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Track day at the Import Car of the Year competition is always eagerly awaited, because it is on the track that the cars can be taken to their individual limits. While ICOY is not meant to be simply a performance car contest, several cars in the field did promise excellent all-around performance.

And excellent performance is what we got. On the dragstrip, the star of the show was the Toyota Supra Turbo. With an intercooled turbo spinning underhood, the 3.0-liter Supra engine belts out 230 hp, plenty for a three-way win in the category (0-30 in 2.45sec, 0-60 mph in 6.88 sec, and the quarter mile in 15.40 sec at 91.8 mph). Next in line was the luxurious Acura Legend Coupe with 2.79 sec, 8.11 sec, and 16.3 sec/87.0 mph in the three respective categories, followed by the Sterling 825 (3.14 sec, 8.73 sec, and 16.84 sec/84.3 mph). Rounding out the top five were the Alfa Romeo Milano and the Acura Integra.

The 60-0 mph braking test produced a mild surprise as the winner, Toyota�s FX16, was not equipped with an anti-lock braking system. Therefore, its 125-ft figure at impending lockup was particularly noteworthy. The next three finishers did have ABS on board. The Supra pulled to a stop in a scant 126 ft, the Acura Legend Coupe in 129 ft, and the Sterling 825 in 131 ft. Next-best was the Nissan Pulsar at 135 ft 60-0.

Agility proved the key word in our 600-ft slalom course, where short wheel-bases and smaller overall dimensions give a definite advantage. The Acura Integra was the quickest through the cones at 64.93 mph. Right behind was the Toyota FX16 (64.53 mph) and in 3rd place, the surprising Nissan Pulsar (64.22 mph). Another Toyota � the Supra Turbo � placed 4th at 63.92 mph, and the Acura Legend Coupe slipped into 5th place at 63.23 mph.

Another mild surprise occurred at the skidpad, where the Acura Integra edged out several vehicles with significantly wider tires. The Integra�s all-independent suspension layout obviously got the most out of its 195/60HR14 Michelin MXV radials on 5.5-in. cast alloy wheels, turning in an excellent 0.88g figure. Equally surprising was the strong 0.86g showing of the Renault Medallion on identically sized Goodyear NCT�s. In 3rd place was the fat-tired Supra Turbo with an 0.85g figure on P225/50VR16 Goodyear Gatorbacks. The FX16 zipped around the pad for 4th at 0.84g in a tie with the Nissan Pulsar. Interestingly, nine of the 13 cars turned in figures of 0.8g or better, considered supercar territory just a few short years ago.

The champ in the fuel economy category was the Subaru Justy, whose 3-cylinder powerplant delivers a whopping 38 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. Toyota�s entry-level Tercel was hot on the Justy trail at 31 city, 38 highway, and the bread-and-butter Camry family sedan tripped the EPA�s treadmill at 27 mpg city, 34 mpg highway. Another relatively big car, the Renault Medallion, finished in 4th place at 25 mpg city, 30 mpg highway. With the objective testing out of the way, we didn�t just pass �go�; we went directly to the subjective portion of the testing, which centered around real-world driving. Acceleration is great, but we feel that a true Import Car of the Year should be good at all other things a car is called on to do � things like hauling groceries or picking up girls, er, we mean kids at school. We examined the cars for interior and exterior design, quality of material and workmanship, comfort and convenience of operation, engine and drivetrain performance, handling characteristics, and value for the money spent. When the last hood was slammed shut, these were the results:

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If our award were for the Performance Import Car of the Year rather than Import Car of the Year, the Toyota Supra in turbocharged form likely would have been the winner. After all, it won the acceleration testing hands down with a close 2nd in overall handling, with exceptional braking results and good skidpad numbers.

Certainly, there�s a lot to like about the Supra Turbo, and not just straightline speed or the ability of its anti-lock binders to pull it down to a short, safe stop. This is a true driver�s car, rewarding to virtuosos who will push but not overextend its limits. The intercooled, turbocharged inline six is strong, but perhaps a bit peaky. The interior is palatial for two, but the rear seats are for wee ones only. Most of all, because of its size, it can feel like a handful. A couple of our testers noted difficulty in placing the car accurately in a corner and mentioned some definite drop-throttle oversteer characteristics. On the other hand, the seats are excellent, the instruments are complete, and there is standard equipment aplenty.

Despite a few nits, we came away from the Supra Turbo with a new respect. It�s a lot of car for the money, and very likely one of the best grand tourers on the market today.

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