Supra Twin Turbo (Toyota Supra)

Member Name: JohnNessworthy

Product:	Toyota Supra
Date:	26/07/02 (6039 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks, Speed, Handling

Disadvantages: Fuel Economy, Service Cost, Harsh Ride

I have owned a supra twin-turbo which was a 1995 model. I ran the car for 18 happy months when I was free and single which says everything about why a 25 yr old office worker would buy such a car doesn't it? :-)

The Twin-Turbo supra from 1994 'L' onward is a very different beast to the old wedge shaped supra. For a start it has the huge wing at the back. I personally love the look of the car. Mine was black which I think is one of the nicer colours.

If you get one, be aware that the jap import twin-turbo is slightly different. It has smaller brakes and a slightly lower power engine. The easiest way to tell a import from a UK one is the bonnet scoop. If it has a bonnet scoop then it's a UK model. The UK models also has cruise control and full leather while the jap models often have cloth upholstery and no cruise control. The UK model is mechanically superior although you can get a jap model with a removeable roof which is very nice looking and just as quick when you're posing in traffic!

There are loads of reviews around the web including one very useful one by Autocar which you should be able to find.

The car was lovely to drive. The acceleration was very vivid - the Twin-turbo supra gives 0-60 in 5.0 secs from a 326 bhp twin-turbo straight 6 engine. The normally aspirated (non turbo) version gives 220bhp from a 3.0 litre straight 6 and gets to 60 in about the same time as a lexus GS300 (7.5 secs) because it's the same engine.

The handling was very good and my comment would be that it really allows you to drive far too fast on twisty country roads. Most of the time, the limit is how brave (or stupid) you are rather than the handling of the car. It's perfectly possible to be going 80 or 100 mph on a 'B' road but the question is: would you want to?

The brakes are VERY good and pull the car down from 100mph in a very short distance. The brakes are so good that you run the risk of
catching other road users out though. I nearly had a mondeo hit me afte I had to brake hard on a slip road. He ended up on the verge.

The ride is very harsh though. This is not the car you want to drive all day on potholed roads. It's tiring and you feel every little bump. It's also a bit tiring to drive 200 miles up the motorway. It's not as quiet as a luxury car and you feel more bumps. But then it's horses for courses. It's designed to go very fast round country roads and it does that extremely well.

I enjoyed the looks of the car and it did attract a lot of attention. I did however have the car vandalised where someone threw eggs at the car, and I also grounded it on a supermarket speed bump. I also had some drunken people shouting abuse at me when stopped at the lights - presumably frustrated envy - but that's what you get if you drive an eye catching car.

Inside, room for two adults and the rear seat is really no use for anyone other than an 8 year old child. Even then, our 8 year old used to hate going in the back of the car and I can see why. Too cramped.

The accomodation for front seat pilots was actually very good with plenty of leg room, nice leather and lots of electronic toys to play with. The driving position is good and the instruments wrap around you a bit like a fighter plane. It's a very selfish car like all sports cars. The driver gets all the fun and the passenger gets thrown around and feels sick.

Service costs and petrol costs were horrendous. That was why I got rid of the car. It drank about as much petrol as my current car (a Jaguar XJR) but the servicing and parts were very dear. After I paid £1000 for a service and cambelt change at the toyota dealership I decided it was too expensive to run and regretfully said goodbye.

I think age has something to do with it. When I got the car, I was 25 and single.. Now that I'm 'married' and pushing 30 I&#
39;ve decided I prefer a more comfortable performance car with maybe less in the looks department but more comfort for my daily driver. My other half has an MR2 Turbo and I would have got her a supra if she liked it but she doesn't like it.. 'it's a man's car'.
Says it all really.

If you're young and fancy looking flash, then get one. They are quite cheap to buy. BUT don't get one unless you can really afford to run it. Petrol bills make your head spin. So do parts costs and servicing. Spark plugs are £80 per set. Brake pads £100. Tyres £200 each. And Toyota service history a must and you need to keep taking it to toyota.

And finally. The image is being devalued a bit now because they are quite cheap. So someone with enough money to buy and maintain a good one might decide to go for something else like a Lotus Esprit for example.. But that's another story.

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