How the Toyota Supra 2020 Compares to the Toyota 86 Driving in the Real World

(Full disclosure: Toyota took me to Virginia, paid for my hotel, my alcoholic beverages and my food, and even provided track time with both cars.)

Car enthusiasts are deeply miserable, almost completely unsatisfied with everything, even when their favorite attractions are safer, faster, better and more effective than they have ever been. The Mazda Miata does not have enough power. The Subaru WRX is no longer a hatchback. The Nissan 370Z is old and the GT-R is too expensive. The Honda Civic Type R looks less like a car than an invention invented by the Principality of Zeon to bring down Amuro once and for all. The Dodge Challenger abounds with old Mercedes-Benz parts. Nobody can see the Chevrolet Camaro. The Ford Mustang sometimes makes murder.

I raise this question to say that, like these cars, the new Supra and the 86 years old have received their fair share of criticism. The Supra was seduced by its two-seater configuration, by the bravery of BMW and by the lack of a proper manual gearbox (though I concede this last point.).

As a pessimist to the point of being two or three days away from the total lack of anticipation, I say this: look on the bright side! Both cars are fun and good. None of them existed a decade ago, at the time when the sportiest Toyota that one could buy was a Scion tC. Be happy that they are here and here together.

I am pleased that Toyota brought both to the Shenandoah course at Summit Point Motorsports Park, West Virginia. Even though the 86 probably only came to appease the hordes of people wanting to drive a very small batch of Supras. Driving the two together drove home the very clear differences between these two cars.

At the same time, I will not pretend that I left with deep and surprising ideas here. This Supra-vs-86 test went exactly as you thought. One is slower, cheaper and easier to manage for a novice in a place like Summit Point. The other is much more premium, much more comfortable, much faster and more sophisticated the next time you make spring for a track day.

I took the 86 first and was immediately reminded of two things: how much I like to drive, and how much is not bad. I have long been a fan of this car and its twin Subaru, but damn it, is it an acquired taste? Everything is rough and brutal, from the sharp note of the boxer's engine to the ride quality and, of course, the interior.

The 86 has a hardcore character. Non-drivers do not need to apply. They would not like to drive it and probably not. The ride is quite hard on the country roads. The cupholders were those meager removable units between the seats in place of a full armrest. The rest of the cabin is dark and analog gauges show their age.

The $ 25,000 steel gray tester that I drove very early did not even have navigation, which in my opinion is a crime for any new car in 2019. And that backseat? It's more for storing a backpack or a bag than putting real humans. It's just a little a lot.

But those who like to drive are a treat. The naturally aspirated 2.0-liter, 205-horsepower Subaru four-cylinder is not very powerful, but is ready to work for dinner.

Coupled with the small size of the car and its curb weight of 2,776 pounds, it helps to reach the speed of entertainment faster than people think, and the lack of turbo means a good linear power distribution. All the while, the boxer was practically screaming in the cockpit – I had forgotten how much this thing was out of the box.

The six-speed manual transmission is a major asset. The throws are tight and heavy and short, almost more like a secondary market unit than your average modern manual car; For example, the light and easy stick of the new Toyota Corolla. Rowing fast on a good back road, at high speed, is one of the best moments of fun, whatever, and it gives me a sensation that I would miss later in the day with the Supra for cars.

I will say that the 86 is suffering from a clutch wave, so that I and my co-pilot blocked it early. I do not even remember the last time I did it.

So the almost total lack of refinement on the 86 means that it's not for everyone, but I do not see it as a bad thing. I'm glad it exists for this dedicated audience. She has a very old school sports car spirit – it's strong, it's not very fast, but she manages well, she puts the emphasis on the gearshift and, above all, it's is fun to drive. (And, note, fun driving even on roads in states where extra-legal speeds will send you directly to the slammer and not just to the ticket court.)

And the Supra too, of course. But you have to go day and night, and not just because these two "Toyota" have distinctly different manufacturing origins. The Supra is much more comfortable, with better support of the seat. It contains better materials and a much quieter cabin, but the exhaust note will take care of you later.

The BMW iDrive is a great infotainment system, a big step up from the 86's shitty radio. It looks like a $ 50,000 sports car, while the 86 looks like it's paying $ 25,000. . It's twice as expensive because you get twice as much. And this is not surprising, but the Supra ZF8 automatic is far better than the six-speed car that you can get in the 86.

The partnership between Toyota and BMW has an underestimated advantage: the Supra is a convincing high-end car. I would much prefer the Supra over the 86, given the superior quality of the ride and cabin.

The Supra is, and it goes almost without saying, much faster. Car and Driver has just compared its time from zero to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, nearly half of what it takes at 86 to do the same thing. In the straight line of the Shenandoah circuit, the Supra was well above 150 km / h, while the 86 exceeded 80 to 90.

But I have to say that, in a way, I liked the 86 more simply in terms of track driving. It's the best novice car for this setting, and a car that has a lot to teach its driver. It's easier to learn skills until you know what you're doing enough for serious upgrades.

In addition, the hood of 86 is much shorter than the long nose Supra, so that I found it easier to point exactly where I wanted. I felt more in control of the 86 for a variety of reasons.

Compared to the Porsche Cayman GTS and faster than expected, the Supra is a more sophisticated machine, with plenty of power to launch laterally on command. You can have many more problems with Supra than with the 86.

I would not recommend it for all beginners on the track, but at the same time, it is not impossible to drive fast and hard. Toyota's entry-level sports car remains an important step.

Toyota people have repeatedly said that they are considering a range of three sports cars in the coming years and we know that a new Subaru BRZ is also on the way, at the very least. These are bold choices to make at a time when the sports car market is drying up and the future is becoming more electric and possibly self-sufficient. But I'm glad these cars are here. They are both extremely fun to drive and have very good values ​​at their respective price levels.

My advice: stop worrying about what's under the engine compartment and enjoy these fast Toyota as they are. Toyota has a solid and fun entry-level sports car, which is workable and is nicer and much faster. Be happy that they both exist.