MKIV vs MKV Supra Video Review - Is the A90 a Worthy Successor to the A80?

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Great video!

Other than the obvious things, auto transmission, BMW, etc., in your opinion what do you think Toyota got right with this car? What did they miss?
 

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How does it compare to the 6th gen camaro and mustang?
 

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Did they test this engine with higher horsepower and torque? If so, how much and how was the durability/reliability?
 
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How does it compare to the 6th gen camaro and mustang?
I haven't had the chance to drive either of those cars hard enough to truly evaluate them, but off the top of my head, the Supra definitely feels more focused than the Mustang, and certainly lighter than the Camaro. The Camaro has a fantastic chassis, but I would venture to say the Supra is better still. This chassis is just asking for a version with 450hp to spank on all the competition, everything else is already there for that to happen.


Great video!

Other than the obvious things, auto transmission, BMW, etc., in your opinion what do you think Toyota got right with this car? What did they miss?
Toyota absolutely nailed the chassis (you'll see me repeating this a lot lol). It is so incredibly impressive, I can hardly explain it in words. It feels extremely capable, and never showed any hint of misbehaving and didn't have any bad vices. It was very communicative and extremely predictable. I got it in it the first time and within 3 minutes I was flat out through the backroads because it was just intuitive. A lot like the 86 in that regard. The limits are much higher than the 86 however, with a ton of mechanical grip from the 255/275 MPSS. It's easy to control, but you're going at a much higher rate of speed because of the grip.

The Suspension is another high point. Very composed, very well damped. Handled the rough backroads perfectly. The Sport mode doesn't do a ton statically, maybe just beefs up the compression, but I imagine it has a different programming for dynamic adjustment mid-corner. In both modes, it felt composed and supple though. The diff felt like a torsen, and at no point did it feel like it was overheating and unlocking, so thats great.

The engine is honestly very good as well. Feels underrated, but not necessarily because it makes more than 335, but rather, it makes so much torque down low. 365lbft at 1600rpm is madness. The turbo spools very quickly, basically no lag, and it makes some nice spool noises too. The exhaust note is great as well, just like a BPU Supra, which is what Tada-San said he was targeting. The pops and crackles can be a bit much though, but I know the kids like that these days lol.

If I were to nitpick some things, I'd say that I wish the steering was a little bit quicker off center. It loads up nicely once you get some lock into it but on-center its pretty slow, likely for highway cruising. The feedback is decent, I wish it was 86-good, but at least its better than any BMW. Other than that, iDrive is meh, but Entune sucks ass, so I guess its actually a good thing. Material quality is okay at best, but clearly, they put their money elsewhere. The subs in the back rattle with bassy hip hop at 75%+ volume. The brake pedal is a little soft on initial bite compared to the 86, but the 86 has an outstandingly firm pedal feel, so comparing to that its hard to be fair.

Oh! The windshield is very small, and the rear hatch glass is tiny. The mirrors are good, but overall, visibility is pretty trash.
 
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Did they test this engine with higher horsepower and torque? If so, how much and how was the durability/reliability?
Tada-San told me that a 400PS version is already in late stages of development. I'm guessing we'll see that in a mid-cycle refresh.
 

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I noticed there's a performance screen - but I've only seen power and torque outputs displayed.

can it display oil/coolant pressure and temps? boost pressure etc?
 
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I noticed there's a performance screen - but I've only seen power and torque outputs displayed.

can it display oil/coolant pressure and temps? boost pressure etc?
Ah damn, that's a good question! I didn't look at that screen much, only saw the Power/Torque screen, and I didn't mess around too much with it after that.
 

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is the steering as slow as the A80? feedback overall good but not quite 86 good?
 

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First of all, i REALLY appreciate your effort in the video editing (and the instagram teasers lol)

1-Did they clarify why the JDM supra is 3257lb's while the USDM one is 3397?

2-Also how was the steering feel? Eng.Expalined complained its less "darty" than the 86 (given that its 15:1 ratio for 13:1 in the ZN6), but SpeedAcadmey gave more granular impression; about its weight and its nature to communicate the road.
I totally dropped the ball on EE's impressions when he thought a "lighter" steering would've been better (fricken facepalm!) but since you've driven it....how was it? Any deadzone in the center? does it spring back quickly or slowly? did you feel the "road texture" or was just heavy and kinda "numb"

Thanks! will probably ask more as I go through all the videos and reviews xD

p.s. 400HP version!!!!
 
