A45 S · SUPRA · XC40 · GR YARIS · M440I · E

TOPGEAR’S LONG-TERM CARS. TESTED & VERIFIED

Tears aplenty – or not – as we say goodbye to the A45 S, both Volvos and, with a final fight against the GR Yaris, the Toyota Supra

WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS THEN, THE £56,000 HOT HATCH? AFTER eight months and not-quite-as-many-miles-as-normal, I’m rather taken with it. Not blown away, but boy have I come a long way since month one when I couldn’t find the lumbar controls and couldn’t much see the point.

What I have learned is that it lives on a plane above any other hot hatch. It’s the technology, the interaction of electronics with mechanics, the cabin quality, the sophistication. It’s multifaceted in a way other hot hatches just aren’t. Merc has successfully distilled the essence of AMG.

It’s a pukka hardcore charger. Just 1991cc of swept capacity generates 415bhp and 369lb ft. Better still it has generated 28mpg over 5,000 miles, 34mpg at a cruise. The four-cylinder hits hard, responds fast, sounds good and likes to rev. The A45 couldn’t hide its fearsome mechanical complexity. It always felt like you were second-guessing it, juggling steering and throttle coming out of corners because you weren’t sure where the system was going to send power, but very aware a lot of it was trying to find an outlet. It was compact and easy to see out of, and shockingly fast cross-country.

I could forgive the ride (just), the firm seats (easily), but the road noise... it’s considerable. Other issues? The plastic rear spoiler that rattled every time the boot was closed. The leather should be softer. The Burmester hi-fi isn’t a patch on those fitted in pricier Mercs.

The cabin is fiendish, the infotainment akin to battling levels in a game. It took a month or three to suss stuff out so I felt relaxed rather than vexed when I got in the car. Once I achieved that, I understood the car. Yes it’s expensive, but if you’re upgrading from a hot hatch, need coupe-beating practicality or downgrading from a super saloon, I think you’d come to the A45 and find that it fulfils a lot of what you need. When it arrived I wanted shot of it, when it left I still had more to learn from it.

RH: RIDDLE ME THIS, MR MARRIAGE. BOTH YOU AND I WERE AT THE launch of the GR Supra where some engineers told us that there was NO WAY it could birth a new, sporty Toyota without going into partnership with another manufacturer. So it did. Forming a bromance with BMW in order to give us a BMW Z4 with a roof, which we now call a Supra. Yet, just over a year later, it releases a homologation special hot hatch. A car that has 259 more weld points than the standard car, a different body, unique drivetrain and an entirely bespoke low volume sports car production system. Doesn’t exactly sound cheap to engineer! How does that work? Were we being lied to?

OM: I don’t know, but no one at Toyota comes out of it looking good. It just looks a curious business decision, doesn’t it?

RH: It annoys me because the GR Yaris proves Toyota can make great cars for people who are into driving. The Supra is a fantastic cruiser, don’t get me wrong. But who has ever bought a sports car to do miles on the motorway? And having lived with it now for nearly a year, it simply doesn’t have enough bite to offer the driver enough engagement and feedback to captivate you and keep up with those fantastic looks. Meanwhile, your little Yaris is brimming with all that good stuff. OM: I’m not swapping. Just getting that out there now. It was interesting driving them back to back. The Supra actually has a good chassis – once it’s into a corner. It’s the turn-in phase that’s weak, there’s not enough information and confidence, it feels a bit wishy-washy during that first movement of steering and suspension. Once it’s loaded up, it’s good. Nice and easy to slide, adjustable. The Yaris is just hilarious. Immediate, no lag in chassis or engine, and so much grip. There’s too much if anything. But it’s tenacious and aggressive and has a hunger that’s absent from the Supra. RH: Exactly. Sports cars need to be engaging at all speeds, in all conditions and accessible to everyone. The control weights and feedback have to encourage you and keep you interested. But you also need to trust the car. This is something the Alpine A110, BMW M2 and Cayman do so much better. It’s made worse in the Supra as the suspension set-up and geometry doesn’t give you confidence; it deflects you unexpectedly and awkwardly over undulations. The front end also doesn’t communicate what’s going on effectively. Which is frustrating as it has loads of grip – so lots of potential. Rant over. What’s the Yaris like to live with? OM: A bit rough and ready. I occasionally miss the little luxuries you get in other hot hatches: good motorway comfort, more than 230 miles on a tank of fuel, decent hi-fi, less road noise (all of which the Supra does well). It’s not great at distance, and it’s not that practical. My two teens refuse to fold themselves into the back. So it’s basically a two-seater, but with a bigger boot than yours.

RH: Living with the Supra has been really interesting. Given the way it looks and its rarity on the road, it gets so much attention. Yet that hasn’t

translated into sales. I haven’t seen a single Supra on the road in the whole time I’ve been driving one. In fact, Toyota won’t tell me how many of them it’s sold. Which doesn’t reek of confidence.

OM: You see Caymans and even Alpines, so it’s not like the coupe appetite isn’t there. I just think its identity is too confused. I’ve seen two GR Yarises in my town already – and have had people stop me and tell me they’ve got one on order. The waiting list is 9–12 months apparently. Toyota is going to need to sort that out, but it does demonstrate the desire is there if you get the car right. I think the GR Yaris is just the right car at the right time.

RH: So is the answer to a good GR car the FIA’s homologation rules? The GR Yaris proves that good, interesting cars still sell – even if they’re expensive. I just can’t help but feel that the Supra could have been better. And wonder if it’s seen as a missed opportunity or regretted internally. It sure is to me.

OM: I think the Supra is salvageable. But I also appreciate that’s only likely to be achieved by deepening the links with BMW, getting M parts and so on for it. And is BMW up for that? Toyota needs to find some way of giving it a more identifiably Japanese character. If it can’t do that and doesn’t do anything else with it, then the Supra looks like a very short-sighted decision. But we know they’re working together on electric, so maybe we just haven’t seen the full picture yet. But this is a fascinating puzzle.