Toyota GR Supra GTS review

Well, finally the time has come for us to review the new GR Supra. The cross between BMW and Toyota, a B58 BMW engine under the hood combined with eye-catching Toyota styling.. we are excited. For international readers, the GTS is the “premium” model and the GT is the “base” model. Let’s get stuck in!

Engine

As mentioned, the GR Supra is powered by the B58 BMW engine – a genuinely strong engine that suits the car incredibly well. Power is rated at 285kW, up from 250kW on the older model. Torque, however, remains the same at 500Nm.

Peak power comes on from 5800-6500rpm, with peak torque kicking in from 1800-5000rpm (slightly higher range vs the outgoing model which came on from 1600-4500rpm). I feel as though power figures from the older model were underplayed, as 35kW is a pretty hefty jump with no torque increases. Regardless, it’s great to see Toyota and BMW still able to extract more power from this beast.

This is paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox – no manual option, boo. The gearbox is snappy and responsive, down-shifting quick enough when in doubt. Although it isn’t the DCT that BMW fans have come to love, this ZF gearbox works seamlessly with the engine to drag immediate power from the GR Supra.

The funny thing about the Supra engine is that there are noticeable BMW badges on many of the engine components. Some more noticeable than others. But these are mostly hidden by Toyota’s big plastic cover and logo.

For those wondering, Toyota was simply unable to develop this car themselves. Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada, would have needed not only an all-new engine design, but a whole engine plant, production line, engineers and many more expenses. Not feasible at all. So, they sought for the best inline six developers in the world – BMW. The Toyota and BMW teams then worked together to develop their ideas into a prototype – Toyota having a large say in the development of the Supra which is based around a 2 Series coupe. This was driven by the boards of BMW and the boards of Toyota before it was given the green light.

Performance

Perhaps the most exciting heading of this GR Supra review. That B58 engine and ZF gearbox work so blissfully with the GR Supra thanks to its lightweight 1500kg body, aerodynamics, wide tires, limited slip diff and so much more.

But let’s begin with the simple stuff. 0-100kmh for the GR Supra is done in just 4.1 seconds (under 4 seconds for 0-60mph). This is down from 4.3 seconds thanks to the recent power upgrades.

The B58 is also an incredibly tunable engine. A simple tune and downpipe can push the power output to 350kW – so JDM fan boys/tuners, relax now, the car can go much quicker with minimal effort.

The GR Supra sits on 275mm rear tires and 255mm front tires – Michelin Pilot Super Sport. These are said to be a bit behind the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, but are still a solid tire for both daily commuting and race settings.

Stopping power is provided by 348mm front rotors and 345mm rear rotors (this is an upgrade from the 330mm rotors on the GT/entry level Supra). The GTS also gets red brake callipers and 19-inch forged alloy wheels. The 2021 models onwards also get new engine bracing to keep the front end stiffer in the bends.

There are two driving modes, Normal and Sport. Hit “Sport” and you can adjust the steering, suspension, transmission from Normal to Sport. Traction can also be turned off completely by holding down the traction button – beware if you turn off the Supra’s traction control, it is frightening.

Switching to Sport then firms up the suspension, tightens the steering and livens up the exhaust if drivers are feeling excited behind the wheel, which essentially serves to enhance the Supra’s already fun characteristics. The Supra has a brilliant driving position, the car feeling as if its wrapped around the driver, quite literally given the small cabin size.

Turn the wheel through a corner and it’s much more of an effortless turn. The GR Supra feels at home around those windy roads. It feels connected to the road and extremely predictable. These features certainly help enhance any driver’s ‘skill’ level, particularly as the GR Supra starts increasing in speed. The power is readily available, with the Supra cruising through the gears in no time.

The standard limited-slip differential also helps get the power down in the corners, adding to the racecar capabilities of the GR Supra. The Supra urges to be pushed to the limit and no doubt can make an absolutely solid track weapon, aided by a perfect 50:50 weight distribution.

But with that much power going straight to the rear wheels, it can overwhelm the tires. Despite this, the steering and chassis are so smooth and forgiving that it’s quite obvious when it starts to let itself go, and the assists help keep you in check.

Many will complain about the lack of manual transmission (which I completely understand), but there’s no denying the 3.0-litre six and eight-speed torque converter auto are a solid pairing. The Supra offers so much performance for the money compared to its competitors (such as the Porsche Cayman S, Audi S5, Jaguar F-Type, Lotus Exige which are all worth thousands, tens of thousands more!).

The best part about the GR Supra is its ability to perform like a track hero one moment, and be a smooth daily cruiser the next moment.

Fuel Economy

Toyota claims fuel consumption to be 7.7L/100km.

In the real world, the combined cycle can be expected to be just above 10L/100km. On the motorway this drops easily to 6.5L/100km, and on a spirited drive can push beyond 14-16L/100km.

The thank is quite small though. The 50L tank brings on the fuel light long before 50L is consumed, meaning spirited drives/track days may be cut short to refill the Supra. But a small fuel tank = weight saving = more performance, so I shouldn’t complain much here.

Interior & Technology

The interior of the GR Supra is almost exclusively BMW. This may be controversial, but BMW makes great interiors. It feels premium inside, more so than other Toyota’s, and provides for a comfortable ride when commuting.

