The Battle of Toyotas: 2020 Supra v. 2020 GT86
We took both of these sports cars out to Willow Springs International Raceway to see how they stack up to each other on the track.
I recently was given to the opportunity by the good folks at Toyota to test out their latest and greatest sports cars here in sunny southern California at one of the countries most iconic race tracks: Willow Springs International Raceway. There is a variety of different tracks available at Willow Springs, including Horse Thief Mile (mainly for drifting nowadays) and Big Willow (mainly for actual racing). The track that a couple of journalist and I got the chance to play around on was Streets of Willow, a low speed technical track that is about all about corner exit in comparison to the “fastest road in the west” that is Big Willow.
When arriving at the event, it was a surprisingly cold day, even in October here in Los Angeles, with temperatures of around 35 F at eight in the morning. The forecast didn’t seem to favor us either with a high in the mid 40’s. Wow, it was going to be a cold day. The area surrounding the race track is a desert built along side a large hillside so it is very susceptible to high speed winds. When you combine high speed winds with near freezing temperatures and a Southern California mentality, something will go wrong. Nonetheless, the show must go on.
Arriving at the racetrack, it was nice to see an amazing selection of different color 2020 Supras for the picking, ranging from a stunning yellow to a sinister black. In total, there was 5 different Supras and one dark horse car: a special “Hakone” edition 2020 GT86 (which we will cover in detail). Of the Supras offered, three of the models were the “Premium” trim (a step above the base model) and the other two were the “Launch Edition”, a special version limited to 1,500 units. Both we we will discuss in detail even if they do not truly differentiate from a performance perspective.
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- Supra Launch Edition
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- Hakone Edition GT86
Before being let loose on track, we were given a short, but sweet presentation by some different members of Toyota’s tech team. An interesting fact presented by Toyota during this talk other than the obvious technical specifications were the details that couldn’t be presented in numbers and with graphs. The reason that sports cars like the Supra exist. They really wanted to emphasis that the car was not about the numbers, but rather about the raw driving experience. At the end of the day, sports cars are about how they make you feel, not about what you can read on a website. Thus, we went to do exactly that. There isn’t any place that you can truly experience a sport car more than the race track. Thankfully, that’s exactly where we were.
It is at this point that it is best to clarify that the 2020 Toyota Supra, like its predecessors was never meant to be an all-out track car that could be driven on the road on occasion. This car is first and foremost a road car that is capable of track or high-performance driving. However, it does not sacrifice any creature comforts or daily drivability to do so. This is definitely something to keep in the back of your head while reading this review.
However, it would also be diligent to not forget about our dark horse, the Hakone GT86. What exactly is the Hakone? Well to keep things simple, it really isn’t anything special. Just a unique green color paint to celebrate one of Japan’s greatest driving roads (which you might have heard of from a small anime called Initial D). In addition, some bronze wheels and a matching bronze contrast-stitching on the interior pieces, such as the e-brake, steering wheel and dash. It is important to note that this special edition does not have any performance modifications over the base model and the upgrades are all aesthetic. This means the standard, 2.0L 4-cylinder making 205 HP and 156 ft/lbs of torque and all-season Michellin tires. This will be important.
Once we finally got to go out of track, the first car I ironically got to drive was the GT86 and not the Supra. This served as an interesting benchmark to start the day off in. I had driven a couple of these cars before but most of them had been modified for serious track duty, so it was interesting to test a stock car on very non-performance based tires on a race track. The track was without a doubt cold and the intense winds meant going visor down was a requirement at times. This Hakone GT86 was a 6-speed manual and for those unaware, the Supra is only offered with a ZF-8 speed automatic. After turning off all the driving aids and traction/stability control on the 86, I was ready for my out lap.
The schedule was set for a single outlap, three hot laps, and a cooldown lap to finish for all drivers. The first thing you notice when driving the 86 is how connected you feel to the suspension and tires. It really feels like a completely analog machine in which there is close to nothing holding you back from going as fast as possible all through feeling. You feel like you can drive the car near the limit, even when you just hopped in it. Even on the all-season tires, this is where the 86 really shines. It feels like a true driver’s car, shaped by the race track for pure automotive pleasure.
The power delivery of the updated 2.0L boxer is good and although not “fast” the 7,500 RPM redline feels strong and the torque dip of the powerband found in early models is gone. While the engine is far from exciting or enjoyable to listen to, from a strict performance perspective, it is excellent and gets the job done. It never feels like you are going to run out of power, especially on a tight, technically track like Streets of Willow. Taking the car to Auto Club Speedway might be a different case. Regardless of the fact, the car really is special around a race track. If it had a detuned version of the BMW B58 making around 300 HP or just a more exciting engine in general, it would kill any class competition from a performance perspective with its eyes closed.
This brings us to the Supra. Interestingly, the Launch Edition also only features aesthetic upgrades like the matte black wheels, red contrasting mirror caps and different interiors. I have to say that the interior of the Launch Edition with red leather does look particularly sexy with a black exterior. The car also features a number-plate indicating the production number 1 through 1,500. However, will this effect how it drives? Not at all. After putting the Supra into “Sport Mode” for all of the engine, transmission, and suspension settings along with turning off the traction settings, we were off.
The Supra from the minute you begin driving it, is a completely different experience from the 86. It actually is surprising how polarizing they feel in comparison to each other. From the first corner of Streets of Willow, which is a slight uphill right-hander that is usually taken without braking, the Supra felt twitchy. The confidence that I had received from driving the multiple laps at the limit in 86 was suddenly gone in one corner with the Supra. Every time I would take the higher speed corner, it was never confidence inspiring. It felt like I was always at the edge of grip, even when I was no where near it. When the Supra had to take the slow speed, technical corners, it felt numb and the steering didn’t really translate the information that the all-seasons that the 86 had on could. This is ironic because the Supra featured Michelin Pilot Super Sports, a proper high-performance tire intended for track driving. The Michelin PSS was actually a particular tire I was very comfortable with as I had tracked on these tires for 8+ days on my personal track toy over many years. However, the Supra didn’t seem to provide that familiarity that I thought I had in relation to the tires.
I wasn’t sure why this was the case, but I couldn’t seem to align with the Supra the same way I instantly could with the 86. The braking felt desperate, the high-speed sections felt unstable and the low speed sections felt emotionless. After maybe 30+ laps in the Supra, I started to feel more comfortable in the car on track. Everything seemed to fall into place with a lot less effort. The car is fast in straight line without a doubt and Toyota also without a doubt lied about the power figures. The B58 sounds amazing flying down the front straight and the sound in between shifts is excellent. However, it just couldn’t give me the refined driving experience that a stock GT86 could.
When you turned off all the aids on the 86, it really became like an extension of your body while driving. Linear, tactile, lots of feedback at all times. The Supra seemed to just lack that intimate connection. It always felt like you were never in control of the car and instead the thousands of electronics were doing it for you instead. I decided to do a timed hot-lap for comparison between both of these cars. In the Supra, I managed a 1:28.92 for the clockwise configuration on my first timed lap. The GT86 was quite different, I managed a slow 1:35.13. In all out speed, these cars are nowhere near each other in lap times and I definitely did not have the best times in either car. They are without a doubt however, in completely different classes. Nonetheless, if you asked me whether I could have a whole day on track with a stock 86 or a stock Supra, I think you guys know what my choice would be.
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