By Jeff Glucker
The 2020 Toyota Supra marks the return of an icon to the Japanese automaker’s lineup. We haven’t seen a new Supra for sale here in the US for the last 21 years. The fourth generation A80 went away in 2002, but left the US market in 1998. With the A90, Toyota has turned to BMW for some help bringing its flagship sportscar back into the fold. And according to all of the initial reviews, that’s a pretty damn good thing.
No… we weren’t invited to the first drive. Seemingly every other outlet was though, and it’s worth taking a look at what a few people have to say about the new Supra:
Car and Driver calls it the “proper sports car it needs to be”.
Jalopnik says it’s “not what we expected but it’s very good”.
Tim Stevens from CNET/Roadshow has a great deep dive and well-shot video.
Finally, Friend-of-Hooniverse Matt Farah has an on-track video of the new Toyota Supra:
He says it’s worth the wait, which is a bold claim. Farah backs up his reasoning in the video above. Give it a watch.
So what do you think about the new Supra? The Internet was quick to dump on it since it’s basically a reskinned and tuned BMW Z4. But all fo the early words I’m reading or video I’m watching is quick to heap a healthy hump of praise.
Hopefully we get our grubby mitts on an example in the not-too-distant future.
I’m into it, especially after seeing it at NYIAS. Definitely “not the Supra we think of when we think of the name Supra,” as a lot of the reviews have said, but I think it looks great and sounds fantastic, at least from the reviews I’ve watched so far. Really looking forward to seeing these on the street– it’s an eye-catcher in a way very few cars are these days.
I don’t want to like it, particularly because I don’t like the schnoz, the pinched up tail, the odd side bulge, or the automatic transmission. However, in profile it doesn’t look so bad, I love inline sixes, the sound is very good, and the video suggests handling is excellent. I’m reserving judgement until I can try one out.
not sure what people *were* expecting. a 2JZ, a manual gearbox, and a basket-handle spoiler? it’s not the 90s, Toyota isn’t going to make a sports car for the 90s. and they certainly aren’t going to make a tuner monster right out of the gate. if you compare this to thousand horsepower lag monsters as the entire internet seems to be doing, then yeah, this isn’t that. if you compare it to a bone stock old Supra, it’s an improvement.
another thing people seem to be missing is that the old Supra wasn’t that cheap. none of those old sports cars were. they were cheap during the mid-2000s when we all built our Gran Turismo dreams because they were a decade old and all beat to shit, but brand new they were expensive toys for rich people.
The problem with every revived brand name in a nut shell.
Or if you were in Ireland and could get grey imports for peanuts (relatively speaking, they seemed expensive at the time, but in hindsight of modern prices, they were bargains), often coming with a lot of very, very expensive aftermarket parts fitted. It seems that most peoples impression of a what a Supra is based on a heavily tuned MK4 rather than the reality where NA Autos existed.
Similar thing when the GT86 came out here, endless internet comments about how it was too expensive, ignoring that most of the beloved AE86s in this country are UK/Japanese used imports, and were pricey new in their day too. €40k is a lot of money, but at the same time, all cars here are expensive.
You get the feeling that a lot of people who moan about these things haven’t looked at a new car pricelist in some time.
I dare say that for a certain group of car enthusiasts, a daily reading of the Jalopnik piece on the Amati is necessary (or at least something to drive home that the early 90’s Japanese economic bubble are conditions we can’t expect to see again).
Plus, most Supras were Camaro performance at Corvette prices, and this one continues that trend.
Camaro performance at Corvette prices, great way to put it. you really needed the aftermarket to make the A80 a world beater. and it’s not like BMW doesn’t make a stout motor; I’ve heard the 335i described by some Internet pundit or another as the Supra of the 2010s, given the N54’s tolerance for big boost right out of the box.
The intro year for the twin turbo A80 in the U.S. cost just under $40K, almost $71K in today’s dollars. This new one is lighter, more powerful, and faster, and I guarantee it handles better. No knock against the old one, but at 7/10ths of the cost, this is a hell of a bargain in comparison. The only nod I can give to the A80 is looks, and I’m sure there are plenty who would argue with me.
I am liking it more as this develops, but the Supra never meant much to me. Seems an improved Z4 coupe, with all that entails.
Wondering how Toyota dealers in the states that churn out volume with no halo models plan to sell them.
I am guessing “with a giant markup” will be the initial answer, but the BMW option just uptown will cap that impulse.
I tried messing around with the nose to see if I could tone it down a bit, but only ended up with what looks like a cross between a Z3 and an MX-5.
live.staticflickr.com/65535/33975204118_a0ab5e9539_b.jpg
I tried messing around with the nose to see if I could tone it down a bit, but only ended up with what looks like a cross between a Z4 and an MX-5.
live.staticflickr.com/65535/33975204118_a0ab5e9539_b.jpg
My God, that’s a hairy man! No wonder Yeti sightings are on the rise out west.