By bringing back the name Supra, Toyota set expectations high. The historical weight of the name demands something specific, and it’s the fourth generation that resonates most with enthusiasts due to its now legendary straight-six 2JZ engine. To meet the demand for a high-performance coupe with a straight-six engine, Toyota turned to BMW for its turbocharged B58 straight-six and ended up borrowing the BMW Z4’s platform for the fifth-generation Supra. Don’t be fooled by the cynicism of internet commenters, though, that the Supra is ‘just a BMW with a different skin’. It’s not the same car to drive. But we’ll get to that.
For the fifth-gen Supra, there’s an alternative to the straight-six and its 382 horsepower; a BMW turbo-four making 255 hp, but it’s important to note that only the straight-six can be optioned with a manual transmission. And that’s how our test vehicle arrived – in Premium trim with the 3.0-liter turbocharged engine and the six-speed manual.
Styling And Chassis: Form And Function
The Toyota Supra does not melt into traffic. It’s not anonymous. The bodywork is voluptuous and evocative, and the long hood with a short deck is pure sports car proportions. At the front, the big vents are functional, but the ones on the side are not. The Premium trim rides on 19-inch rims, which is as big as we want on road-biased sports cars, and the trim includes a set of Brembo brakes and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.
Pop the hood, and you’ll find a chassis brace adding to the already impressive stiffness. At the back, the long hatch lifts to reveal a narrow but long space that can fit the requisite two golf club bags or all the lighting gear for a fun – and cold – photo shoot.
Interior: Small But Spacious
It’s not cramped inside the Supra. Something like a Mazda MX-5 makes you worry about being too tall, at a few inches over six feet, but in the Supra, you’ll be quite all right. Seating is as low as expected for a sports coupe, and the driving position is BMW-perfect. It feels snug, but there’s enough elbow room for two long-limbed people, although having two drinks in the center console isn’t ideal for driving the manual transmission version. Visibility is excellent to the front and side, and not terrible out the back.
The interior isn’t flashy, and the only real reminder that you’re in a Toyota model is the Toyota badge on the steering wheel. The center console is substantial, and that doesn’t change for the manual model which has been rejigged to fit the ZF manufactured six-speed unit.
Infotainment: All The Basics
The dash-mounted 8.8-inch screen is not huge, but it is the correct size for the Supra – not too small that it’s annoying to use, but not so big it starts taking up space and distracts the driver. The system uses a center-console-mounted dial to control the software or you can use the touchscreen function. It’s easy to use, intuitive to learn, and Apple CarPlay is built in, as is Navigation, on our Premium trim tester.
A JBL 12-speaker sound system is available on the lower trims and it comes standard on the Premium – but it’s still not great. It’s fine for casual use since this is a sports car, after all, and not a luxury car. We wouldn’t make it part of the reason to upgrade to the Premium trim, though.
Powertrain: Potent Or Very Potent.
There’s a choice between BMW’s four-cylinder or six-cylinder engine under the hood, and both are turbocharged. The base engine, with its 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, will get you to 60 mph in five seconds flat with the automatic transmission, which is your only option with that engine. The six-cylinder’s 382 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque will get you to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds with the auto, or around 4.2 seconds with the manual transmission. Also between the engine and wheels on the Premium trim is an active rear diff, which is helping to stabilize the rear end.
Don’t write off the smaller engine, though. If cost is an issue, it’s hardly a booby prize with it’s quick response. It can still easily get you in trouble. However, the six-cylinder is more likely to get you arrested. It’s an urgent engine that encourages long squeezes on the throttle pedal and power just keeps on coming… and coming. And coming.
On The Road: Pure Sports Car
There’s a difference between the Supra and a BMW Z4 when you get on a back road or a track. Yes, it’s fundamentally the same drivetrain and same chassis, but the Supra has a hard roof and the chassis is tuned differently. The differences translate into the Supra being more twitchy with the rear end being looser. For a taught and practiced driver, the Supra’s chassis can be used to get in and through corners faster. For well-versed and talented drivers, the difference can be exploited. The Z4, which is designed for anyone to get in and enjoy, is a safer car for the inexperienced to push. The Supra can bite the unwary and overconfident.
Toyota was watching demand before committing to a manual transmission, and manual would prove to be much more popular than anticipated. It’s the same transmission you’ll find in a bunch of BMW models, so it’s tried and tested, but Toyota uses a larger diameter clutch and a new shift lever in the Supra. Whether it’s better is something to argue about, but to us, it is. It’s a notchy shifter and without any of the rubbery feeling we remember from BMWs using the same transmission. The throws are short, but not race-car short, which is satisfying while being relaxing to use around town. In short, Toyota did an excellent job. The match of the transmission and engine is incredibly satisfying in the GR Supra.
The Supra is a corner-carving monster once understanding builds and confidence sets in, which becomes important because you don’t want to lift off the throttle mid-corner when attacking. Yet, around town, it’s easy to drive, and freeway cruising is surprisingly pleasurable if a little noisy due to the minimal sound-dampening materials – those materials add weight, and some were removed from the center console for the manual transmission to go in. Just don’t leave anything in the trunk that can rattle around without adding your own sound-dampening material to it. It’ll drive you nuts.
Conclusion: A Genuine Contender
It’s funny that, in an age where enthusiasts feel like they’re under attack by electrification and crossovers, there are so many gas-only powered sports cars available. It’s also amusing that people complain the Supra is a BMW underneath, yet the six-cylinder engine is a work of art comparable to the iconic 2JZ. The Supra deserves to go down in history as one of the greats, but there are other sports cars available now that do just as well. As a sports car that also works incredibly well as a GT, it has the Nissan Z to contend with. However, if you’re looking for something in the whole sports car bracket, there’s a ton of choice starting in the $40-60,000 range that also includes BMW’s 2 Series lineup and the Z4. Porsche’s Cayman will cost closer to $70k to start, whereas the 2023 GR Supra is priced between $ 45k and $65k, depending on the trim.
This puts consumers in a great position, though, because the GR Supra is genuinely accessible – and it’s more than worthy of being in the lineup with the abovementioned rivals. If you like its look, the chassis and engines justify its price tag. If you’re looking at long-term ownership and tuning the engine once the warranty expires, people are already coaxing monstrous outputs from it with great reliability; it will be a favorite of tuners for a long time.
