Toyota Copen GR SPORT

What a pleasant surprise for car enthusiasts across Japan. Having appeared in last January's Tokyo Auto Salon, the Copen GR SPORT is now a living thing but with a major twist; while this is based on the Daihatsu Copen Robe, it's sold as a Toyota, judging by the fact that Daihatsu is under the Toyota umbrella.

2020 Toyota Copen GR SPORT

The Copen GR SPORT joins the Copen range consisting of the Robe, the throwback Cero, the rugged-ish X-Play, and the sold-out Copen Coupe, and since this is sold in most Toyota dealerships despite being a Daihatsu, the 2,380,000 Yen ($24,000 estimated) price tag is reasonable enough for drivers who can't afford either the 86 or the GR Supra, but sadly, that pricing wasn't enough in the case of a newbie that started his driver life with just one million yen in the pocket.

For that pricing, what do you get in this slightly-tweaked Copen Robe? Well, for starters, there's the sporty exterior design, the sporty rims, the RECARO sports seats, the specially-tuned suspension, and that's it. They didn't bother with the turbocharged 660cc engine that can be mated with either a 5-speed MT, which is somewhat a toy to own, or a CVT with 7 simulated gears on it.

It's hard to explain why a Daihatsu Copen Robe is branded as a Toyota with this GR SPORT version but whatever the reason, the so-called Toyota Copen GR SPORT is a reasonably-priced open-top sportscar accessible to almost anyone who wants a fun-sized car with sporty handling that will make them familiarize the way of a sportscar from start to finish and until you are fully satisfied with this car, the Copen GR SPORT could or could not be your first car to start your driving life.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation