My Supra Review

[MA617M]

Porsche steering is second to none. Even the older models are just lovely.

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[DesmoSD]

Porsche steering is second to none. Even the older models are just lovely.

Absolutely! Even w/out power steering, their steering is something very special.

It gets heavier, similar to the M3 in comfort mode which is where I like it.

I had a 997 C2S and it was a great handling car. I would say this car is a lot more neutral and has more grip. The 997 had some push mid corner but it’s steering was better by a decent amount.

Very nice to hear! I can't wait to test drive one. I just hope it doesn't disappoint me.

 

[s219]

Got both a supra and an M2C on order at present.

One will get cancelled, but really not sure which one.

Manual M2C I can see being a cult classic down the line, pretty much any fast manual will be as autos become more widespread.

What scares me is that I get an auto supra, and a manual one comes out next yr - I'd be seriously pissed!

I've pretty much gotten into the mode where I admit it's a dumb idea and pure financial stupidity to buy a new sports car every so often. Not trying to rationalize it helps (within limits -- still have to pay for my kid's college). If you really fall in love with the Supra as it is now, I'd say go for it, and then if a manual version comes out in the future, consider your options and see how you feel. It might not be a big deal to sell/trade for a manual in the grand scheme of things.

The main reason I decided to pass on the Supra right now is that the M2C is such a gem and I love it. Whatever replaces it will have to be really special and not have tradeoffs. Yeah the Supra is the shiny new toy and very compelling, but I know I'd regret parting with the M2C and losing the stick shift.

The downside to the M2C is that you're looking at $61-65K depending on how you option it and it's still just based on a 2-series, with a very basic interior (albeit with nicer M materials and seats). They are still a bit hard to come by, and discounts are rare. It's not an easy car to buy if you look at the facts. I sure had my reservations about that car, but after a test drive I had to have one. Very few cars have hooked me like that one.

 

[MA617M]

This is what I worry about. The car i'm selling to fund A90 is a really fun car (the A90 would be faster, handle better, better on fuel) but there's something about an angry 6.2 litre you can't quantify....

 

[s219]

I’m confused why everyone thinks the M2 will be special when the new M3 has already confirmed it will have a manual. I’m keeping my C7 Corvette manual because C8 is auto only and will be last front engine manual Corvette!

The M2C is a vanishing breed within BMW -- small, fun, tossable cars. Current and future M3/M4 cars have gotten big and heavy, and lost a lot of the magic, and the other M cars are bloated even worse (some say M stands for marketing when describing them). A lot of people feel like the M2 has returned to the M car roots established by early M3 generations and the 1M. Whether or not it will be a classic is unknown. It's made in pretty large numbers so it won't be rare like the 1M, that's for sure.

 

[s219]

Nice review. I do have some disagreement, however. I do not think that the stiffness of the suspension translates to sportiness. In the real world, cars like the F80 or F87 would be pretty skittish and unpredictable simply because they are oversprung. I recall getting the rear end of my F80 to step out just easing out of a slightly undulating corner.

I agree with what you are saying and I may not have explained myself well. I was thinking more about front end stiffness and rigidity, which was one thing that really jumped out at me when comparing the M2C to the Supra.

 

[s219]

Thanks @s219 for your honest review of the Supra. Given your current car and previous cars that you've driven, have you ever driven a Porsche? I'm more curious by when you said "tossable" since my old 911 has similar specs to the MKV.

I'm holding all judgment until I have the opportunity to drive a MKV at speed and simply amazed on how agile 911's are. I would be nice to see how the MKV feels compared to that.

I have driven my father in law's Boxster (older model year, don't remember) and 2019 Cayman, but I was being super careful and not really pushing the cars. Never have tried a 911. I thought the Cayman was a delight to drive, but I'd choose a Supra for myself (all else equal). For the money the Supra is pretty awesome.

 

[smokie]

The automatic transmission shifts so perfectly I am not sure why you need a standard transmission.

With that thought process, a Model 3 Performance drives and handles perfectly fine too why bother building an outdated ICE car? It really does need a manual transmission to complete the car.

 

[SF186]

I've also had the chance to take the new supra out on a track for a few laps and agree with your review. Overall it's a very fun little car. I thought the steering felt a bit light and the brakes were only okay, but proper pads and fluid would likely fix that. The BMW/Toyota thing is strange, but to me quirks make a car and it is certainly unique. I imagine it will become more Toyota as the life cycle progresses, but it isn't as if BMW doesn't make a fun car when they put their minds to it. I'm going to hold off until a manual comes for a fun car, but if anyone doesn't plan on getting the manual anyway you can feel very confident that the zf delivers a fun drive.

 

[oakleyguy]

M3/M4 cars have gotten big and heavy"

Not throwing salt, but a stripper 6MT F82 M4 weighted almost the same as the original M2. I believe the M2C is a bit heavier with the addition of the S55.

 

[s219]

I've also had the chance to take the new supra out on a track for a few laps and agree with your review. Overall it's a very fun little car. I thought the steering felt a bit light and the brakes were only okay, but proper pads and fluid would likely fix that. The BMW/Toyota thing is strange, but to me quirks make a car and it is certainly unique. I imagine it will become more Toyota as the life cycle progresses, but it isn't as if BMW doesn't make a fun car when they put their minds to it. I'm going to hold off until a manual comes for a fun car, but if anyone doesn't plan on getting the manual anyway you can feel very confident that the zf delivers a fun drive.

I don't know if they inherited this from BMW, but the power steering feel in my X3 M40i and M2 is still to light for my taste in comfort and sport modes. I have to program the steering for sport+ on my two BMWs to get the feel I like. It's all artificial of course, since they are just dialing back the amount of power assist to make it feel firm.

 

[s219]

Not throwing salt, but a stripper 6MT F82 M4 weighted almost the same as the original M2. I believe the M2C is a bit heavier with the addition of the S55.

You are right on that, the M2C is just 25# lighter than the M4 according to BMW. I don't know why the M4 feels so much heavier than that though, maybe it's just the size.

 

[RyanGT3RS]

This is what I worry about. The car i'm selling to fund A90 is a really fun car (the A90 would be faster, handle better, better on fuel) but there's something about an angry 6.2 litre you can't quantify....

How would you say the steering is on the w204 C63’s?

 

[MA617M]

How would you say the steering is on the w204 C63’s?

it's very un-mercedes - it's very good. Ratio is 13:1, nice weighting, very good feedback. communicates a lot through the wheel - I'd say far better than any supra (A60/A70/A80). probably on par with Renault Megane RS265.... but less jittery due to tyres/suspension tune.

 

[oakleyguy]

You are right on that, the M2C is just 25# lighter than the M4 according to BMW. I don't know why the M4 feels so much heavier than that though, maybe it's just the size.

I'd hazard that it is probably the shorter wheelbase on the M2.

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