The Toyota Soarer represented the ultimate in personal luxury in Japan from the 1980s to 2005. It was popular but competed in a crowded market. The Soarer and its rivals epitomized premium grand tourers, loaded with technology and features like touchscreens and navigation systems.
In addition, the Toyota Soarer also competed with a certain Lexus that is practically its identical twin. However, there were some obvious differences between the two cars. Let’s look at three of the Soarer’s competitors in the luxury coupe sports car market.
A brief history of the Toyota Soarer
The Soarer was Toyota’s personal luxury coupe sold in Japan from 1981 to 2005, sharing a platform with the Toyota Supra. It also shared the Supra’s engines and transmissions, but had an entirely different personality aimed at different buyers. Where the Supra was more of a sports car like the Ford Mustang, the Soarer was more like a Thunderbird. It still had performance, but it was more mature to apply.
A third-generation Toyota Soarer transformed the look of the car from an edgy 1980s coupe to a rounded car with smooth curves. This car was followed by a hardtop convertible in 2001. Both the third and fourth generation Soarers are virtually identical to the Lexus SC. However, while the Lexus SC was exported to other countries, the Soarer continued to the Japanese market, with a Griffin emblem instead of a Lexus “L” badge.
1. The Nissan Leopard
The Nissan Leopard shared many similarities with its Toyota counterpart. It was distinctly Japanese, with angular styling in the 1980s. It shared its platform with some of Nissan’s most performance-oriented cars, including the Datsun 810, Nissan Maxima and Skyline. In many ways, it was a larger, four-passenger version of the 300ZX. Like the Supra, with its barely livable rear seat, the 300ZX offered a 2+2 version big enough to accommodate a briefcase or a couple of small dogs.
Nissan packed the Leopard full of technology. It was equipped with Nissan’s Sonar suspension system with a sonar module that scanned the road surface and adjusted the suspension settings. It spoke, as many Japanese cars did in the 1980s, reminding the driver that their lights were on or that their door was ajar.
Like the Toyota Soarer, the Leopard offered a variety of engine options, including a 2.0-liter inline-6 and a 3.0-liter V6, both of which could be equipped with turbocharging and manual or automatic transmissions. However, unlike the Soarer, the Leopard was available as a two-door coupe or convertible and as a four-door sedan.
Nissan also brought the Leopard to the United States to bolster its Infiniti lineup. The F31 arrived as the M30 coupe and convertible for the 1990 to 1992 model years. The Y32 followed as the four-door J30 in 1993 and remained until 1997. A final version of the Leopard, the Y33, was produced between 1996 and 1999 and looked like a scaled-down second-generation Infiniti Q45, but was never imported into the US
2. The Mazda Cosmo
The Mazda Cosmo doesn’t have the following in the US like other JDM luxury coupes. However, if you’re a fan of the rotary engine, you’ll be pleased to know that the Cosmo shares its transmission with the RX-7.
In many ways, the Cosmo coupe is like a larger, more luxurious version of the RX-7. Leather upholstery was available, packed with advanced features such as a satellite phone, sat-nav and touchscreen controls. Plus, if you need more room, Mazda also built a sedan version of the Cosmo.
The rotary engine itself is a mixed bag. Thirstier than a conventional piston engine, it uses more petrol and the occasional liter of oil. However, the rotary engine is light, compact and sits low to the ground, giving the Cosmo better handling. It can also be modified to produce big power, rivaling the Toyota J2Z inline-6 for tuning potential.
3. The Lexus SC
The Lexus SC is the Toyota Soarer without the Griffin badge and with the steering wheel on the left side of the car. Engine options were limited to a 3.0-liter inline-6 or 4.0 V8 for cars from 1992 to 1999. The later SC 430 hardtop convertible only included the 4.3-liter V8.
Besides the limited engine options, the only real difference between the 1992-2005 Soarer and the Lexus SC are some trim items. The Lexus SC came standard with a leather interior and wood trim, while the Soarer had cloth and generally no wood.
Otherwise, the difference comes down to price. If you search a website like JDM Buy Sell, import Toyota Soarers range from $15,000 to $25,000, while a good, clean Lexus SC goes for $9,000 to $15,000. However, whichever car you choose, you will have a stylish, luxurious and unique vehicle that will provide you with years of enjoyment.
