Toyota Supra Review & Prices

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 of the performance coupe 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 the 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in abundance, while the Supra also gets BMW’s fantastic iDrive infotainment system – even if it is a comparatively outdated version.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.

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 by removing a panel at the back.

The Toyota Supra comes with two engine choices, both borrowed from BMW. Topping the range is the 3.0-litre, six-cylinder turbocharged petrol which produces 330hp. Rear-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox come as standard helping it get from 0-62mph 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. It’s a little bit cheaper than the larger engine but is a fair bit down on performance — producing 251hp. That’s good for 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds, and still feels like a proper sports car, but it’s hard not to long for those extra two cylinders — and it just doesn’t sound all that good.

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 best 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 livelier around corners. The sheer speed and sound of the 3.0-litre still makes it the more desirable option, though.

Yet, switching back to Normal driving mode in town reveals the Supra to be the slightly more comfortable choice over lumps and bumps than more hardcore alternatives. 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 engines make 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 your next sports coupe then take a look at the latest Toyota Supra deals.

While it may be based on the BMW Z4 roadster, the Toyota Supra is more of an alternative to hard-top sports cars like the Alpine A110, Audi TT, Porsche Cayman and even the Ford Mustang. In base 2.0-litre trim it compares favourably with similarly quick four-cylinder options from these marques.

Driving enthusiasts will most likely want to stretch to the soulful 3.0-litre model, though, preferably equipped with the recently introduced manual transmission. In this guise it slightly undercuts the Porsche Cayman S but is pricier than the Audi TTS and Ford Mustang 5.0 GT. 

It may be a two-seater sports car, but the Toyota Supra is still refined enough to tackle the daily commute. It isn’t quite the sharpest track day car, but strikes a balance between usability and performance

In Town

You sit low in the Supra, but forward visibility is good over the sprawling bonnet, and its sharp responses make it feel wieldy around town. The automatic gearbox is responsive, too, and city driving is one scenario where you may actually prefer it over the newly-introduced manual transmission option. Large pillars around the rear window can restrict the view out the back a bit, but you do get a rearview camera as standard. Front and rear parking sensors are fitted to all 3.0-litre models.

The ride is firm, but the standard adaptive suspension is capable of smoothing out bumpy roads in its comfort setting, making the Supra a perfectly capable city car when you need it to be. You also get road-sign recognition and pedestrian and cyclist detection as standard, which all help keep stress levels down during rush hour traffic.

On the motorway

The Supra also copes rather well on long motorway journeys, where its quiet cabin filters out the majority of wind and tyre noise that is commonplace in most sports cars. The cabin is tight, although there’s enough space for even taller adults to get comfy. Both engine options are very capable at highway speeds, with the auto ‘box keenly shifting down a cog or three whenever an overtaking opportunity arises. A number of useful driver assists like cruise control (adaptive on 3.0-litre automatic models), lane-departure alert and road sign assist are all fitted as standard.

On a twisty road

Along a twisty road the Toyota Supra is what you’d call a 9/10ths car, it accelerates, grips, turns and brakes just like a sports car should, but it lacks that last bit of polish at the limit that sets cars like the Porsche Cayman and Alpine A110 apart from the rest. 

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as in return you get a more comfortable ride, and few owners will have the skill or opportunity to push the car to its limits on public roads. The Cayman may post faster lap times around a racetrack, but it’s the Supra you’ll want to use on a daily basis. If lap times are important to you though, changes are afoot to sharpen up the Supra’s on-the-limit handling, with all new models receiving some suspension tweaks, and the manual gearbox now available on the 3.0-litre trim adds another layer of driver involvement. 

If you can’t quite stretch to the 3.0-litre models, the lighter 2.0-litre car is actually a bit sharper to drive. It’s definitely more fun than the all-wheel-drive Audi TT and sharper than the bulky Ford Mustang.

Practicality levels are acceptable in sports car terms, the Supra being spacious up-front with just about enough luggage space for a weekend away.

There’s not a lot of storage space in the cabin, although you do get a set of cupholders in the centre console and two rather narrow door bins. The glovebox will take a few small items, and there’s a slot ahead of the gear lever to store your phone which also offers wireless charging on 3.0-litre models. A solitary USB port is provided as standard.

The front seats come with electric lumbar support on the 2.0-litre Pro trim and offer full electric control on 3.0-litre Pro trims. The Steering wheel also offers plenty of adjustment, so getting comfortable in the driver’s seat is no problem. You sit relatively low in the Supra, a feeling accentuated by the high windows and wrap-around cockpit, although very tall drivers may still wish for a bit more headroom. Getting in and out requires a bit of bending down, but once you’re in, the seats are very supportive and firm enough to keep you from sliding about in a corner.

