Carshop First Drive: Toyota Supra GR

I own and have lived with (for the last 12 happy years) a 1983 Mk2 Supra. It's a straight six 2.8-litre RWD drift missile and thanks to Toyota collaborating with Lotus, has an award-winning chassis - the joy of which can still be experienced today, albeit under a thick layer of mothballs.

From this happy union also came my Supra's English twin sister, the Lotus Excel - but with a Lotus engine. Collaborations, part sharing, badge engineering - however you want to look at it, has worked in the past. In fact, most recently, Subaru engineered the Toyota GT86, twin to their own BRZ. And if you think I'm setting you up to the reveal that BMW producing the new Supra is a good thing, well I'm not. Entirely.

The BMW Connection

When Toyota brought back the 86, they were in fact merely rekindling a chassis designation, not an actual model. The AE86 was the 80s era rear-wheel drive Corolla.

In South Africa we got the AE82, the foundation for our Conquest, Corolla and Avante with fire breathing (for their time) Twincam RSI models - the lot of them driving the front wheels. The new GT86 was not a new 'hot version' Corolla, rather a small sports car much like the Celica and MR2 of old, but both of those had different configurations - the prior was FWD and the latter had a midship engine. The fact it had RWD config meant it was more Toyota than Subaru, mind you it did have the Fuji brand's flat four engine.

As for the Supra - that's a hallowed nameplate, arguably Toyota's most important one too, a badge far too many have longed to see resurrected. One that has been dormant for 17 years despite being immortalized in cinema and video games. To pass on the duty of reigniting the flame to a perceived rival in BMW, a German manufacturer on the other side of the planet was unthinkable to purists. I get it. I felt the same for much of its gestation and this is how I rationalized it.

How I learned to stop worrying and love the B58

The 2JZ is an amazing engine today, but in 1994 was pure magic. Only later would we learn how much potential it truly had, comparable if not debatably superior to Nissan's RB26. But at 25 years old, it doesn't have a hope in hell in surviving the eco-conscious zeitgeist, emissions being a key factor.

So, they employed what is in my mind, the best engine in the world with the exact same configuration as the 2JZ. That's a turbocharged straight six, 3 litres big and with muscle left to spare in the BMW B58. At 250kW/500Nm it isn't much more powerful than the 2JZ, but it is more torquey - and is good for a sub-4 second 0-100kph thanks to ruthless German efficiency. I'm on board.

What I was not on board with at the time was the fact that along with the engine, came the Z4''s entire chassis, drivetrain, you name it – right down to the BMW badges and inscriptions. The worst offense for me was the cabin, 100% BMW right down to the gear lever, touchscreen and controls. All that was changed was the steering wheel to a thinner rimmed, Toyota-emblazoned item. And I'm going to jump ahead and admit that the lightened 3 spoke helm makes it feel somewhat wieldier than the Z4. The adjustable bucket seats are great and there’s a familiar (because well, I did test the Z4 recently over here – didn’t I?) multimedia 8.8-inch screen, Satnav GPS, and 12 speaker JBL sound system.

Ahead of the driver are gauges residing in another 8.8-inch LCD screen featuring a centrally mounted rev counter that screams Japanese sportscar – for which I’m grateful. But I'll get to that in a while, because I want to touch on the aspect of the Supra I am most satisfied with.

The perfect Mk5 aesthetic

I know the concept was better, concepts always are - that's their job! But the Mk5 Supra looks just right, like an evolved Mk4 - with cuts and slices liberally applied to bodywork that looks... wet. Seriously, it's so sharp in places yet sensual and curvaceous in others, like a Samurai suit rendered in clay by the delicate hand of a sculptor. A sculptor obsessed with bottoms.

Add to that the metallic paint on some of our test cars plus a bit of Port Elizabeth rain and you're left with a surface most people are afraid to touch in case they get paint on them. I'm barely exaggerating. The only real issue I have with the exterior is the poor number plate placement at the front. It is simply ruinous of a great design. Then there’s that double-bubble roof ala 2000GT, not just pretty for pretty sake, but also has some aerodynamic benefits. Another favourite are those intricate 6 lens LED headlamps upfront, and I love the duckbill spoiler integrated into the boot.

And now we really must address the most crucial aspect of the new Supra, how it performs. But first we need to discuss that elephant in the room.

That Nissan GT-R comparison…

“The Nissan is like, 160kW more powerful and over 1.5 seconds quicker to 100kph” you say. Yeah but at R2,291,200 it's also literally over twice the price too. And to my earlier point, if you're comparing these cars then that's because your knowledge or experience of them is based on modified versions of both - strengthened by pop culture such as movies like Fast and Furious and video games like Grand Turismo.

Sure, at your local drag events – tuned versions of both cars are at each other’s necks, and that's perfectly fine – but where tuners fettled the RB26 and 2JZ into comparable monsters, in stock trim these were very different cars. Like it or hate it, for a true Supra comparison, you need to look at Nissan's Z cars, the rear wheel drive, front engined, 'once were muscle cars'.

