32 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 14 AUGUST 2019
Δ lon g t o u nde r s t a nd w hy. BM W ’s
single-turbo 3.0-litre B58 unit has
neither the soul nor the top-end
s av a ge r y of t he t w i n-t u rb o S5 5
M-division masterpiece in the BMW
M 2 C omp e t it ion , but it i s a s up e rbl y
tractable engine which spins in
sweet, linear style, both effortlessly
and powerfully. There exists only a
500rpm window between 1600rpm
and 6500rpm when your right foot
cannot unlock peaks of either 369lb ft
or 335bhp, and while it’s quite plainly
electronically augmented, the
s ou ndt r a c k of t he e n g i ne i s a l s o r ic h
and enlivening.
Against the stopwatch, the Supra’s
straight-line speed duly proves
s t r on g, i f a l it t le u nd r a m at ic. W it h a
launch control system that holds the
e n g i ne on l y at 2 0 0 0 r pm , it ’s pr one
to stuttering slightly off the line and
never quite feels as though it puts all
of that torque to work to move the
car’s mass as smoothly and rapidly
a s it m i g ht. A s a side not e , it w i l l ,
however, execute magnificent and
easily controllable burnouts with
all the stability aids switched off.
O nc e up a nd r u n n i n g, s o l i ne a r i s t he
power delivery and so steadfast are
the wide rear Michelins that traction
i s ne v e r a n i s s ue , s o t he r e c orde d
times of 4.4sec to 60mph and 10.7sec
to 100mph are respectably rapid.
They’re roughly what you’d expect
of the original Porsche Cayman
GT4, in fact, and pretty competitive
(if not outstanding) for the current
£ 5 0k s p or t s c a r c l a s s , a lt hou g h t heengine’s enthusiasm and energy
f a de aw ay a f r a c t ion a s it appr oa c he s
the 6950rpm rev limiter, while the
b e s t i n t h i s c l a s s b e c ome e v e n mor e
ravenous. Throttle response is
nevertheless excellent, and at higher
engine speeds turbo lag is all but
non-existent.
The engine isn’t the only reason
why the Supra feels more like a
sporting GT than a racer on the
r oa d. Up sh i f t s f r om Z F ’s e i g ht-s p e e d
automatic gearbox are more languid
than you might prefer, and while
they’re supremely smooth on the way
up, more eager drivers will miss the
speed and precision of a dual-clutch
automatic gearbox. The paddle-shift
action is also a touch ordinary for a
purpose-built sports car – frankly,
w e ’d r at he r Toy ot a gav e u s t he c ont r ol
and involvement of a manual option
and, sitting on a shelf in Munich,such a gearbox does indeed exist.
HANDLING AND STABILITY
AAAAC
S o do e s t he Supr a h a nd le w it h t he
precision, poise and panache to make
it the bona fide Porsche 718 Cayman
rival it is claimed to be? The short
answer is ‘not quite’ – although, for a
front-engined sports car, it gets closer
than you might expect.
Perhaps the biggest barriers the
Supra faces in this respect are its
packaging and size. It not only takes
up mor e s pa c e on t he r oa d t h a n a
Cayman – or an Alpine A110 – but
it’s heavier, too, and it feels it. Even
with the adaptive dampers on their
firmest setting, the sense that the
c h a s si s i s h av i n g t o w ork h a rd t o
resist body roll through faster bends
and to check pitch and jounce over
bumps is notably more pronounced
t h a n it m i g ht b e i n s ome t h i n g s m a l le r
and lighter and with its engine
perfectly located between the axles.
Meanwhile, the fact that itsc ompa r a bl y l a r ge e n g i ne i s pl a c e d
ahead of the driver, not behind, also
contributes to the Supra’s inability
to quite match the supreme f leet-
footedness and agility of daintier
mid-engined rivals, in particular
the A110. These factors combine to
ensure the Supra never feels quite
as intuitive, compelling, responsive
or pr e c i s e i n it s h a nd l i n g a s t he v e r y
b e s t s p or t i n g r i v a l s w he n d r i v e n h a rd
on a challenging stretch of road.
A l l t h at i sn’t t o s ay it ’s de v oid of a
readily identifiable and entertaining
z It takes up more space on the road than cars such as the Porsche Cayman or Alpine A110 and, with the engine in the front, handling is not quite as sharp in the corners
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It’s a more dynamically exciting
machine than the BMW Z4
a