Toyota Supra

For me, the Supra is.Model A80 (1993-2002) 80 Suprais the first thing that comes to mind. I liked it very much, although I had different likes and dislikes because of the larger body size and the design, which was greatly changed from the previous generation. I especially admired the shape of the rear area, the design of the tail lamps, and the driver's seat that seemed to wrap around the driver.

Such is the case with the new Supra for 2019. When I saw the design on the news of the announcement, I shrugged my shoulders andAnd although it is jointly developed with BMW, it shares the same platform with the Z4 and is built by BMW.I was surprised to see that.

This time, we had the opportunity to test drive the Supra.The special edition RZ "Matte White Edition" is limited to just 50 units.The transmission is not found in the original BMW Z4.It is a newly available manual transmission (MT).

When you start running...

Let me first say that I had no expectations for this Supra.

Even though it is made by BMW, it is a sports car with Toyota's breath in it, so I imagined it to be somewhat unreliable in terms of driving.Z4is a nice car, butIt is a little too luxurious for the sports car image I am looking for.

Besides, I had imagined that the new Supra would be a subtle car, since all of the critics' reviews of the new Supra have been lackluster.

But I knew the moment I sat down in the driver's seat, started the engine, connected the clutch, and started driving.

Yes.It was, as my wife and I often say in our blog, "a car you can tell the difference in two seconds.

The rolling feeling of the tires at the moment of starting, the low friction of the moving parts, and the smoothness of the drive parts in various parts allow one to imagine the high precision of the workmanship. The ground contact feeling of the tires and the way they suppress minute vibrations are also excellent.

Thinking, "This could be promising," I pull out of the parking lot and accelerate into second and third gear.

The newly developed 6-speed manual transmission, said to have been developed at Toyota's initiative, feels very good.The feel of the controls is a bit firm and requires a bit of effort, but the sense of moderation is excellent and the car goes into gear very comfortably. The clutch is very light and automatically revs up lightly when starting in first gear, making it easy enough for even a beginner to use a manual transmission.

In addition, theThe auto-blipping function is very easy and sporty, as is the recent MT.Can be done.

Great suspension

The ride is very comfortable, even at low speeds. The seats are soft and sink deeply into the car, but they are very comfortable. The seat adjustment buttons are the same shape as those on BMWs, so I assume the seats are BMW-type seats, but the hold is just right and they cut out any unnecessary vibrations.

In addition to that.Suspension movement is also excellent.It is. Any vibrations are settled in one shot, and there is absolutely no strange shaking left over. To be honest, this is a quality that cannot be experienced easily with the stock suspension of a domestic car.

Entering a curve, he turns the steering wheel. The response is excellent. It responds very vividly from the beginning of steering turn, and the time lag in response is quite small. I found out later when parking the car that the Supra's steering lock-to-lock is just barely two turns off.

This is on the same level as Ferrari's 488 GTB, for example, and is rare for a sports car in this price range.

And the wonderful thing about this Supra is that it does not simply reduce the lock-to-lock and blindly increase the response, as some supercars do.The response is very sharp, yet the driver feels no discomfort.It never turns too much or too little than imagined. So you can drive very safely.

This taste is very unlike a car that costs around 8 million yen.I can think of only one other car in its class that can do this, the Cayman Boxster.

This responsiveness and the road holding performance of the suspension while cornering is truly amazing. Despite being so comfortable to ride, there is no strange roll, and the car sticks firmly to the curves and goes through them without a hitch.It is truly BMW's "joy of driving".No, maybe more than that.

If I were to compare the feeling of the suspension to a Porsche in a situation where you are lightly driving down a mountain road, I would sayIt is closer to the 992 coupe than the 981 or 718 Cayman Boxster.While not exactly a 992, the ride is comfortable, the steering is sharp and responsive, and the car stays firmly on the road while turning. It is safe to say that the feeling is very similar.

According to the owner, the chassis and suspension of this Supra have been modified through annual improvements.
I later examined the documents and found that

• Improved roll balance and ride comfort by controlling AVS and tuning damping characteristics of absorbers
• Improved initial steering response by modification of stabilizer bushing characteristics
• Revised chassis control systems (AVS, EPS, VSC) to improve steering feel and control at the limit range

It is said to be. Perhaps it is quite different from the initial lot.

Engine feeling

The engine was still breaking in, so we did not try the higher RPMs, but it was sharp enough to blow up and the 387 hp was adequate.Most notable is the turbocharged engine, which is not turbocharged at all.There is no sense of abruptness in the torque output. Without being told, it could be mistaken for a large-displacement NA engine.

The torque increases in proportion to the rpm, as one would expect from a BMW engine. This is the same feeling experienced with the 3-liter turbo engines of the Z4 and 4 series.

The only point of concern is the sound of the engine and exhaust.The tone is a bit caged. Nothing unpleasant, but as this is such a pleasant engine, I would have liked to hear a clearer tone.

But with this suspension and the great feeling of the engine, you will forget that as you drive.

Sohyo (General Council of Trade Unions of Japan)

It is no longer the case thatThis has been a sticky review so far, but an honest review without discovery.The first is.

Incidentally, besides the owner of this Supra (a Porsche owner) and myself, two other Porsche owners (a 718 Spyder and a 991 GT3RS owner) test drove this Supra that day, and theyBoth of them were quite appreciative, especially about the suspension, and even jokingly said they wanted one!was impressive. Of course I even want to buy this Supra.

Realistically, this is difficult because we are waiting for the new Fairlady Z to be delivered, but that is how much we have fallen in love with this car.

Perhaps the best use for this car would be as a GT car, but also as a car that can be enjoyed on mountain roads and winding roads. For circuit use, the Cayman is more suited, but it is athletic enough.

It is very comfortable and can be used well as a date car, for everyday shopping, commuting, etc.I think the comfort in this area exceeds that of the Cayman. I think so. By the way, if you want the same level of comfort in a 718 Cayman, PASM is a must. I think it would be difficult to seek a similar level of comfort unless you compare it to the GTS4.0 or so in terms of grade.

It really is a well-balanced car.Since it is a Japanese car, many people will eventually customize it, but personally, I would like this car to be driven as is, without any customization if possible. Don't change the wheels or even the brand of tires. Customization may improve some of the performance, but it will surely destroy the balance of the car. It is hard to find such a well-balanced car.

It is not something that can be done by just a few tuning stores with a collection of third-party parts. Therefore, I sincerely hope that you will drive the car as it is if possible.

Despite the Toyota name, this is not the Toyota feel I know. But then again, is it a pure BMW? It is different from the Z4 and the 440i. In fact, it is different from the Z4, and it feels different from the 440i. This is not a "Toyota".BMW vehicle tuned by Toyota (GR)I think it is "BMW Z4 Coupe GR Package". If I were to say it like the name of a Porsche car, it would be the "BMW Z4 Coupe GR Package". You can think of it as such.