Toyota GR Supra Has Even More Power Than Before - REVIEW

2021 Toyota GR Sup GTS Review – What’s New?

Life without sports cars is like gin without tonic, Mona without Lisa, or Lock without Down. OK, forget the last one. Supra is a Toyota with more front than Myer. It is sexy beyond belief, with handling that feels just a little bit dirty, and you aren’t sure why.

When Supra burst onto the scene after a rather annoying hiatus, it touched me in a way that was a little bit inappropriate. It took me an age to figure out why, but I think I’ve cracked it. Supra is barely contained rage, lurking under a cloak of silk.

What’s new?

Supra deserved more power, and now has it. The BMW/Toyota lovechild was treated to 35 more powers (285kw) and 500 torques. Bits of extra bracing were bolted on, because let’s face it, modders were going to do that anyway. Now, the rear wheels feel like they want to spin the rubber off the alloys, and all is well.

Forget the spec sheets and the numbers therein, for they matter not. Supra is all about the feel.

The body feels planted, yet light. The front panels are aluminium, and the rear hatch is fibre glass. That’s very “British 70’s kit car”, isn’t it? And there is a touch of home-built kit car about the way it drives too. Supra eschews the wonton excess of AWD hot-hatch-dom, yet allows the comfort of adaptive suspension to make the daily commute a little less like riding a BBQ down a cobbled lane.

Rear wheel drive brings ye-olde-worlde fun back to a spin in the countryside. And although there is a blower giving the 6-pot a buxom boost, there is a beautiful 60’s howl that only an in-line engine can manage.

It is a creature of many moods. One moment the luscious body wants to give you a lap dance, with the cabin paddling your bare cheeks. The next second, it is a refined gentleman in a wing chair, with wisps of cigar smoke curling skywards. It is this Jekyll and Hyde act that is so hard to pull off, and even harder to pull it off well.

GET BROCHURE HERE: toyota-gr Supra__brochure_june-2021

Above: This Week 2021 Toyota GR Supra GTS FULL Review

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ABOVE: 2021 Toyota GR Supra GTS (bottom row -BMW Z4 for comparison)

Is there any bad to go with all that good?

There are a couple of annoying foibles, so let’s tackle that next. Even though the infotainment system is BMW, it is a generation old. In BMW it comes with wireless Apple CarPlay but Toyota didn’t get the memo. They it is coming, but so is Christmas.

The need of an external boot release is not so easily assuaged.

There is no external button so you have to fumble for a fob, or schlepp round to the driver’s door, which is unlocked via smart entry. You then have to bend over double to reach a microscopic button at the bottom of the door and schlepp back to the hatch. Imagine doing that with your arms full.

GET BROCHURE HERE: toyota-gr Supra__brochure_june-2021

What’s it like to drive?

You stab the starter and the monumental powerplant cackles in to life.

At first it all feels so terribly normal. But, once that silky 8-speed slips into drive, you’re right there in the middle of a Bond film. You might be stuck in traffic or crawling in to Coles, but in your mind, you’re cruising alongside Lake Como to the strains of 50’s lounge music. Supra has more “power” than that which is shoehorned under the bonnet.

Let’s get down to a few specifics:

The suspension is Macpherson struts up front, and 5 arm multilinks at the back, and there is a clever LSD. The GTS adds an HUD to compliment the part digital dash (BMW has a full LCD Screen). There are more goodies like rack mounted electric steering that is pin sharp, and the goldilocks brakes that have just the right amount of je ne sais quoi.

The driving position is low and laid back, and every single control can be reached without slipping a disc.

OK, last time we drove Supra down Macquarie Pass but this time, Covid restricted us to Sydney. Somehow it doesn’t have quite the same allure, yet, every single trip seemed to pin another medal to Supra’s sash.

Power is instant, and brutal. The brutality is completely at the mercy of the driver’s mood.

Supra does 7.7l/100k while producing 117gm of CO2 each kilometre. Best of all, you can use the cheapest 91ron fuel you can find. That’s going to save you at least 30c per litre every time you fill your tank.

GET BROCHURE HERE: toyota-gr Supra__brochure_june-2021

Conclusion:

Supra is special. You might think it to be expensive, and it is, but it is value. It has the handling of a Porker, the handsome looks of a super-spy, and the rarity of a priceless antique. As if that wasn’t enough, 4.1 seconds to a hundred is quick in anyone’s language.

Details:
GR Supra GT $87,126
Gr Supra GTS $97,126
Options (GTS only)
Nurburg Matte Grey paint $2500
Alcantara upholstery $2500

Engine: 3.0L Turbo Straight 6

Power: 285kw/500Nm

0-100: 4.1seconds

Trans: 8 speed automatic with Sports mode

Econ: 7.7l/100km, 91ron petrol

CO2: 177g/km