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is the steering as slow as the A80? feedback overall good but not quite 86 good?

First of all, i REALLY appreciate your effort in the video editing (and the instagram teasers lol)

1-Did they clarify why the JDM supra is 3257lb's while the USDM one is 3397?

2-Also how was the steering feel? Eng.Expalined complained its less "darty" than the 86 (given that its 15:1 ratio for 13:1 in the ZN6), but SpeedAcadmey gave more granular impression; about its weight and its nature to communicate the road.
I totally dropped the ball on EE's impressions when he thought a "lighter" steering would've been better (fricken facepalm!) but since you've driven it....how was it? Any deadzone in the center? does it spring back quickly or slowly? did you feel the "road texture" or was just heavy and kinda "numb"

Thanks! will probably ask more as I go through all the videos and reviews xD

p.s. 400HP version!!!!
Okay, I'll touch on steering first. It's faster than the A80 Steering, and much better weighted. The A80 is incredibly overassisted, and that's one of the A80's biggest pitfalls IMO. The A90 doesn't quite have the same level of feel as the A80, and by feel I mean specifically the vibration and feedback that comes through the wheel that indicates what the front tires are doing. Of course, this is the sad reality of electric vs hydraulic steering, but the 86 is def a better tuned electric rack. Now, granted, there are other factors, such as tire, caster angle, etc that play a part in this, so its not necessarily the EPS by itself. Overall, the steering is good though, easy to read, enough feel (much better than a BMW), and quick enough to be fine on a very technical track like Summit's Shenandoah. It has a very predictable amount of springback, very easy to predict, and when you get into oversteer, its' intuitive enough to easily correct.

There is a little deadness in the center as I mentioned earlier. It is likely to make the car a better highway car. and by deadness, I don't mean feel/feedback, I mean actual steering output. There's some footage of Zain testing how much steering input it takes to actually move the car on the road, I'll post that sometime.

About the weight, I asked Tada-San if there about the weight difference between the JDM and USDM cars and he said there were a few small differences, but the overall difference was not that big. 3257 vs 3397 is most definitely BIG, so I'm not sure if the figures are wrong on the JDM car or the USDM car, but either way, we need to get these cars onto scales to see.

I considered driving to PTuning and getting the car on the dyno and scales, but it was over an hour away and it probably would have been a little bit against the rules lol. I'll do that in due time when I get my hands on a review unit though.
 

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Okay, I'll touch on steering first. It's faster than the A80 Steering, and much better weighted. The A80 is incredibly overassisted, and that's one of the A80's biggest pitfalls IMO. The A90 doesn't quite have the same level of feel as the A80, and by feel I mean specifically the vibration and feedback that comes through the wheel that indicates what the front tires are doing. Of course, this is the sad reality of electric vs hydraulic steering, but the 86 is def a better tuned electric rack. Now, granted, there are other factors, such as tire, caster angle, etc that play a part in this, so its not necessarily the EPS by itself. Overall, the steering is good though, easy to read, enough feel (much better than a BMW), and quick enough to be fine on a very technical track like Summit's Shenandoah. It has a very predictable amount of springback, very easy to predict, and when you get into oversteer, its' intuitive enough to easily correct.

There is a little deadness in the center as I mentioned earlier. It is likely to make the car a better highway car. and by deadness, I don't mean feel/feedback, I mean actual steering output. There's some footage of Zain testing how much steering input it takes to actually move the car on the road, I'll post that sometime.

About the weight, I asked Tada-San if there about the weight difference between the JDM and USDM cars and he said there were a few small differences, but the overall difference was not that big. 3257 vs 3397 is most definitely BIG, so I'm not sure if the figures are wrong on the JDM car or the USDM car, but either way, we need to get these cars onto scales to see.

I considered driving to PTuning and getting the car on the dyno and scales, but it was over an hour away and it probably would have been a little bit against the rules lol. I'll do that in due time when I get my hands on a review unit though.
fantastic! exactly what i was looking for. The amount of "dead zone" you described is perfect! Even Tsuchiya likes a bit of dead zone, otherwise, it would be bit nervous to drive :p
Thanks for asking about the weight too!
 

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hmmm, better fix that one :p 7000rpm limiter yeah?

in 'sport' and 'normal' modes, does it remember which mode you were in once the car is turned off?

also - stop/start - is this on every time you start the car?

some reviewers note a bit of a sharp change in manual mode - i like this - what did you think?

Thanks for answering all of my curiosities!
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