So I'm back from the test drive and what can I say? Holy s
t what a car.
I am not a professional racing driver or have the urge to be one. So do not expect in-depth descriptions of how the car behaves at the limit and what happens there.
First the engine. What a bull. You can tell that the engine is a specially developed performance engine and not a run-of-the-mill engine that was tuned up up a little and got more boost pressure. It willingly revs up all the way to the limiter but still he has strength in all situations. There are already a few dyno runs where the car had over 400 Nm of torque and I wouldn't be surprised if that's true.
So in case it wasn't clear yet. The car is fast. Very fast and that leads to the next point.
It rained today and the streets were wet, and yet the car did not convey any uncertainty at all. No matter what I asked from it, the car did it without problems or hesitation. Caution is advised on this point. For one, you are often way faster than you think you are. I was really surprised a few times when I looked at the speedometer. Problems with the law are inevitable here if you are not careful. On the other hand, the confidence that the car gives you can quickly lead to overconfidence, which in the worst case scenario can lead to an accident. I just hope most of those interested are aware of this and use their common sense. The news about how someone in Australia managed to wreck the car after a few minutes of test driving is now definitely understandable though.
Toyota also managed a nice balancing act. When you are on the road in a sporty way, the engine dominates the action, but when you just want to be relaxed on the road, the engine takes a back seat and does its job quietly. I couldn't test the Autobahn, but I don't see any problems that could arise here. The suspension is sporty but not too firm. At no point was I shaken like mad. It's definitely softer than the + R mode in a Honda Civic Type R or the sportier suspension settings of a Hyundai I30N.
The gear shift is short and crisp and what I also noticed when shifting. You can really feel and hear the mechanics at work. A small thing, but if you notice it, it increases the sporty character of the car as well as boost pressure being audible released when you get off the gas pedal.
Finally, a few more pictures and thus to the last point. If you compare the first pictures with the last one, you can see how dirty the car got after my test drive, practically all around and that was only 45 minutes of driving on wet country roads. Paint protection and care will definitely be a very good idea on this car. Or mud flaps but I personally don't like them.