The reason you came here AKA how does it go?

Sorry to put another roadblock in your path, but we need to demystify the GR bit of its name – that’s GAZOO Racing. It’s the badge denoting motorsport-inspired cars for the road and the Supra is their first ground-up creation.

Clues to the seriousness of the Supra’s performance prowess are the 19-inch (two tone) alloy wheels slathered in Michelin Pilot Sport rubber and hiding Brembo four pots brakes. Step on those and you’ll light up the striking rear brake lamps including the F1 inspired items in the rear bumper (with the front nose being an obvious cue to the same motorsport).

And you’ll need to step on those often thanks to that 3-litre straight-six heart – good for a claimed 4.3 second 0-100kph – its 250kW and 500Nm feeling eager to make their presence felt. There’s been independent claims internationally of the Supra making more power than official figures suggest – well I don’t exactly carry a dynamometer in my overnight bag so won’t claim this is the case, but during our quarter mile and track exercises will note that the Supra feels rapid, and makes all the right noises.

Do I detect a bit more rasp from the exhaust note than you’d find on the Z4? I cannot say for sure – but it wouldn’t surprise me since Teutonic NVH levels were not part of Toyota’s brief, this is meant to be the sports car foil to the Z4’s GT. Doing duty here is the 8 speed ZF auto, an active differential and  the spine of the Supra boasts equal rigidity to the Lexus LFA supercar. It also enjoys a lower centre of gravity than the 86 and similarly has a MacPherson strut upfront with multi-link adaptive suspension at the rear, naturally, customizable to your driving preferences.

For me, I opted for the normal setting on the undulating asphalt of the many mountain passes we relegated to our rear-view mirrors over the course of the two days and circa 400km launch, whilst all other settings were dialled up to maximum attack.

Was that slip detected?

Yes, the Supra is a rear wheel driven sports car after all and our test drive culminated with laps of Aldo Scribante race circuit – a firm favourite that’s heavy in the technical and entertaining as all hell!

Here the Supra truly shone and I’m going to make a bold claim. Japanese sports cars enjoy a lightness to their steer, that carries over into the tactility of its controls – even the slam of its door. Much of this is perceived I’m sure, but it’s here thanks to that lighter, marginally thinner steering wheel – whether by an inch or a mile or a ball hair.

My first lap was playful and experimental, my second I sharpened up somewhat – my third I went for it. The front end turned in eagerly, with a helm satisfyingly communicative leaving the rears exclusively with the task of providing shunt, making stitching apex to apex a treat. On a track like Aldo where you’re almost always turning, the Supra has no shortage of power at its disposal, but it doesn’t all come at once in a bucket either so you’re encouraged to play with it to find your groove as well as its own.

A so-so verdict

But first a caveat – this is a (very long) first drive based on just two days with the new Supra and carrying a lot of emotion into the experience, despite trying not to. There are 200 Supras allocated to our country for 2019 and if you act fast one of those could be yours.

Yes, elsewhere there exists a turbocharged 4-cylinder 2-litre version – not here, it isn’t coming. And if you think slapping a 2JZ into a new Supra is wise, then my verdict is not going to sit well with you. Because I think that’s a terrible idea and you’d be better off using the B58 as a base.

At R1,072,300 the Supra costs just about the same as the BMW Z4 Roadster M40i and for the most part is an identical drivers experience. I can believe that during the gestation period, BMW most likely effected Toyota’s changes for the Supra and thought, “Ooh, that’s quite nice – ‘apply to all’ and the Z4 as a result is a smidge more athletic than was originally planned – bringing the tolerances much in line with the Toyota. Or not, with collaboration this close there’s no way of knowing for sure.

As a Supra lover (and you should take my opinion as such), I’m still disappointed we didn’t get a more different interior, a dashboard – or a manual gearbox and dare I say a handbrake lever – but the realist in me has made peace with the fact that especially the latter two would have cost the kind of premium that might have robbed us of a Supra to begin with. Economics, you bastard you!

So now we have this, the 2019 Toyota Supra GR, an excellent sports car with the best engine of its nature. Is it enough for me? Yes, I guess. Is it enough for the purist? I’m afraid it will never be, but I do think expectations were far too lofty to begin with. As for everyone else, I believe the Supra is a sharp track experience with gorgeous looks that aren’t derivative of BMW in any way, and a respectful interpretation of the Japanese sports car’s legacy.

Are there better cars in this segment? Sadly, yes – the Porsche Cayman and BMW M2 Competition pose serious threat. Would I still like one? Bloody hell, YES I bloody would!

Do it on the cheap?

What about the GR Supra Track version at just R953,000? No, not for me – you lose too much including some of the safety systems and plenty of toys such as those fancy LED lamps, the adaptive suspension and more. So R1,072,300 is the true entry price in my opinion. Add metallic paint for R10k more or if you need that matte grey paintjob it will set you back R20k.

I repeat, the new Supra is not a cheap thrill, but it is a very competent one.

Toyota Supra GR Specs:

What, this article was too short for you? Read more about the Supra over here!