Toyota and emotions? Actually excludes itself. But the GR Supra chases all reason through the exhaust and turns out to be a wonderfully approaching sports car. BMW is not completely uninvolved
If the boss has something in mind, decision making even in such a structured group as Toyota, with nearly ten million vehicles annually, one of the largest automakers in the world, sometimes quite short. Because Mr. President, Mr. Akio Toyoda likes to race. His favorite track is the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring. And it was here in the Eifel that the idea to revive the sports car legend Supra came into being a few years ago. But even a Mr. Toyoda was very aware that cars of this kind are economically difficult to get a grip on.
The solution was BMW. Why not put Supra and Z4 together? The Bavarians get their racy roadster, the Japanese their cool coupe. A perfect win-win situation that gave the Supra the best driving dynamics ever found in a Toyota production sports car. Not least a result of the classic layout: engine front longitudinal, rear drive, in between two seats, finished. Paired with state-of-the-art engineering, lightweight construction, a low center of gravity and a weight distribution of ideal 50: 50 aims in one direction only: driving pleasure.
Toyota was even so smart, not hell to reanimate any aggregate from the group or for expensive money in homage to the former Supra to construct a new six-cylinder in-line engine, if there is already a potent and sleek high-tech engine in Munich, the so-called B58 engine. Three liters in size, 340 PS and 500 Newton meters strong. These are the key data. Together with a tip-top working 8 automatic transmission - a manual transmission, there is no-this combination is a kind of dream team under the ellenlangen hood.
What is in the Supra, can be teased out only slightly in the traffic. The better if not ideal place for this is the racetrack. The 1.570 kilo-heavy sports car pervades corners in a perfect manner and can easily be mastered right up to the limit. The entire car feels very balanced and also allows non-professionals behind the wheel fast lap times without beads of sweat on the forehead. The inline six-cylinder, double supercharged, launches with low pressure even from low speeds and develops a nice sporty sound, good perceptible, but never indecent loud.
The common chassis with the BMW Z4 also gives the Supra outstanding ergonomics. The car fits like a custom made shoe. In front of the supposedly most important instrument in a sports car: the tachometer, placed in the center of the cockpit. Here, Porsche lets greet. The dashboard is classically divided, in the middle of a 8,8-inches enthroned large screen, some rotary switches, such as those of the air conditioner, not only reminiscent of those of BMW, they are too, but that must not be a disadvantage. The selector lever for the automatic transmission, the steering wheel and the i-Drive-Controler also show a certain affinity to the Bavarian partner. Somewhat unusual is the asymmetrical distribution of the center console. She is a bit more open to the passenger, visually gives him more air.
Overall, however, no lush feeling of space should be expected. The interior is cut short, the roof pulled down deeply on the sides. But you also sit in a sports car. The value in terms of luggage is correspondingly low. Under the tailgate remain only 290 liters of cargo volume. That's enough for the weekend or the usual grocery shopping. The crate, however, must be raised high.
So great the Supra can be moved and so much fun he does behind the wheel, he has a drawback: he is sold out, at least for this year. The German contingent of 300 copies was in spite of a not very favorable price of 62.900 Euro immediately gone. Among them were 24 so-called "A90 edition models" for 67.250 Euro, painted matt gray and lined inside in red leather. Anyone ordering now will have to be patient with 2020 by spring. But worth the wait.