You are greeted with sporty alcantara/leather seats that are snug and comfortable. These seats make daily commuting effortless, even over bumpy roads. It also helps with spirited drives to keep your body hugged in. There is also a decent amount of space for those long-legged chaps like myself. At 183cm/6ft, the Supra has plenty of space to position the chair backwards and extend my long limbs. As there are no back seats, the two-seater Supra allows for more space at the front.

Speaking of which, I must say I do miss the four-seater Supra’s. But as this Supra is built on the BMW Z4 platform, which is a two-seater car, I understand that it would have been difficult to implement four seats. This would have also made the car much larger, heavier, slower and so on.

There are two cupholders and a small storage slot behind, although no holder for sunglasses. In the back is a 297L boot which annoyingly does not have a button to open – it requires opening via the key, or a small button on the driver’s side. The boot also has a narrow opening which can make it difficult to insert larger items. However, the boot does open to the cabin, allowing easy access from inside the vehicle.

There is one USB port, a 12v connector, and a wireless charging pad. The wireless charging pad is a great addition, although it can be tricky to remove the phone from beneath the plastic. I will say, it does keep the phone tucked away and secure though. This feature is great in other BMW’s that have Apple CarPlay/Android Auto as you can simply chuck your phone on the pad, let the wireless CarPlay hook itself up and get going. But.. one of the major flaws here is the lack of Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. We hope this is solved in the next model (for Australia at least).

The sound of the GR Supra is a JBL 450-watt system. This system isn’t too bad, although a more premium Harman Kardon system would have been ideal. The JBL system could certainly be more crisp and provide more thump on the low end. BMW does offer Harman Kardon on its other premium models as well.

The infotainment system is an 8.8-inch touchscreen that can also be controlled by the manual dial – this is a great option as it can be easier to use when driving as opposed to reaching/touching the screen. It can be a  bit tricky to navigate the menus, but the system is decent enough. It would have been exciting for the screen to have more performance displays. The GR Supra can show power and torque, and that’s really about it.

The same can be said for the dashboard/instrument cluster. When in “Sport” mode, it simply turns mildly red. Along with no sport displays shown on the cluster, despite there being a large blank/black space for these figures – something the GR Yaris even shows on its instrument cluster. Displays such as traction, slippage, lap times, oil temps and so on. The instrument cluster has a small digital speedo, large RPM counter and generally empty space that could have been better utilised. The GTS/Premium model also gets a heads up display which is a neat addition.

Despite these tech enhancements that a nerd like me would want, the interior of the GR Supra is supremely refined, as expected. The GR Supra’s interior makes it a vehicle that can be daily commuted in comfort and in luxury. For such a small cockpit, there certainly is enough to keep you comfortable even on longer commutes.

Safety

Safety tech includes: autonomous emergency braking with daytime cyclist and pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, pedestrian-protecting pop-up bonnet, traffic sign recognition linked to the speed limiter, tyre pressure monitoring (and a tyre repair kit, but no spare) and seven airbags to keep you safe.

It has not been ANCAP safety tested, but these are all the safety features you would expect in most modern cars.

Ride & Comfort

This has mostly already been covered, but I will reiterate once again. The GR Supra provides the best of both worlds. It is perhaps one of the most comfortable sports cars that can also be terrifyingly excited when pushed to the limit.

The wide profile tires help the GR Supra in many respects. On a daily commute, the GR Supra is a calm, collected vehicle. And when it wants to, it changes it’s personality, drops a few gears and unleashes the beast. It is comfortable in both auto and manual/tiptronic mode and the gearbox easily drops 2, 3, 4 gears when needs to accelerate/overtake.

Along with its neat interior, lively engine and snappy transmission, the GR Supra behaves exactly as you want it to. It responds well to all conditions and provides minimal oversteer for a rear-wheel drive car.

Warranty & Servicing

Toyota provides 5-years unlimited kilometre warranty for the GR Supra. This beats BMW and the Z4 which is only 3-years of warranty.

Servicing is capped at $385 for the first five services. Which is truly remarkable for Toyota to offer such reasonable servicing for essentially a BMW M engine.

The only downside is that servicing/parts may be tricky as Toyota technicians may not be equipped with the BMW knowledge and there may be lots of back/forth.

Pricing

The GT/base model starts at $87,126 (excluding on-road costs).

The GTS/Premium model (as tested) starts at $97,126 (excluding on-road costs). So expect to pay a little over $100k for this GTS model to get it on the road.

Overall

The Toyota Supra has made its way back into our lives for the first time since 2002 and I couldn’t be happier. The Toyota/BMW combination is absolutely brilliant, with BMW’s precision engineering and refinement, and Toyota’s reputation and reliability. What’s not to love?

Yes, a manual would have been nice. Along with four seats. But it’s understandable why this cannot be the case. So, we have to love it for what it is. A sports car that looks absolutely stunning. An engine with big power that is also quite efficient. A comfortable daily cruiser with plenty of features and comforts, and so much more.

The GR Supra begins a new era for the Supra. One that we hope to see continuing to grow and develop and gain the love of all people that drive it, just it has for me.

ALL our videos of the Toyota GR Supra:

Exhaust Sound Comparison:

Full Walkthrough review:

All Settings Head Unit & Dashboard:

Exterior & interior tour:

POV urban test Drive: