2020 Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Premium Fast Facts |
3.0-liter inline-six (335 horsepower @ 5,000-6,500 rpm; 365 lb-ft @ 1,600-4,500 rpm) Eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive 24 city / 31 highway / 26 combined (EPA Rating, MPG) 9.9 city, 7.7 highway, 8.9 combined. (NRCan Rating, L/100km) Base Price: $53,990 (U.S) / $67,690 (Canada) As Tested: $56,195 (U.S.) / $69,560 (Canada) Prices include $930 destination charge in the United States and $1,880 for freight, PDI, and A/C tax in Canada and, because of cross-border equipment differences, can’t be directly compared. |
Perhaps the biggest criticism of the 2020 Toyota Supra is that it borrows too much of its bones from BMW.
I didn’t care about that during our first drive, and after a longer loan with the car, I still don’t. Except for one aspect of the use of the BMW parts, which I’ll get to.
As I wrote before, if you can get past the melding of Toyota and BMW, the Supra is a wonderfully balanced two-seat sports car.
It does exactly what it’s supposed to, without sacrificing too much when it comes to around-town trundling.
The twin-scroll turbocharged inline-six makes 335 horsepower and 365 lb-ft of torque, so it’s no surprise that the Supra is quick machine. If it has enough power for the track – and based on our first drive, I’d say it does – it has plenty for passing and merging on regular highways and byways.
I didn’t get the chance to track this loaner, which is a bummer, but you can still induce giggles by hitting an on-ramp just right. As a reminder, the adaptive suspension is a double-wishbone type with MacPherson strut, while the rear is multilink with a five-arm construction.
You get direct steering with good heft, quick reflexes, and a car that feels completely well balanced.
The ride, of course, is less than stellar, but you expect to pay a bit of a penance in a car like this. The good news is that it’s acceptable on decently maintained pavement, but it’s not so pleasant on the types of tarmac that dominate the landscape of the Upper Midwest.
You might know about the wind-buffeting issues that testers have experienced in the Supra, but I didn’t put the windows down at higher speeds, so I can’t speak to that.
What I can speak to is what a letdown the cabin is. Not because it’s basically a BMW interior, but because it just doesn’t look or feel special. Even if you argue that the Supra is a relative bargain at $56K, it’s still not a run-of-the-mill vehicle. Sports cars should have special interiors regardless of price point, and this one just doesn’t cut the mustard.
At least the controls are easy enough to use.
I liked the styling on the car before, and I stand by that – it’s pretty attractive up close, even accounting for the slightly funky nose.
One thing that I do wish the Supra offered is a manual transmission. Toyota probably has plenty of good reasons for not providing a stick and three pedals, but a car like this just feels like it should offer the choice to row your own. That said, the eight-speed automatic is inoffensive in its operation.
Features-wise, the car comes with launch control, active rear differential, 19-inch wheels, Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, Brembo brakes, LED lights, rain-sensing wipers, automatic high beams, pre-collision assist with pedestrian braking, lane-departure warning with steering assist, keyless entry, head-up display, heated seats, leather seats, JBL audio, navigation, satellite radio, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and wireless cell-phone charging.
Options included a driver-assist package (radar cruise control, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, and parking sensors) and a carpeted cargo mat.
All told, a car that started at just a tick under 54 grand rang the register at a bit over 56 large.
The Supra does the sports-car things well – it handles excellently and it’s quick. It’s also good-looking. It even manages to avoid too much sacrifice in ride quality, though pot-holed and pock-marked roads won’t be pleasant.
The interior is comfortable enough for a two-seat, track-focused sportster, but the BMW bones are a letdown here. There’s no pizzazz, just boring black borrowed from another automaker. It’s functional, but praise ends there.
If a two-seat track missile is on your mind, the Supra is just fine. Ignore the blah cabin and be thankful that even if Toyota had to lean heavily on another OEM to create this car, it exists. Two-seat sports cars priced under $60K that are delightful to drive are in short supply, and while the Supra is flawed, it’s still more than good enough.
[Images © 2021 Tim Healey/TTAC. Toyota]
I’ve read some of Akio Toyoda’s statements on his desire to offer the “three brothers” coupes and to me it feels as if when this directive was handed down committee thinking led it to be outsourced entirely to BMW.
Toyota has renewed its copyright on the Celica name. I’d really like to see them finally reintroduce that vehicle. Right now, there isn’t a single Toyota that I would buy.
The take rate for the current M2 Competition in the states is around 50%, so I gotta think there’s a market for a 6MT in the Supra too.
I still can’t believe that the manufacturer which world-renowned for their reliability would have even thought to partner up with one like BMW, plastic cooling components and all!
