Vehicle Layout Front-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door hatchback Engine/Transmission Plus 3.0L turbo DOHC 24-valve I-6/8-speed automatic
Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 3,367 lb (52/48%) Wheelbase 97.2 in Length x Width x Height 172.5 x 73.0 x 50.9 in Energy Consumption, City/Hwy 140/109
kW-hr/100 miles CO2 Emissions, Comb 0.73 lb/mileSPECS 2020 Toyota GR Supra
Base Price/As Tested $50,945/$57,400
Power (SAE net) 335 hp @ 5,000 rpm
Torque (SAE net) 365 lb-ft @ 1,600 rpm
Accel, 0-60 mph 3.9 sec
Quarter Mile 12.5 sec @ 111.2 mph
Braking, 60-0 mph 106 ft
Lateral Acceleration 1.01 g (avg)
MT Figure Eight 23.9 sec @ 0.84 g (avg)
EPA City/Hwy/Comb 24/31/26 mpgthereof, the way the steering
feels/behaves, the brake feel/
boost behavior, and so on. There
are myriad ways they can and
do differ despite the shared
Bavarian parts supplier.
Loh didn’t realize it at the time,
but he summarized what nearly
all the judges had written in
their happenstance BMW versus
Toyota notes. “I appreciate the
price of this vehicle and the deci-
sion to treat BMW as the supplier
of such a sonorous and smooth
turbo I-6,” he said. “It sounds
great, and handling is pretty tidy
on smooth surfaces, but when
you get it loose, stability control
intervention is not next-level, as it
is with the BMW. But it’s ver y good
at it, as the Supra really likes to
hang its tail out given the oppor-
tunity. It’s an easier car to set up
and ‘just drive’ than the BMW
because there isn’t the prolifer-
ation of modes—just Sport—and
then you decide if you want to
manually shift or not. Refreshingly
simple to drive after all the BMWs
this year. Very direct. It’s basically
a simplified BMW.”
That’s not to say the Supra
didn’t show some kinks inF
irst things first. Yes, the 2020
Toyota Supra is built from
BMW parts in the same
Austrian factory as the BMW Z4.
So, you ask, how come the Supra
advanced to the COTY finalist
round and the Z4 did not?
Naturally, pricing the Supra
about $8,000 to $13,000 below
a comparable Z4 M40i caught
our notice. And although both
drew ire for their overwrought
“coachwork” during COTY
judging (as well as throughout our
annual Best Driver’s Car contest
in the Toyota’s case), the Supra
drew more gas station attention/
queries than pricier cars filling up
beside it.
There’s no question: For a
certain demographic, the A90
Supra is this moment’s “it” car. For
some people, it’s quite literally a
second coming of a legendary
model they’ve only seen in
movies. The same cannot be said
of the Zzzzz4.
Since their underpinnings
are mechanically the same,
albeit with different tuning, it
was down to those finishing
dynamic touches, the way the
two manufacturers chose for their
cars to drive: the ride/handling
trade-offs, road isolation or lackits shapely, bulbous armor.
Nishimoto found a rattling cargo
cover and creaking noises from
the infotainment screen and
dash: “It’s noisy over rough,
broken road surfaces, too.”
There was criticism of the car’s
interior, as well. Compared to
its flamboyant exterior, “Inside
we’re talking all black with some
white stitching in the leather
and modest use of ‘carbon-
fiber’ trim,” Priddle said. “The
BMW-sourced buttons look very
dated, and there’s a wireless
charging tray for your phone but
then a flimsy shelf on top of that.”
Markus thought Toyota failed
to make good use of the digital
display. “There’s this big swathnext to the tach that does not do
anything, unless I’m just missing
something,” he said. “But then
the trip computer occupies only a
little half-inch strip at the bottom.
I hate to see misuse or squan-
dered opportunity on digital
displays.”
Like a proper sports car should,
the Supra “needs” its driver.
“Handling requires slow hands,
no midcorner corrections, be very
sure of your line, and don’t get
twitchy,” Rechtin said. “Straight-
line braking is a must. Deviate
from this curriculum, and things
will get squirrelly. Yet it squirts out
of corners with a definite thrill.”
MacKenzie earns the last word:
“A real sports car, but not the
groundbreaker the previous two
Supras were.” Chris WaltonPRO Paparazzi attention getter • Thrilling to drive • Competitive price CON Polarizing design • Needs smooth roads • It’s OK, just not greatFinalists I COTY
2020 Toyota Supra
JANUARY 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 91