So much more than a re-bodied Z4
It’s been a good two decades since the world saw the name Supra roll out of a factory. Yes, we know there’s a footwear brand called Supra. Shut up. Regardless. The fourth (and formerly final) generation of the Supra is widely regarded as one of Japan’s finest exports – especially in the tuning scene. Toyota built the Supra and its now legendary 2JZ engine to such a high degree of quality that tuners could easily push 600 horsepower on the stock internal components. 21 years after the last Supra arrived in Canada, there’s now a new car bearing its name. It has gargantuan shoes to fill, and with news it’s been co-developed by BMW, there’s fears that what made the original Supras so special is no longer there.
This fifth generation Supra is based on BMW’s own Z4 Roadster. “How could one of the most iconic names in motoring be on the same page as a weekend cruiser?!” Angry commenters may ask. Well if you ever drive a Z4 M40i you’ll realize its no slouch. Like a hopped up German beer, it’s punchy, bold, satisfying, and more than a little intoxicating. But if the Z4 is beer, the Supra is wagyu beef sashimi and cookie dough: visceral and raw in the best possible way.
While the Z4 excels at a comfortable and sporty split personality, the Supra, even in its default setting, pulls you into the back of your seat with every aggressive application of the throttle…and even some of the lighter ones. Given BMW’s penchant for piping in exhaust notes into the cabin, we’re pretty skeptical of what we heard, but if you let yourself get a little wrapped up in the lie, it does add to the visceral feel of the car. At the very least, turn the window down and downshift through a tunnel. You can’t fake those exhaust pops. But that said, take the window down and the cabin becomes almost insufferable. We adore the shape of the Supra and we’re sure it’s great aerodynamically, but a glaring oversight is the amount of wind buffeting drivers and the single passenger will be privy to. It really makes driving the car with the window down almost unbearable. At least the exhaust cracks are more than loud enough to be heard, even with the windows up.
Under the hood of the Supra lies a BMW-derived 3.0L inline-6 good for 355 horsepower. But it feels far more powerful. We suspect part of the reason Toyota decided to team up with BMW is that there really aren’t many manufacturers who still build a straight-six engine on a large scale. Go with someone already established and you keep costs down. We’re a big fan of BMW’s straight sixes too. But regardless, moving on. The Supra isn’t just a rebodied Z4. During development, Toyota’s racing team, Gazoo Racing (hence the GR in the model name) honed its handling and suspension on race tracks like the Nurburgring. They also reinforced the chassis, tuned the stability control and more to make the Supra feel far more raw and unfiltered than its BMW counterpart.
Some eagle eyed readers may notice we said the Supra puts out 355 horsepower. But what’s that, you might say, the Z4 M40i has over 380! How could you call this one the more visceral of the two? Power is nothing without handling. And while the Z4 handles amazingly well, especially in M-tuned form, it’s still a comfortable everyday cruiser. The Supra was seemingly built for the track before the road. The way it handles and delivers power is so much more of a punch to the gut. The Z4 feels more like a firm handshake. Toyota’s engineers did an incredible job at making the daily drive that much more exciting. Even if you never take it to the track. One factor worth noting with the engine – the reliability. As some German car owners can attest, the idea that German engineering is synonymous with reliability isn’t always the case. VANOS is probably almost an unspeakable profanity to certain BMW owners. I can empathize with the pain personally. I once owned two of BMW’s old 8-series coupes. But I digress. Toyota found BMW’s engine good – but not as good as it should be. So they helped the Germans co-develop the newly dubbed B58 engine that now lays under the hood of the Supra and the Z4.
While internet enthusiasts have bemoaned the lack of a manual transmission on the Supra, there are rumours Toyota may consider one if the demand is high. As well, a group out of Texas is reportedly working on converting the 8-speed automatic to a gated(!) manual gearbox. But that’s not to suggest there’s anything wrong with the factory transmission. It is an incredibly sharp shifter, cycling through the gears more rapidly than most of us probably ever could. Nothing can replace the feeling of shifting your own gears, even if you’re not great at it. But if they’re not going to offer it, a transmission like this is more than acceptable. It’s great, frankly.
Admittedly, we haven’t driven a MKIV Supra before. But most of us have watched The Fast and the Furious. We know what some parts overnighted from Japan can do. We also know there’s danger to the manifold if you’re not careful. I grew up playing the very first Need for Speed game on PC, where the Supra was one of the choice vehicles alongside other JDM legends like the NSX and RX-7. The Supra – especially its fourth generation – has rightfully cemented a place for itself in pop culture. Appreciation for these understated classics is growing greatly, with one example selling in June 2019 for a whopping $176,000 USD. It’s hard to say if the new Supra can forge such a reputation for itself. But we can tell you first hand, the 5th generation Supra is so much more than a rebodied BMW. It’s a serious machine more than worthy of respect.
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