On Sale: summer 2019
Base Price: $49,990 ($53,990 for premium model)
Engine: 3.0-liter inline-six
Transmission: eight-speed automatic only
Power: 335 horsepower
Torque: 365 lb-ft
0-60 4.3 seconds
It felt like this day would never come, but today Toyota officially pulled the wraps off of the all-new 2020 Supra at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show. After an endless stream of leaked images and Toyota’s own videos featuring pre-production “concept” renders, the Supra’s looks shouldn’t be a surprise at all. Today’s unveiling is all about the numbers, and it seems like Toyota is picking up right where it left off in 2002.
The 2020 Toyota Supra will go on sale this summer and start at a base price of $49,990; you’ll pay $53,990 for the premium model. Regardless of the trim level, you get the same 3.0-liter inline-six good for 335 horsepower and 365 lb-ft of torque. The Supra also gets an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Sadly there’s no manual transmission option to pair with the engine, but in this day and age, it’s not surprising. Toyota claims the transmission will help the Supra achieve a 0-60 mph sprint of 4.3 seconds.
Seeing Toyota get back into the sports car game is a breath of fresh air. The Japanese manufacturer is working hard to reestablish its brand identity as a fun car company again, and not just one that pumps out milquetoast front-wheel-drive sedans destined for rental car lots.
Much like how Toyota worked with Subaru to joint-develop the BRZ and 86 (née GT86), Toyota worked with BMW to “share” the Supra; this time the DNA crosses over to the BMW Z4 coupe. But while the BRZ and GT 86 are nearly identical in every way, Toyota made sure the Supra has a personality of its own. The Supra comes in about $10,000 less than the base Z4, but since the entry-level roadster only has a 2.0-liter inline-four under the hood, the Supra has the upper hand.
Toyota didn’t merely slap the Supra name on a restyled Z4, either. Its factory motorsport division, Gazoo Racing, lent a hand in developing and tuning the chassis and suspension. Underneath, the Supra gets an adaptive suspension, an active rear differential and, for extra fun, launch control.
On the inside is where the base and premium trims differentiate. The base model stays pretty basic and gets a 6.5-inch display, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, but you can check a $2,460 option box for a JBL sound system. The Premium gets an 8.8-inch wide format touch screen display, and full-color heads up display, wireless Apple CarPlay, a 12-speaker JBL sound system and heated leather seats.
The previous-generation Supra has a cult following for a reason – it’s a damn fine sports car; in fact, it was one of the best when it went out of production in 2002. At 320 horsepower and 315 lb-ft of torque, the last SUpra was also one of the quickest sports cars on the market. Comparing the numbers of the newest Supra to the previous generation, it’s almost as if we’re seeing what the Supra would have been in 2003. But, the Supra probably needed the time off — if it had stayed in production, it may have ratcheted up power to unnecessary levels and become something closer to a Japanese Corvette rather than a perfectly powered, well-balanced coupe.
Though it’s taken nearly 20 years for the Supra to make its return, and though the last five years seemed to have dragged on with incessant teasers and leaks breadcrumbing us all, it’s good to have it back. Finally.
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