Track Battle: Toyota Supra GTS takes on the Mercedes-AMG A45 S

Sorry to be anticlimactic, but the updated 2021 Toyota Supra GTS is faster around a tight circuit than the ferocious all-wheel drive Mercedes-AMG A45 S.

This was a surprise verdict.

In theory, the 1.4km Bryant Park hillclimb should suit the A45 S to a tee; it’s a hot hatch track and the AMG is the ultimate hot hatch.

In reality, however, it struggled slightly. The front end didn’t want to bite, the rear end was loose heading downhill, the all-wheel drive system was flummoxed by the crests but, most of all, so many of the corners were too fast for second gear but too slow for third.

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A 61.7sec lap is quick but it was a sweaty-palmed, heart-raising affair.

In contrast, the Supra struggled to put its power down, so imagine my surprise when the first scrappy, wheel spinning lap flashed up as a 61.7sec, exactly matching the Mercedes.

From there it was just a case of tidying up the exits and watching the tenths slowly melt away.

Overlaying the two best laps, it’s remarkable to see how the advantage ebbs and flows between each car.

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Watching the side-by-side comparison in the above video and you can see how the Supra progressively builds its advantage over a single lap.

The two are incredibly similar with corner speeds often within 1km/h of each other (the peak speeds were A45 S 123.06km/h v Supra 123.81km/h), but the Toyota spent less time at its minimum corner speeds and that, ultimately, was the difference.

At a faster, more flowing track, the result could easily be reversed.

You can check more details from the data below, watch the full video above (including a drift battle!), read the in-depth comparison, or check out the pair’s performance at the drag strip.

TRACK BATTLE DATA BREAKDOWN

Overall lap time

• Mercedes-AMG A45 S: 01:01.70
• Toyota Supra GTS: 01:01.10

Turn 2 apex speed

• Mercedes-AMG A45 S: 69.57km/h
• Toyota Supra GTS: 67.35km/h

Turn 4 apex speed

• Mercedes-AMG A45 S: 81.96km/h
• Toyota Supra GTS: 85.68km/h

Turn 7 apex speed

• Mercedes-AMG A45 S: 60.53km/h
• Toyota Supra GTS: 61.07km/h

Straight terminal speed

• Mercedes-AMG A45 S: 123.06km/h
• Toyota Supra GTS: 123.81km/h