👣 Official: Toyota Announces Manual Transmission Supra!

[digicidal]

All I'm saying is there's people on here that consider a manual Civic an enthusiast's car, because it has a manual, but not a Cayman GT4 RS because it has a PDK.

I seriously doubt there are many that would argue a GT4 RS is not an enthusiast's car... at least not honestly. Hyperbole aside, pretty much any car you spend over $150K on requires a healthy amount of enthusiasm for all but a portion of the 1% - even more the case considering production numbers.

I'd also allow a manual Civic to be considered an enthusiast's car... Milli Vanilli had quite a large number of fans. j/k - but seriously, everyone has their fetishes... for some it's a manual. Look at the number of people bidding on Edsel's at auction... enthusiasts all (just not my type).

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[Dannyvandelft]

I seriously doubt there are many that would argue a GT4 RS is not an enthusiast's car... at least not honestly. Hyperbole aside, pretty much any car you spend over $150K on requires a healthy amount of enthusiasm for all but a portion of the 1% - even more the case considering production numbers.

I'd also allow a manual Civic to be considered an enthusiast's car... Milli Vanilli had quite a large number of fans. j/k - but seriously, everyone has their fetishes... for some it's a manual. Look at the number of people bidding on Edsel's at auction... enthusiasts all (just not my type).

Yeah exactly. But you know the type.

"an enthusiast only drives manual"

That's why the ultimate enthusiast companies like Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, etc don't even offer them anymore. Enthusiasts spend hundreds of thousands on those cars.

It's just plain ignorant to say that.

We're all enthusiasts, regardless if we shift with a lever, or a paddle.

 

[2JZ-No-Sh*t]

I don't believe rumors until I see test cars that aren't mules for another new chassis not a current one

We'll probably not going to see any public testing anytime soon since they have their own private testing track in Japan now.

 

[Bryster]

What color do you think the Manual SE version will be? My guess is orange

 

[Davidpingu]

When I first heard the announcement it put me in a bit of a predicament because I’ve always driven manuals and the Supra was going to be an experimental purchase to see what I thought about transitioning into an auto. My car isn’t being delivered til August and it crossed my mind on whether I should cancel it for an order on the manual.
All things considered though I realised I’d only be purchasing the manual for 2 reasons.
1. The internet telling me it’s the “only proper choice”
2. Potentially better resale value

Neither of these things I realised actually had anything to do with my personal enjoyment from the car.
I asked a couple of my enthusiast buddies to see what they would say, expecting them to say go for manual but to my surprise both said try the auto.

My one friend bought a DCT M4 around 2 years ago and said he’d never go back to manual at those kind of performance levels.
My other friend who has also only ever driven manuals said he thinks it’s sensible to try auto on a car with the Supra’s performance.

One other thing I’ve concluded since moving to my most recent car, the FK8, is that despite it being manual, I don’t find the gear shift as pleasurable as I did with previous type R’s. Interestingly the shift in the FK8 is hands down better. It’s crisp and short and gets a lot of praise. The issue isn’t with the shift itself but more with the power and the gearing.

1st and 2nd you get out of quickly, no traction. 3rd and 4th are the most useable gears on a spirited British B road drive and you mostly just stay in 4th. You never get up into anything higher because the speeds at the top end of 4th exceed anything you could do remotely safely on a British B road.

I get that it may well be different in the US with bigger open roads to enjoy more shifts but my personal experience has been that with more powerful engines and longer gears comes less shifting so it just doesn’t have the drama of the DC5 Integra Type R I had.

At least on UK roads I think 250bhp MT is the sweet spot. I guess I’ll soon find out but with more and more traffic on our roads I think (I hope) this AT will be like a breath of fresh air.

Not posting to try and say either is better. As others say, each to their own. I guess I’m just saying it’s an expensive decision to get wrong so if you’re in the market to buy a Supra, really think through what will allow you to get the best from the car and don’t be influenced by journalists.

I’ve watched so many supra reviews now and you get someone say “the steering is numb, it’s horrible at centre, I can’t get what I want from it in any mode” then literally the next review “the steering is sublime, so sharp, so edgy, excellent balance” it’s all just hot air.

 

[MKV2021]

I’m just saying it’s an expensive decision to get wrong so if you’re in the market to buy a Supra, really think through what will allow you to get the best from the car and don’t be influenced by journalists.

Well said.

 

[digicidal]

...
I’ve watched so many supra reviews now and you get someone say “the steering is numb, it’s horrible at centre, I can’t get what I want from it in any mode” then literally the next review “the steering is sublime, so sharp, so edgy, excellent balance” it’s all just hot air.

Very true... and yet they're still more objective (on balance at least) than audiophile reviews. That's where you realize that nearly all reviewers are just paid to make words appear - not to speak the truth. They're like amateur politicians, I doubt many even believe what they write themselves.

I loved driving a manual as well for many years... from a '71 VW to an '06 350Z... at first only switching to automatics for practicality (my wife can't drive a manual). The MKV is the first however, where I didn't feel like I was "missing out" on anything. It's similar to the safety systems and weight of newer designs - something gained and something lost as well.

In late 80's through early 90's JDM cars, you got that "driving at the limit" feeling even if you were just doing 50mph on a back road - and having to shift more often to maximize grip and power was a big part of that. If Toyota can produce a 6MT that rivals Porsche's... then I'm in. However, since BMW can't IMO... to say I'm skeptical would be a massive understatement. I'd love to be proven wrong however!

 

[puzzled]

I don't get it man.. I'm a hardcore MT driver and if driving dynamics is what someone is after on the streets (as they claim), I would not want an MT on the 3.0L when there is a 2.0L. You want to wring out the engine without going excessive illegal speeds.. of course one could buy the GR86 and go even faster than the MT 3.0L in slow motion like a bionic woman..

 

[Stvee]

What color do you think the Manual SE version will be? My guess is orange

The leaks have said it will be matte white with a tan leather interior.

 

[Gazoou]

The leaks have said it will be matte white with a tan leather interior.

Matte white sounds like a high maintenance color..and tan interior is not too bad but can pick up dirt/dyes from jeans a lot easier than other colors. Will have to see it personally.

Yellow (or misano blue if they would bring it back) with the black interior is still the best color combo imo.

 

[SupraNews]

We'll probably not going to see any public testing anytime soon since they have their own private testing track in Japan now.

I'll know one way or another

 

[SupraNews]

Yeah exactly. But you know the type.

"an enthusiast only drives manual"

That's why the ultimate enthusiast companies like Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, etc don't even offer them anymore. Enthusiasts spend hundreds of thousands on those cars.

It's just plain ignorant to say that.

We're all enthusiasts, regardless if we shift with a lever, or a paddle.

I hate manual supremacists.

 

[Snowman]

What color do you think the Manual SE version will be? My guess is orange

Mate White with Tan interior

 

[VA90]

Matte white will probably look like (or even be) BMW Frozen Brilliant White, which is really satin as opposed to matte. Could probably get a similar effect with a stealth PPF over absolute zero...

 

[SupraBC]

Yeah exactly. But you know the type.

"an enthusiast only drives manual"

That's why the ultimate enthusiast companies like Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, etc don't even offer them anymore. Enthusiasts spend hundreds of thousands on those cars.

It's just plain ignorant to say that.

We're all enthusiasts, regardless if we shift with a lever, or a paddle.

You mean like this guy?
Yes, they do exist and he was referring to the Supra. Hard to keep a straight face when someone asks you this. They don't even understand how automatics work nowadays

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