The Toyota GR86 may not be the fastest, flashiest or most expensive sport coupe around; but it’s for those very reasons that we consider it near-perfect for folks like us that just want to get out there and drive! For 2024, Toyota is giving us even more to love while also celebrating the origins of the legendary “eighty-six,” with this TRUENO edition.

When the “Gazoo Racing” team got ahold of Toyota’s 86 nameplate to make the GR86 for 2022, we didn’t think it could get any better. Now just two years deep, it turns out it can thanks to a few performance add-ons, and this 2024 Toyota GR86 TRUENO Edition has them all.

It’s okay if you don’t know the original AE86 Sprinter TRUENO this car refers to. For now, just know that the modern rendition celebrates that classic by carrying the same ethos of low-power, rear-wheel drive fun. In lieu of a downhill mountain pass, three days at Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway sufficed as our playground.

2024 also sees the introduction of the GR86 Performance Package, available on all models and standard on the TRUENO. This $1,500 kit mounts Brembo brakes and SACHS dampers onto Premium grades; and throws in larger 18-inch wheels to Base GR86s to accommodate said brakes, upping package price to about two-grand.

Sure, no extra power; but we felt as fast as ever through Roebling’s nine corners.

The GR86 was already such a fun car to toss around, and these enhancements make it all the better.

The Brembos in particular are something else. Being so lightweight, late braking the 86 has always been easy, and these four-piston fronts and two-piston rears let our foot procrastinate even longer. Diving into corners, turn-ins are crisp with practically zero body roll.

But sometimes you just have to cut a little loose. Put on the throttle at just the right moment and the skinny 215-wide tires give way to steady slides; but they are Michelin Pilot Sport 4s, so there’s plenty of grip when needed.

Now, if you were enthralled by our Roebling Track Test of the GR86 two years ago and already went out and bought one, get this: these performance upgrades can be retrofitted on any 2022-and-up GR86 sporting 18-inch wheels.

It is a bit of déjà vu under the hood, seeing the same 2.4-liter 4-cylinder BOXER putting out 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. That’s not a lot when stacked up to some other Japanese sports cars, but plenty for a sub-3,000-pound coupe. It’s sent to the rear wheels through a standard Torsen limited-slip diff and a six-speed manual with satisfying throws; though a six-speed automatic is available should you desire.

Our manual tester hit 60 in 5.9 seconds, almost a half second quicker than the automatic model we tested two years prior. The quarter-mile ended in 14.4 seconds at 99 mph, also a tad swifter.

Once we apexed turn nine and hit the front straight, we saw 131 mph before employing those Brembos. No doubt, this GR86 is far more potent than any stock 86 from before.

If you Google the Toyota AE86, you’ll no doubt find the boxy mid-80s hatch wearing a similar white and black “Panda” paint scheme, which this GR86 mirrors quite well; though, red is available too. Either color is contrasted by various black accents: glossy mirrors, door handles and a rear spoiler, joined by side graphics and a wrapped hood. You’ll see “TRUENO” badging adorning the lower front bumper and the rear deck, and the namesake subdued in each side graphic.

Inside, the cabin sports red-trimmed Ultrasuede seats, complimented by red stitching on the wheel and shift boot; and the knob itself gets a special TRUENO-logoed cap.

Plenty of physical controls for HVAC and the sorts, and the screen space respectfully limited to a 7-inch digital gauge cluster and an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen; and smartphone integration makes it easy to queue up your favorite Eurobeat playlist. 2024 does sees more tech for manual models, now including Toyota’s Active Safety Suite with pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control and more.

Government fuel economy ratings for the GR86 with the manual are 20 city, 27 highway and 22 combined on regular.

Pricing for the 2024 Toyota GR86 starts at $30,395 with delivery. TRUENO pricing starts at $35,815— not a bad leap for a special edition limited to just 860 units here in the U.S.

We still think the Toyota GR86 is the perfect sport coupe for just about anyone, and these performance additions give us all the more reason to say so again. Whether you’re an avid enthusiast or a simple tofu delivery boy or girl with big dreams, the 2024 Toyota GR86 is a solid choice; and this TRUENO Edition may just be the one for you.

These days, you don’t have to spend a ridiculous amount of money to get some real-deal AMG performance from Mercedes-Benz, as they’ve spread their high-performance love throughout their lineup. So, let’s go for some high-speed bargain hunting in the Mercedes-AMG CLA 35.

You may think of big cars and bigger horsepower when you hear AMG, but this updated 2024 Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 4-door Coupe is certainly not a big car, yet there’s no doubt it packs a serious performance punch. The CLA is not the least expensive Mercedes you can currently buy in the U.S., but it is their lowest priced car, and it feels more right-size than small-size behind the wheel.

It’s a fun, enjoyable ride that lets you know what you’re in for right away with a nice raspy exhaust note at start up. Standard engine in the base CLA 250 is of course a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbo, but it is ‘Benz’s latest with mild-hybrid assistance and a rating of 221-horsepower.

This CLA 35 is one of two AMG versions which cranks the turbo up to boost output to 302 horsepower and 295 lb-ft. of torque; the CLA 45 S, goes even further with a full rebuild to crank it up to 416 horsepower and 369 lb-ft. of torque. The CLA is front-wheel-drive based but is sending power to all four wheels by the time it leaves the AMG shop with performance-tuned AMG 4MATIC.

AMG has done serious suspension tuning as well, and the great feedback that it provides through the AMG Performance steering wheel is a big part of this car’s fun-factor. But our test car came equipped with winter tires, which did hold us back a little bit through the cones at our Mason Dixon test track. Still, it felt both agile and fun and body roll was minimal. Not until we pushed hard could we really feel the lack of dry pavement grip from those tires. On the other hand, a few days after track day, we actually did have some winter weather to drive through and then we were very appreciative of the grip those winter tires provided.

With some assistance from AMG’s sweet launch control, which not only allowed us to launch at 3500 RPM with no wheel slip at all, but made sure the turbos were feeding full power, as we felt no turbo lag whatsoever on our quick 4.5-second trip to 60. AMG’s Speedshift eight-speed DCT lived up to its name, delivering quick and hard hits throughout the 13.1-second, 104 mph quarter-mile.

When it came time to remove speed in a hurry in our panic runs from 60 mph, those winter tires again played a factor, as the brakes felt very strong and there was very little nosedive but stops took a longer than expected 125 feet.

Now this 2nd generation CLA arrived for 2020, and for ’24 gets a subtle restyling at both ends. At the front, the grille has been redesigned, AMGs getting their own unique version with big vertical slats, prominent Mercedes star and subtle AMG badge. LED headlights are new, now labeled as High-Performance headlights, joined by upgraded rear taillights and a very aggressive looking AMG diffuser with big exhaust outlets. The back-up camera is smoothly hidden in a flip-out Mercedes badge. Multiple new wheel designs are available with sizes up to 19-inches.

Inside the CLA’s cabin, additional standard content includes a leather steering wheel and 10-inch media display. Both of which were already part of the AMG transformation, though AMG Line buyers can now add some heat elements to their sport steering wheel.

As we’ve seen with most Mercedes updates, both the virtual gauge cluster and the central touchscreen reside in a single housing mounted on top of the dash, upgraded with the latest MBUX software.

Pricing for the CLA 35 starts at $56,100, with the more powerful 45 S coming in at $66,550.

Bottom line, the folks in Stuttgart have given us a 2024 Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 that’s clearly better without messing it up. That’s certainly good news to us, as these days we seem to be getting less and paying more for just about everything. So, while you might not think the new CLA 35 sounds like a bargain, there is no better gateway into the amazing world of AMG performance.