There’s an ISOFIX mounting on the front passenger seat, although getting a baby seat in there will require a bit of maneuvering.

Space in the back seats

Unlike the Audi TT and Toyota GR86, there are no rear seats in the Supra, although even in those alternatives they are better used for extra luggage space rather than actually shoehorning people in there.

Boot space

The Supra’s 290 litres of boot space is not too bad in sports car terms, it will pack in more than a Toyota GR86 or BMW Z4, but an Audi TT offers 305 litres which expands to 712 litres with those tiny rear seats folded down.

Its boot is also a bit awkwardly shaped, with a high load lip that will make packing in heavy items a bit tricky. Removing the load cover frees up a bit more space; just make sure they are properly secured so that they don’t tumble forward into the cabin under braking. On 3.0-litre models you are provided with a luggage holding net and some tether points to keep everything where it should be.

The interior is solidly built with a decent infotainment system, although the dark colour palette can make it all look a bit sombre The interior is solidly built with a decent infotainment system, although the dark colour palette can make it all look a bit sombre.

The interior styling is rather more subdued than the extroverted sweeping lines of the bodywork. It’s all well laid out though, with all the controls and switchgear falling easily to hand. You may notice some rather familiar looking components if you’ve sat in a modern BMW recently, that’s because items like the steering wheel, infotainment system, indicator stalks and most of the buttons are straight out of the Z4. 

That’s no bad thing, as everything feels solid and well-built, with some premium touches that help the Supra’s cabin feel that bit more special. The sport seats are particularly comfortable, with either a suede-like Alcantara finish or leather on higher trims.

The 8.8-inch infotainment system is sharp and responsive, with an intuitive menu system that can be controlled either by voice, touch or the controller mounted between the front seats. It’s essentially BMW’s last generation iDrive setup and comes standard with Apple CarPlay and sat nav, but sadly no Android Auto compatibility.

Trim levels can be a bit confusing as the 2.0-litre Pro does not have the same equipment levels as the 3.0-litre Pro trim, and the base 3.0-litre (only available with the manual transmission) has a mix of features from both models. For example, the base 2.0-litre Pro comes with electric lumbar support and a 4-speaker sound system while the base 3.0-litre has manual seat adjustment but a 10-speaker sound system and wireless phone charging.

All trims come with a digital driver display, split into a digital speedo on the left, rev-counter in the middle and a multi-information readout on the right. It is easy to read on the move and has a clear and bright display.

The Toyota Supra is offered with two engines, either a 2.0-litre or 3.0-litre turbocharged BMW unit that sends power to the rear wheels, in traditional sports car fashion. The base 258hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is paired solely with an eight-speed automatic transmission and is capable of a quick 5.2-second 0-62mph time, which is slightly behind the 296hp Porsche Cayman’s 4.9-seconds and the all-wheel-drive 317hp Audi TTS’s 4.5-second effort. It may be slightly outgunned in a sprint, but its combined consumption figure of 39.7mpg is far better than both the Porsche’s 31.7mpg and the Audi’s 34.0mpg results.

To some that may be of secondary concern in a sports car, and if you fall into that category then the 330hp 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six is a better bet. Equipped with the eight speed auto it will dispense with the 0-62mph sprint in just 4.2-seconds. That equals the 345hp Porsche Boxster S auto, although the Audi TT RS’s all-wheel-drive grip off the line trumps the lot with a scorching 3.7-second time. The Supra will do 34.8mpg in combined driving which is slightly better than the Audi and Porsche.

For purists, a six-speed manual is finally being offered on the 3.0-litre car, it gets from 0-62mph a bit slower than the auto (4.6 vs 4.2-seconds) but that’s the same as the manual Porsche Boxster S and the real joy is to be had rowing through the gears down a challenging stretch of road. It achieves 32mpg in mixed driving conditions.

The Toyota Supra has not undergone Euro NCAP testing, although the BMW Z4 on which it is heavily based scored a full five-star rating in 2019 with a very impressive 97% for adult occupant safety. 

It comes equipped with cruise control (adaptive on 3.0-litre Pro trim), a pre-collision system with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-departure alert and road sign assist as standard. A rear parking camera is also standard fitment, although you have to move up to the 3.0-litre models to get front and rear parking sensors as well.

The Toyota Supra has not been around very long or sold in sufficient numbers to build up a picture of its long-term reliability, however, it should do well considering that its mechanicals are based on tried-and-tested BMW technology.

All Toyota Supras come with a five-year/100,000-mile warranty, which is well above the usual three-year/60,000-mile offerings of most alternatives. This can be extended to 10 years with annual services at a Toyota retailer, although the maximum mileage stays at 100,000-miles. The Supra has had one recall so far, for potential issues with the engine management software.