The new Toyota GR Supra 2.0 has launched in the UK with prices starting from £45,995 for the 254bhp four-cylinder sports car.

Available to order now, the 2-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder variant of the new Toyota Supra comes in at £7000 cheaper than its bigger 3.0-litre straight-six sibling. However, with that price difference comes a drop in power, too, offering up 254bhp against 335bhp in the B58-engined 3.0.

However, with a strong 295lb ft of torque going through the same eight-speed ZF automatic to the rear wheels, it produces a 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds, just 0.8 seconds behind the 3.0. The two cars top speeds are both limited to 155mph. It also offers a respectable 38.6mpg.

There is a performance benefit to be had with the Toyota GR Supra 2.0 with the marque claiming that this engine is more compact and roughly 100kg lighter than the B58 six-pot, thus allowing the engineers to mount the engine further towards the middle of the car for a 50/50 weight distribution. It also claims that this “improves the car’s inertia characteristics and chassis balance for even sharper handling.” In other words, dynamically, this should be the business!

The Supra’s chief engineer, Tetsuya Tada, said that the program’s aim was always to achieve agile steering and stable cornering, and in pursuit of this dedicated a large proportion of the time to reducing the car’s overall weight. He said: “we did not want to compromise on our targets.”

To mark the model’s arrival, Toyota is selling 45 units in limited-edition Fuji Speedway trim, which is treated to a livery inspired by the Gazoo Racing team colours. These cars are priced from £47,395.

The new model features an 8.8in infotainment screen as standard as well as 18in alloys and a host of safety equipment such as lane assistance.

Options for the new model include two packages; a Sport Pack that includes an active differential, adaptive suspension and upgraded brakes, while a Connect trim package delivers sat-nav and further connectivity features.

Source

The 2021 Kia Stinger GT S has been given a slight spruce up inside and out while maintaining its V6 engine and rear-wheel drive layout.

Having been around for a couple of years now, it was time for Kia to give the humble Stinger GT S a little spruce up both on the inside and out. Unfortunately that doesn’t translate to anymore power, in fact it actually has slightly fewer horses, but it does bring the Kia bang up to date with improved quality and tech.

Starting outside, the front end has received a redesigned LED headlight cluster, while the rear gets a new diffuser with enlarged quad exhaust tips. Like Audi, Kia has adopted a light bar than spans the entire width of the car at the rear, connecting the two rear light clusters (which have also been redesigned) rather than illuminating just the outer edges.

More choice for customers was the order of the day, with new design packages and new interior and exterior colour options. Those wanting to stylise the exterior further can opt for a newly designed 19-inch set of wheels over the standard 18s.

Inside, the infotainment screen is now a larger 10.25 inches with more ambient lighting alongside a more premium steering wheel and updated instrument cluster.

Safety tech hasn’t been forgotten about and now includes a new Blind-Spot View Monitor that displays a live video feed of blind spots in certain situations. You can also now connect multiple Bluetooth devices and an optional 7-inch instrument cluster, presumably needed for that Blind-Spot tech.

On the subject of power, it comes from a 3.3-litre turbocharged engine, which now features a freer flowing, valved exhaust. Power is slightly down on earlier models, now at 361bhp with an unchanged 376lb ft of torque. Official specification has it at 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds with a 167mph top speed. Power is sent through the rear wheels via an eight-speed torque convertor automatic.

While some might argue £42,595 is a lot of money for the 2021 Kia Stinger GT S when German counterparts are of a similar price, it’s worth noting that to get the same performance from Mercedes, BMW and Audi, you’ll be paying around the £50,000 mark and up, depending on options.

Source