Toyota Supra GT4
Toyota Supra GT4
Toyota Supra GT4
The new Toyota Supra
New Toyota Supra 3/4
New Toyota Supra 3/4
Supra transmission tunnel
► New A90 Toyota Supra coupe► Straight-six and four-cyl versions
► Priced from £45,995 in the UK
Toyota has teased a manual transmission version of the Supra.
The brand dropped images of a pedal box with clutch, as well as the rear end of its sporty coupe with a new red badge. Toyota says the manual versions will come with this red badge in order for those in the know to tell them apart.
Few other details are known right now, but Toyota says the transmission – likely to be a six-speed – has been ‘tailor-made’ for the car. We know that the platform and powertrains the Supra uses can be fitted with a manual; BMW in certain European markets sells a Z4 sDrive20i with a manual ‘box, and did for a while in Australia. But BMW reportedly only sold two manual cars in Australia in two years, so demand could be described as wobbly in different markets.
We’ll have to wait for more details ‘in the coming weeks’, according to Toyota, including whether a manual Supra will make it to the UK.
Toyota Supra: the CAR debrief
The Toyota Supra is an all-new sports coupe from Japan and the fifth to carry the Supra name. Toyota worked in partnership with BMW to get it off the ground, with Munich working on making the next-generation Z4 roadster.
The two share a platform and engines but, visually, there are far more differences than similarities. Toyota says the styling comes under its ‘Condensed Extreme’ design language, with a stretching bonnet, double-bubble roofline and stubby rear all present and correct.
The Condensed Extreme name points to the short wheelbase, low and wide footprint and massive wheels that fill the bulbous arches. Europe will have those black-and-metal alternating 19-inch rims as standard. The headlamps are heavily stylised while the grille, front and bonnet are punctured with numerous cooling vents to feed the engine, brakes and radiators with air.
The footprint of the car is in what’s apparently called the ‘Golden Ratio’ for handling prowess – the ratio between wheelbase length and wheel tread width – with the bookends being 1.5 and 1.6. The Supra is bang in the middle at 1.55.
We’ve driven it! Read our full review of the 3.0 Toyota Supra here
‘We wanted to make it so at a glance you recognise it, so we went through many discussions with the designer of the car and this is how we came up with the design,’ says Chief Engineer, Tetsuya Tada. ‘There were some focal points or cues of the design taken from the previous Supra. For example, the rear fender, where we had that kind of volume; we said that’s the sexy part of the design, so we tried to have some cues.’
Give me engines and specs!
There are two engines on sale in the UK: a 2.0-litre 4cyl version and 3.0-litre straight six.
The former joined the range in January 2021, and uses a single twin-scroll turbocharger coupled to an eight-speed, ZF ‘box, It also isn’t exactly feeble: it still puts out 255bhp and 295lb ft, with 0-62mph taking just 5.2 seconds. Engineers have managed to achieve an equal weight balance between front and rear, and say a 100kg saving compared to the straight-six could mean the car is even better through the tricky stuff. There doesn’t look to be any exterior differences though.
‘To achieve agile steering and stable cornering, we worked very hard to reduce the new car’s weight, while aiming for a 50:50 weight balance,’ said GR Supra chief engineer Tetsuya Tada. ‘This presented us with huge challenges, but we did not want to compromise on our targets.’
The other engine is a 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six making 335bhp and 369lb ft for the GR Supra. If those power figures sound familiar, that’s because they’re the same as the M40i version of the BMW Z4. Toyota claims the 3.0-litre GR Supra will hit 62mph in 4.3 seconds. There’s also launch control and, like the GT86, a Track setting for the traction control that ensures less electronic interference. Euro-spec Supras will also feature an active differential for the driven wheels.
Let’s talk Toyota Supra interior and equipment
It’s a properly driver-centric cockpit inside, with enough Toyota bits to make it less obvious where the BMW bits are. Like the headlight buttons, iDrive screen and centre console switchgear, gear selector and air-con dials.
Toyota has confirmed there are two different trim variants of the new A90 Supra. For the GR model revealed first, there are standard and Pro models, with the latter being the much more lavishly-equipped one.
Active has dual-zone air-con, keyless entry and start, adaptive LED headlights, adaptive cruise, a huge suite of safety kit and an 8.8-inch infotainment system. Alcantara seats are standard, too.
As for Premium, you get leather seats, a JBL audio upgrade, head-up display and a wireless phone charger. All very on-trend.
For those who didn’t get enough of the whole teaser campaign, Toyota is also offering an ultra-exclusive A90 edition to celebrate the car’s fetching modern camouflage while out on events like the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The A90 Edition will have bespoke Storm Grey matte paint, matte black alloys, red leather upholstery and kit that matches the Premium grade. Just 90 will be available.
Twinned with BMW: why the Z4 and Supra share DNA
It has been no secret that BMW and Toyota teamed up to create the new Z4/Supra platform, and the reasons behind the collaboration were largely financial. It’s a reflection of a shrinking global market for sports cars that two giants of manufacturing are teaming up to get the efficiencies of scale required to get the project off the ground.
However, it appears that the initial desire to save costs and share parts meant the joint project got off to a less than ideal start. ‘We started discussions with BMW saying “Let’s increase the amount of shared parts, let’s make everything efficient” – that was the starting point,’ explains Tada-san. ‘It didn’t quite match, and there was one instance where BMW came up and said – what do you want? It seems like you’re making compromises for the sake of efficiency.’
After that, Toyota and BMW began to develop the individual cars they wanted, and then looked for common areas where it made sense to share hardware.
Toyota Supra UK price and release date
The Supra is on sale now, with prices starting at £45,995 for a basic 2.0-litre four-cylinder model. A four-pot ‘Fuji Speedway Edition’, limited to just 45 units, clocks in at £47,395. That version features white metallic paint, black alloys, red door mirrors, carbon inserts in the cockpit and red/black combo seats, and all the tech from the 3.0-litre Pro version.
As for the six-cylinder model, you’ll have to stump up £53,035 or £54,340 for the better-equipped Pro version.
Keyword: Toyota Supra: manual gearbox version teased