Toyota Supra A90 timed track test & performance review!
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TechTranscript
00:00Hey guys, Chris here, we're back at Queensland Raceway, the Car Expert test track.
00:04Today we've got the Toyota Supra GTS.
00:06Now I've driven some fast Supras in my time, but we're in the standard model now.
00:10Real drive, 250kW and 500Nm of torque, let's see what sort of numbers it can do.
00:30Alright, first impressions.
00:33I really like the seating position, it's nice and low, I'm leant back which is good.
00:39Steering wheel feels a bit big in terms of the circumference, the actual size of it's okay,
00:43but it feels actually like quite a big wheel for the car.
00:47Visibility's excellent, I've got good visibility out the windows,
00:50the A-pillar's not too disturbing.
00:52I like how I can brace my knee against the centre console there,
00:55so as you enter the corners, especially right-handers,
00:58I can sort of brace myself because I don't have a harness.
01:00It's obviously still going to have some movement, but the seat does hold you in place pretty well.
01:06Steering feels pretty good, firm, like some heaviness to it,
01:11but I'm getting some feedback already which is a nice sign.
01:14Let's see the brakes.
01:17Just a little bit softer than I'd like on a pedal.
01:20On a race car, I want a really firm pedal so I can modulate it well.
01:23You don't expect that on a road car, but some sort of firmness is good.
01:28Yeah, just doesn't quite have the initial bite that I'd like.
01:33Now let's try and build up a bit of speed, see if we can feel a bit more about the car.
01:39It's already fighting for traction there, we're not even going flat out.
01:44Engine's really nice and smooth, it feels like it's got a wide power band.
01:51Turns in really nice, that's great.
01:53The rear just started to slide a little there, see how it rotates here.
01:59Yeah, that's nice and I can get on the gas, a little bit of sliding from the rear.
02:05That's pretty cool actually.
02:06Feels nicely balanced, like it turns in well, it rotates and then I can balance the exit.
02:12It does feel a little bit soft, a little bit lazy,
02:15just as I lean on the car in the middle of the corner, it just falls over a little bit too much.
02:20But that's also a benefit in a way, because it allows the car to squat for mid-corner to exit,
02:26and that gives you really good traction off the corner here.
02:32So again here, going for our flying lap, traction mode off, but stabilisation on,
02:38I found that to be the best setting.
02:40Everything in sport mode, manual across for the gearbox.
02:45It's actually a little bit hard to see the gear shifts and revs,
02:48so I'm sort of guessing where to shift.
02:50I've sort of got to lean my head, but you can sort of hear it with the engine anyway.
02:54All right, let's try and do a good lap.
02:56Nice qualifying exit.
03:18So
03:48there we go, 57.74.
04:10That's a pretty good lap time, sort of in the middle of the leaderboard at the moment,
04:13quicker than the AMG A45, a little bit off the BMW 550i, which is a great time for a big car,
04:21and a little away from the leader, the GT4 Porsche.
04:25But I guess the most important thing is it was fun, that was so much fun.
04:28It was a challenge, but it's nice to have a rear-wheel drive car where you really have to
04:33think about it.
04:34Let's talk about the negatives first.
04:36The braking, just a little bit soft.
04:38The good thing is that the ABS didn't kick in, but I just like a firmer pedal,
04:43so I could just modulate and get the entry a bit better, but it was reasonably consistent,
04:48just dropped away a little bit, like the tyres do in a road car on a hot track.
04:54The other thing is the suspension's quite soft for a track, so you feel a lot of movement,
04:59and you've got to be a bit careful on the entry of the corners.
05:02But it's a benefit on the exits, because the car squats so nicely,
05:07and really launches off the corner, and you can use that to your advantage.
05:12Also a bit of a compliment to the differential, because
05:15mid-corner to exit, it's not locking completely, so you've got some slip,
05:20but you've got really, really nice, balanced, smooth exit.
05:25Steering is nicely weighted, good amount of feedback, and it links well with the geometry
05:30in the front end, because I had such great precision, and you've got to use that and
05:35be mindful of that in a way, but it's also a huge benefit.
05:38So, if I over-committed on the steering, I'm going to lose the rear,
05:42so I had to be nice and controlled on the entry, and let it rotate the rear of the car.
05:47The drivability of the engine was excellent, and well-matched to the gearbox,
05:51I thought that was a pretty good combination.
05:53It's not too peaky, it's a nice wide torque and power band,
05:58and when you pick up the throttle, it's not a step, so you can sort of feed the power in,
06:04and control your exit, and control the traction.
06:07The cool thing about this car is it's a bit like the old Supers.
06:09I really feel like you could spend a little bit of money on this,
06:12and take it to a whole nother level.
06:13The chassis is that good, it really gives you great feedback,
06:17and I think just a bit more support in the suspension, and a bit stronger brake pedal,
06:21and then you can add a little bit more power, and the time is going to go
06:24up a few notches for sure, and you're going to have good fun on the track,
06:27and I could keep doing laps in this all day, it's really enjoyable.
06:32So let's talk about how I did the lap time in the Supra,
06:35and the best way to get a time out of it.
06:38Because the car is quite soft, you do have to be a little bit careful into,
06:41say, turn ones and two, because it does roll a bit,
06:45so I tried to get the car in nice and early and settled,
06:47and then use that torque and power, and that squat off the corner.
06:50Turn two, I probably did the best I've done it in any car here to date,
06:54and got the car in nice and early, normally I'd like a slightly later apex,
06:59but because the car settled down so nicely, I was able to just get a great drive off the corner,
07:04feed the power in nicely, got to be a bit careful on braking,
07:08and then same with entry, don't rush the entry,
07:10but get the car still rotated and across to the right.
07:13So I'm thinking about my exit out of turn four,
07:16how I can get the car positioned to drive off this corner,
07:19and use that squat, use that torque and power,
07:23and then make up the time down the straight,
07:25because it's not carrying huge amounts of corner speed,
07:27so you've got to think about the straights.
07:30Turn five and six, it does move around a little bit,
07:33and again you've just got to be patient, get the car to transfer weight,
07:37settle it down, and think about your exit onto the main straight,
07:41nice late apex, get the car rotated so again I can get the rear to squat,
07:46and just drive off the corner, and on the fastest lap it just did it perfectly,
07:51there was just the tiniest bit of slip,
07:54tiniest bit of rotation, and then it just fired down the straight,
07:57I really enjoyed that lap.
08:00So there you go, the Toyota Supra GTS,
08:03number one, I had an awesome time in that car, that was fun,
08:06enjoyable to drive, and a real challenge.
08:09My top three tips to get the most out of the car,
08:11use the front end, the front end grip is amazing,
08:14so attack the corners, get the car to rotate in the middle of the corner,
08:17but then you've got to be careful, you've got plenty of torque and power,
08:20and only two rear wheels driving the car,
08:21so be careful, nice smooth throttle application,
08:25and number three, just enjoy it, it's a great piece of machinery,
08:29it's not at the absolute limit of performance, but it's great fun to drive.
08:33Thanks again for watching guys, if you found the video useful,
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08:46Take care, and I'll see you again next time.