Toyota Supra review

The Toyota Supra is a bit like Angela Merkel slipping into a kimono with the help of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Confused? To explain, this fifth-generation model is designed in Japan, but underneath has lots of parts from BMW’s Z4. Oh, and it’s also built in Austria.

Though it’s near-identical to the Z4 underneath, it’s more likely you’ll also be in the market for solid-roofed sports cars such as the Porsche 718 Cayman, Audi TT and Alpine A110 rather than cross-shopping it with the BMW. The Supra saw these cars off in the 2019 carwow awards, though, taking home the Driver’s Award.

The Toyota Supra has a long heritage which is reflected in its design — its long bonnet, two seats and double-bubble roof are reminiscent of its 2000GT from the late 1960s. Then there’s that spoiler flick at the back which harks back to the famous fourth-generation Supra of the 1990s.

Inside, the Supra has apparently been inspired by single-seat race cars, but you’ll be hard to be convinced of that. For starters, there are two seats, and at no point do you feel like Lewis Hamilton in his F1 car. That said, the driver-focused cabin with its tightly grouped controls does make it feel like a proper sports car.

And, because Toyota has borrowed lots of the Supra’s innards from BMW, everything looks and feels high-quality too. The switches and air vents are sturdy and there are soft-touch plastics in abundance, while the Supra also gets BMW’s fantastic iDrive infotainment system – even if it is a comparatively outdated version.

Even so, built-in sat-nav comes as standard as well as DAB radio, Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay for mirroring your Apple smartphone. There’s no Android Auto, though, but this infotainment system’s logical menus and easy-to-programme sat-nav means you’re unlikely to be yearning to mirror your phone like you do in some alternatives.

Go for the 3.0-litre car to get the best Supra experience. Its speed is blistering and it sounds great, too.

The Supra’s cabin is spacious for two people, while its standard sports seats are supportive and the driver is treated to loads of seat and steering wheel adjustment – although even in its lowest setting some might feel that the driving position is a little higher than they’d like. At 290 litres the Supra’s boot isn’t huge and has an awkwardly narrow opening, but you can extend it a little further but removing a panel at the back.

The Toyota Supra comes with two engine choices, both borrowed from BMW. Topping the range 3.0-litre, six-cylinder turbocharged petrol which produces 340hp. Rear-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox come as standard helping it get from 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds, although you’ll also enjoy the way it pulls hard from low revs for sprinting down motorway slip roads and overtaking.

There’s also a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder version to pick from. It’s a little bit cheaper than the larger engine but is a fair bit down on performance — producing 258hp and 400Nm of torque. That’s good for 0-60mph in 5.2 seconds, and still feels like a proper sports car, but it’s hard not to long for those extra two cylinders if you’ve had a taste of them — and it just doesn’t sound all that food.

On country roads, the Supra is easily fast enough to excite, and putting it in its Sport driving mode adds more weight to the steering, livens up the accelerator and gearbox and opens a flap in its exhaust for more pops and bangs. It grips hard and controls its body well through tight bends, but if getting the quickest lap time is most important to you, then a Porsche Cayman will be quicker still.

The 2.0-litre car’s drop in weight comes into its own here too — it just feels ever so slightly sharper and more lively around corners. The sheer speed and sound of the 3.0-litre still leaves it paling in comparison, though.

Yet, switching back to Normal driving mode in town reveals the Supra to be the slightly more comfortable choice over lumps and bumps. It’s easy to see out of too, and its light but precise steering and decent turning circle make it easy to park – its standard front and rear sensors and rear camera help here too. It’s also decently comfy and quiet on the motorway.

So, the Supra won’t satisfy those after the ultimate track day car, but its superb engine makes it big fun to drive nevertheless. It’s also very well equipped and comes with Toyota’s generous five-year warranty. If that sounds like our next sports coupe take a look at the latest Toyota Supra deals.

For a more in-depth look at the Toyota Supra 2-litre, tap on the video below.