1993 Toyota Mark II Tourer V review from Australia and New Zealand

Normal replacements only - brake pads etc.

In my humble opinion, this is the best value hi-performance mid-sized sedan in the world. It's only drawback is it's extremely rare outside of Japan.

The engine is a 280hp stock 1JZ-GTE 2500cc twin turbo unit, identical to the unit in the current Toyota Supra (my other car), except with a shorter stroke giving 500cc less total displacement. It's an easily upgradeable motor too - a few simple tweaks have taken my car up to the 350hp range.

Stepping on the gas pedal at any speed causes the car to leap forward with frightening turbo thrust. This can be a problem in the wet however; even the traction control can't stop 300+hp to the rear wheels from kicking the tail out wildly.

In stop-light battles, it's virtually unbeatable. German sports sedans (even BMW M-series cars) rarely present any problems, and Honda Accord Type-R's, Nissan Maxima's etc just aren't in the same league with this turbo monster.

The interior is comfortable, although not hugely interesting or impressive design-wise. The cars worst feature is evident here, that being the plastic-wood finish on the center console. It looks very close to the real thing, but it's still just a plastic copy...

The exterior is attractive and smooth, but perhaps a little understated. It looks a bit like a more up-market version of a Camry, giving little hint of it's serious performance. However, this is an advantage for "sleeper" fans - you'll get challenged a lot in this car, and virtually never lose (I will admit a Lancer EVO got the best of me once, but it was close).

My advice - if you can find one near you, buy it. If you can't, do what I did: go to Japan and bring one back with you!