It is either ugly BMW or unreliable Toyota. It is a win-win proposition. Which one you choose?
If it’s any consolation, I didn’t think much of the Supra Mark IV’s interior either. I owned a Mark III Supra Turbo, and when I went to replace it after I had owned it for a decade, I looked at the new Supra, and I just did not like the interior. It was also black and plasticy looking. So maybe they are just following their heritage.
In any case, I moved over to an Audi TT based on it’s beautiful interior, and I have stayed with Audi ever since. (and yes, each Audi has lasted a decade just fine also.)
Good thing Toyota doesnt charge for fake vents. It would cost $85K.
“Borrows too much of its bones from BMW”. There are zero Toyota parts on/in the car so far as I know. It’s knocked out in Austria by Magna, and is one ugly duckling in the flesh. The rear view is beyond redemption. The “styling” we can attribute to Toyota, and maybe the spec-picking for suspension bushings was handled by Toyota, and also, with any luck, they handed BMW some demands on parts durability it had to meet.
At least the ’21 six has 382 horsepower. Whoopee. Toyota US sold 2884 Supras in 2019, 5884 in 2020 and 900 so far this year. I have no idea whether these sales are up to expectation or not, but they seem a bit sparse to my jaundiced eye. Does anyone know if the Supra sells well in Japan itself?
Add to those totals by 893 in the EU in 2019, and 947 in 2020. And thus one supposes Magna is not rushed off its feet making the Supra and Jaguar I-Pace EV. Just nice steady little earners.
The BMW Z4, same car in roadster form, outsells the Supra by a factor of 50%, to add to Magna’s glee. 10,600 in 2019 between the EU and US, and 11,300 last year.
Love or hate the 400Z, at least it is a Nissan, not this lazy BS.
They lost me at “we had to partner up…the Supra has to be an inline six…people won’t accept a V6. Hey, now look at our cheaper 4 cylinder Supra!”
If you think about it, though, isn’t this entre class of car – Corvette aside – “lazy”? George W. Bush was in office when the Challenger came out. The current Mustang is getting old, and it’s based on a REALLY old platform. The 400Z is also based on some very old bones. I suppose that leaves the Camaro, but then again, Chevy was too lazy to design windows you could see out of.
Much as I’d love to see tons of brand-new, “homegrown” performance coupes on the market, there aren’t many sales to be had there. It’s a business, you know?
I’m just glad cars like the Supra are being made, and for a relatively affordable price. In fact, I wish more manufacturers would do exactly what Toyota did. It may be the only way we continue to see cars like this. The alternative is just more stupid f**king little crossovers.
Yes, offering up unique and frequently updated platforms & powertrains on low volume sub$100K cars is a money killer.
As a Z4 3.0 hardtop with a nice discount, the Supra works. However, there is not much credibility here as an actual Toyota. Still, in the realm of actual Toyotas it is a Supra+bathroom remodel to get into the RCF and a Supra+small house remodel to get into the LC500.
There are no* sales in this segment anymore, compared either to historical totals or to other segments, so no incentive to spend a bunch of money developing new cars. All things considered a 3-Series variant was probably the best way to get some publicity for little investment, which is all the Supra is about.
A combination of off-roading and giant pickup d!ck-waving now fulfills the function in the market that performance cars used to. The remaining market for them is a tiny group of driving enthusiasts.
*artistic license taken, but the point is correct
That this post has only garnered 11 comments so far (including this one) in 24 hours probably doesn’t bode too well for the Supra, or TTAC.
We’ve known about the latter for some time.
True. I’m sure what sparse readership still lingers is due more to Corey’s features like Rare Rides and BDB, and the more politically-charged (and Leftist-friendly) op-eds.
I rather doubt anyone who matters really cares about Healey’s impressions of the Supra or a now seven-year-old Jeep compact SUV. It boggles my mind that any OEM still wastes its press fleets on TTAC.
Says more about TTAC. TTAC is on life support. Probably the humane thing to do is pull the plug sooner rather than later.
We can rebuild it, we have the technology
Bring back RF and kick all the corporate owners to the curb. That’s the only way to save this place.
Pathetic automatic scum.
Very pathetic. Almost $60K pathetic.
“You might know about the wind-buffeting issues that testers have experienced in the Supra, but I didn’t put the windows down at higher speeds, so I can’t speak to that.”
Unless somebody has come up with an aftermarket fix for this issue, it would be a complete dealbreaker for me. Gotta have the windows down in the summertime when cruising.
Why does this car even need to exist? It offers nothing. Not style. Not reliability. Not a manual trans or at least DCT. Not extreme power.