noise would creep in from the unseparated rear luggage area, but I tend to crank up the stereo to cover it up. My car’s spec includes 12-speaker JBL Audio.
It’s not just about laid-back, stereo-up motorway driving, though. I also particularly enjoy squirting along quick third- and fourth-gear twisty roads – that planted feel again, the smooth performance, how eagerly it changes direction and the accurate, pacey steering. I’d like more feel to that steering (make that some steering feel) and crisper gearshifts, and I can see there’s room for extra dynamic sparkle on more technical roads, but I always enjoy the Toyota.
For a while I thought this car had less traction than the last new-generation Supra I drove. Tyre tread on the Michelin Pilot Super Sports is still very healthy, but the car was sliding early and quickly – short wheelbase, decent torque – in a softish sort of way. I adapted by not flattening the throttle quickly, more feeding it in like I’m dosing an infant on Calpol. And then I checked the pressures. They’re at 30psi, down from the minimum 32psi recommended and I presume they’ve been that way while I’ve had it, seeing as the tyre-pressure monitoring hasn’t blinked. Time for some higher pressures and a bit of experimentation, I think.