Distinctive, dynamic and great fun. Toyota’s latest incarnation of its hallowed Supra is a small-ish but mighty powerhouse of a motor and a stylish drive enthusiast’s dream.
Razor sharp angles masterfully contrasted with muscular curves so there’s no mistaking which model this is. A legend among sports car fans, the Toyota GR Supra has rightly earned its place in popular automotive culture over the last 40 years. With its long, sweeping bonnet, compact body and double-bubble roof, the new Toyota GR Supra’s bloodline can be traced back to the 1960s, and the iconic Toyota 2000GT.
For this model, chief designer Nobuo Nakamura gave his team a simple brief for the car – to embrace the concept of ‘condensed extreme’. He wanted them to be free to express their vision of a pure, individual sports car and they drew on Toyota’s rich heritage to produce a model that’s indisputably modern, yet evokes the romance of classic sports car styling.
The Toyota GR Supra’s ‘condensed extreme’ design refers directly to its appearance, evident in its long bonnet, compact body and wide stance. By blending motorsport aerodynamics with a contemporary, powerful look, it promises undiluted driving performance, even at a standstill.
Nakamura said of his idea: “I knew my mission was to create a design that would be visually and physically exciting to sports car fans. By using a front-mounted straight-six engine, rear-wheel drive layout – something rarely seen in today’s cars – I was able to reach something beyond Toyota’s boundaries.”
Exterior features include 18″ black and silver bi-tone machined-face alloy wheels, piano-black door mirrors, chrome finished dual exhaust pipes, but this isn’t a case of a car that’s all looks and no substance though.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has been instrumental in honing the GR Supra’s performance. By drawing on its international motorsport expertise, the model’s design achieves aerodynamic drag characteristics, as well as an ideal 50:50 front/rear weight balance.
The GR Supra’s light but rigid aluminium and steel composite frame enable precision cornering, and aluminium control arms and swivel bearings reduce the car’s weight to give you confidence, grip and balance when you need it most. All this, with its short wheelbase, wide track and low centre of gravity provides exceptional agility and stability.
In homage to its Toyota Supra forefathers, the GR Pro is powered by a super-smooth and responsive, in-line straight 6-cylinder front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive configuration to give the purest driving experience possible. The result is that rare, thrilling kart-like feel true drivers love. It was a such an enjoyable car to have on test.
The twin-scroll turbocharger, direct fuel injection and variable valve control 2.0-litre engine delivers 254bhp and a 0-62mph sprint in just 5.2 seconds, on to a max speed of 155mph. High performance brakes feature four-pot Brembo callipers. For a sports car, its fuel consumption isn’t bad at 37.7mpg.
There’s a great engine note too – the Toyota GR Supra is equipped with Active Sound Design. To announce your presence well before you arrive, opt for Sport mode which delivers spine-tingling high tones and racing-inspired pops during downshifts.
This is a car that’s practical for daily use too – and you can switch driving modes to suit your journey and state of mind as you desire. Engine, transmission, damping, steering and differential performance all adjust to suit your preferred driving style. For greater control and more thrills, engage ‘Track’ to reduce the level of intervention from the vehicle stability system.
The cabin is a stylish and beautifully crafted delight. Influenced by the layout of single-seater racing cars, the cabin of this new Toyota GR Supra places the driver at the centre of the action. All controls are right to hand and, located around the purposeful, three-spoke steering wheel, a Head Up Display (if you have the 3.0l model) and digital combi-meter combine to give you all the information you need, when you need it most.
The excellent 8.8″ central multimedia system provides access to navigation, Toyota Supra Connect, music and voice recognition, so you can concentrate on the art of driving.
So you can focus on your driving enjoyment, Toyota’s thoughtfully introduced its acclaimed Toyota Supra Connect – a range of connected services that makes your journey seamless. Through the Toyota Supra Connect app and portal, you can control and activate a variety of functions remotely, including the Concierge Service and Apple CarPlay.
The Toyota Supra Connect app on your iPhone gives you remote control over your car. If you need to check the fuel level, range and mileage, simply open the app. Should you need to lock and unlock the doors, flash the headlights or change ventilation settings – you can. What’s more, it lets you send your next destination to the navigation system
from your phone, with one tap. Clever stuff!
In addition to info and entertainment tech, the GR Supra also comes fully loaded with a raft of advanced safety features. Toyota Supra Safety+ is a suite of technologies that includes Blind Spot Monitor, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Control and Adaptive Cruise Control. A tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), temperature alarm and an eCall function that alerts the emergency services in the event of a serious accident provide reassurance. And for urban driving, there’s pedestrian and cyclist detection and intelligent parking sensors with automatic braking.
All in all this is a cracking car that’s uniquely-stylish, well built, has a generous supply of the very latest tech, and is a real treat to drive.
