14 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 29
ROAD TEST
t’s impossible to talk
about the new Toyota
Supra, which arrives
some 25 years after the
fourth-generation, cult-hit ‘A80’ car
was launched, without talking also
a b out BM W. S o w e m ay a s w e l l ge t it
out of the way now, before turning to
the more important matters of the car
itself: how it looks, how it feels from
behind the wheel, and how you might
end up feeling having parted with
£54,000 to own it.
The genesis of this week’s road-
test subject was in 2012, when the
German and Japanese marques
deepened the roots of an agreement
to co-develop hydrogen fuel cells,
electrification technologies andlightweight materials. A new sports
car was also part of the collaboration,
and it’s why we now have a revitalised
BMW Z4 and the first f lagship
Toyota sports car for decades. In
engineering terms the cars are twins,
and even built alongside one another
(and, incidentally, the Mercedes
G-Class and Jaguar I-Pace) by Magna
Steyr in Austria – the first time a
Supra has been built outside Japan.
Some controversy concerns
t he d i v i sion of l a b ou r du r i n g t he
ge s t at ion. Toy ot a s ay s BM W w a s a n
ideal partner because a straight-six
petrol engine is a central tenet of the
personality of the new GR Supra (the
initials standing for Gazoo Racing,
a s a l l Toy ot a p e r for m a nc e mo de l s a r e
now branded), and if you want to buy
large volumes of excellent straight-
six petrol engines, your options
are limited. But that doesn’t fully
explain why the Supra’s platform,
gearbox, wheelbase and much of
the electronics are also shared withBMW. Inevitably, of course, it comes
down to economics.
Legendary Toyota boss Akio
Toyoda, who says he honed his
driving skills on the A80 Supra, is
seen as the enthusiastic driving force
behind the Supra revival, but the
project still needs to turn a profit. In
today’s competitive market, sharing
the up-front fixed costs associated
with engineering a new sports car
f r om t he g r ou nd up b o o s t s y ou r
c h a nc e s of m a k i n g mone y f r om it.
A nd don’t for ge t t h at Toy ot a h a s
recent relevant experience of doing
something similar, in collaboration
with Subaru to create the GT86.
Stand by to find out where this new
s p or t s c a r sit s a nd w h at it r e pr e s e nt s
i n r e l at ion t o r i v a l s f r om Por s c he ,
Alpine and, yes, BMW – and exactly
w h at k i nd of Toy ot a t h i s r e a l l y i s.
DESIGN AND ENGINEERING
AAAAC
The fourth-generation Supra was
a tough act to follow, its legendary
status as much due to the immense
tunability of its 2JZ-GTE engine as
it was its distinctive styling. And
while we have yet to see whether this
fifth-generation Supra will go on to
be quite as revered as its predecessor,
our testers all agree that it’s a
striking-looking thing.
Toyota claims the new GR Supra
z Squint and you can make out a
resemblance between the A90’s
headlights and those of the old A80.
You might also be able to ignore the
fact that the adjacent intake is a fake.
z The GR Supra Pro comes equipped
with 19in alloys as standard. They are
finished in a two-tone chrome and black
colour scheme and fitted with Michelin
Pilot Super Sports.
z Don’t let the Toyota engine cover
fool you, this ‘B58’ 3.0-litre straight
six is pure BMW. Here’s to hoping that
M division’s ‘S58’ might also make an
appearance in future.
z Boot lip spoiler is nowhere near as
d ra m a ti c a s th a t fi t te d to th e p r ev i o u s
Supra, but it’s an elegant touch that’s
otherwise in keeping with the A90’s
smart proportions.
I
Why the Supra is a Japanese cult classic
w a s i n s pi r e d a s muc h b y t he A 80
a s it w a s b y t he 2 0 0 0 GT s p or t s c a r.
And while it might be a convenient
marketing angle for Toyota to refer
to what are arguably two of its most
iconic models when discussing the
new Supra’s looks, you don’t need
too vivid an imagination to pick up
on the design references to both
ancestors in the new car’s bodywork.
Its proportions ape those of the 1960s
grand tourer, while there’s more than
a whiff of A80 around the headlights.
Pe e l ba c k t h at d i s t i nc t i v e e x t e r ior
a nd y ou’ l l f i nd e v ide nc e of t he
r e l at ion sh ip w it h BM W. T he GR
Supra sits on the same version of
BMW’s Cluster Architecture (CLAR)platform as the new ‘G29’ Z4, uses
the same 3.0-litre turbocharged
straight six and drives its rear wheels
through the same eight-speed ZF
torque-converter transmission. It has
an identical wheelbase and matching
axle tracks and overall widths as the
like-for-like Z4 M40i, although it’s
marginally longer, lower and lighter.
Past these points the two start
to diverge in their respective tunes
and executions. The Supra’s steering
rack, electronically controlled rear
differential and steel coil suspension
are all tuned to Toyota’s own unique
calibration – so much so that Tetsuya
Tada, the Supra’s chief engineer,
told this magazine the Porsche 718
Cayman, rather than the Z4, is a more
suitable subject for comparison.
These aren’t exactly hollow claims.
Not only does Toyota say the Supra
i s mor e t or sion a l l y r i g id t h a n t he
L e x u s L FA , but it ’s a l s o s a id t o h av e
a lower centre of gravity than the ◊
ENGINE POWER FROM
3.0 335bhp £52,695
TRANSMISSIONS
8-spd automatic
The modern-day Supra begins
service with but a single powertrain
option: beneath the bodywork sits a
turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six
mated to an eight-speed automatic
gearbox, with both elements sourced
from BMW. There are, however, two
trim levels: GR Supra and GR Supra
Pro. The latter costs £54,000 and
adds leather-trimmed seats, an
upgraded sound system and wireless
phone charging, though both models
get an active sports differential and
adaptive suspension.
Range at a glance
We don’t like
We like