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1998 Toyota SupraThe Supra sport is imported from and manufactured in Motomachi, Japan. The Supras have engine modifications which include adding five more...
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The Supra sport is imported from and manufactured in Motomachi, Japan. The Supras have engine modifications which include adding five more hp, and increasing the torque by 10 on the 3.0L engine. No longer available on the Base is the five speed manual transmission which has been replaced with the four speed automatic with overdrive. New on the turbo model, the four speed automatic is now standard and the six speed manual is now a option. Additional new features include a three spoke steering wheel and face plates for all the radios. Also, new are the exterior Mica Metallic paint colors Quick silver and Imperial Jade. The Sport roof option includes leather bucket seats, power drivers seat, rear spoiler and a Premium audio system.
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18 Reviews from Shopping.com
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Handling
| Author's Rating: |
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Pros: handles fabulously for its weight
Cons: Could handle even better if it wasn't for its portly weight (but hey it's only $40k new)
| Handling And Control: |
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As requested, I'll add some more about the handling of the turbo.
Coming standard with 17 inch wheels and some very aggressive rubber doesn't mean too much these days, what with the plethora of high-end sporty cars coming with high-performance wheels/rubber. However, the Supra Turbo is quite a handler regardless.
From the factory, the car is a delight on the track. Incredibly forgivable, unless you're racing in the rain with Z-rated rubber (you can't over come physics). However, the manner it picks up speed in, as well as the fabulous brakes, allows you to be very very capable on the track.
The chassis is very rigid (ala some German in my opinion) so by nature, the excellent suspension set up (of course independent all around) is able to do it's job w/o restriction. Like I mentione before, a heavy car (especially in the post '96 incarnations, as they added more sound-insulating material) wieghing in at between 3450 and 3650 lbs, depending on options and the year. Nonetheless, while it is true that you cannot hide weight from a "sports" car, if you know what I mean, the car is very predictable and controllable even at the limit. It has a lot to do with rear suspension tuning and the steering. And in this car from the factory it's really world-class (the car constantly pulls between .93 and .98 g's on the skidpad in any review you can come across).
In the end, one CAN say it's not really a pure sports car, rather a GT car, primarily due to the weight, however, even in stock form, go watch them on the racetracks. They do very well comparatively.
One thing to always keep in mind when trying out a car: Is it confidence-inspiring? Or do you feel that "rush" but in a turn your heart always ends up in your throat? Unless you don't understand the limits of this car (extremely high, just don't expect to play hard in the rain/snow) your confidence factor will allow you to drive and look like a pro all day. It really is fabulous. Yes, the Mazda RX-7 is contantly hailed as the "true" sports car from Japan recently, with arguably the best steering of the bunch (oh that's another thing, in the turns, the Supra's steering is very linear and proper-behaving, but it lacks the feel of BMW 3 and 5 series, and most Porsches, for example). Also the RX-7 weighs close to what, 4 or 500 lbs less. But the package you get in the Supra TT is: Good/sleek-looking, smooth (gotta love inline-6's), powerful (try racing on the highway with other cars stock!), confidence-inspiring, reliable, and safe GT/sports car. Yeah, I guess it's pretty safe. ABS, TC, Dual air b's, solid chassis, and last but not least, GREAT GREAT GREAT active safety. That defines a fine-handling car for us in the real-world, out on the public streets.
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