My test drive experience

[Hakiro09]

Hi everyone,

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to test drive a 3.0 pro supra in the UK, below you'll find my initial like and dislike.

First of all a bit of background of my past car ownership. Bmw e46 330ci x 2, e92 m3, stage 2 mk5 golf gti, bmw m135 xdrive(lasted 3 months) and now the abarth 500.

Things I liked:

• Engine and transmission: The engine pulls from low rpm all the way to the top, there is virtually no lag, the gearbox was quick and sharp in sport mode but smooth in normal mode. Having owned a dct in the past I can tell you that everyday drivability is much better with the ZF and most importantly, with the gearbox in sport mode is still very fun to use the paddles. Don't get me wrong a dct will be sharper still but roundabouts and slow speed manouvers including slow traffic were a pain on my e92 m3. I do not feel shortchanged in any way with the ZF compared to my m3 dct.
• The look of the car: Picture do not capture the presence of the car. I only test drove the car for 30mn with a friend as passenger, and the attention we were getting was unexpected considering its a Toyota. We even had a guy on a lambo give us the wave while stuck in traffic.
• The interior: I never owned a Toyota but uber drivers love them hence having experienced a few of them, I never thought I'll be happy with a Toyota interior. Well the supra interior is definitely a big step up to your average Toyota. I liked the design but most importantly the build quality was solid without any strange noise or vibration.
• The steering / suspension : I normally like cars with quick steering so I was a bit worried about the 15:1 ratio... Well I didn't need to as it felt incredibly quick and responsive. I assume this is the result of the short wheelbase. The suspension was great in both sport mode and normal and I personally would have no issue driving in sport suspension all the time. From my brief test drive I think if you were looking to track the car regularly you might want a stiffer suspension set up as the car felt I little soft on some corners.

Things that need improvement... :

• The tech: honestly is not great, having owned a current bmw with the latest I drive the one on the supra feel a bit old. However is not just that. The screen is really dim, towards the end of the test drive I needed to park the car and I honestly couldn't make up the image from the rear camera as the screen was not bright enough. Also no android auto which means no waze for me. The sound system was also average at best compared to the Harmon kardon 16 speaker on my m135 xdrive (which by enlarge is not considered as a good sound system by m13i xdrive owners)
• Toyota communications/marketing: I feel like there is a lot of confusion in regards to yearly changes/upgrades done by Toyota. I understand that we in UK/Europe we do not get the engine upgrades due to emissions regulations (even though the new m240i with the same engine and gearbox has 374hp) however it would have been nice for Toyota to give us(UK/EU customers) details of any suspension changes or other upgrades. The Supra in the US got various upgrades to the suspension including strut braces (the most visible change). I searched online and even asked my dealer but no one knows if we in the UK/ Europe got the same upgrades to the suspension. If someone have any details please let me know. I do worry that a month after delivery, Toyota comes up with the 374bhp power upgrade and instantly wipes out the value of the 340bhp Supra, similarly to what happened in the US.
• Toyota handling of the Supra: many of the *dislike" mentioned above have been around since the car release all the way back to 2019 and I find it disappointing that Toyota haven't got around fixing some of them (screen too dim ect). I mean they increased the power for some market, which is nice, but then they can't be bothered to fix some small but glaring issues? As a potential costumer, Toyota lack of attention to detail does worry me especially when the car cost £50k.

Overall I really like the car. It felt special to drive and to look at. It's also incredibly rare in the UK which something I like. The car defenetly feels faster than advertised, and from what I understand the early cars did dyno higher than spec however I haven't seen any stock dyno run for the 2021/2022, so that might not be the case anymore?

So in the end I decided.... To order one and so I put a deposit down and picked red as my colour. Delivery date is expected towards September/October but of course is all up in the air with delivery dates for now.

Ps sorry for the long post.

Sponsored

 

[RenRed2]

Hi everyone,

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to test drive a 3.0 pro supra in the UK, below you'll find my initial like and dislike.

First of all a bit of background of my past car ownership. Bmw e46 330ci x 2, e92 m3, stage 2 mk5 golf gti, bmw m135 xdrive(lasted 3 months) and now the abarth 500.

Things I liked:

• Engine and transmission: The engine pulls from low rpm all the way to the top, there is virtually no lag, the gearbox was quick and sharp in sport mode but smooth in normal mode. Having owned a dct in the past I can tell you that everyday drivability is much better with the ZF and most importantly, with the gearbox in sport mode is still very fun to use the paddles. Don't get me wrong a dct will be sharper still but roundabouts and slow speed manouvers including slow traffic were a pain on my e92 m3. I do not feel shortchanged in any way with the ZF compared to my m3 dct.
• The look of the car: Picture do not capture the presence of the car. I only test drove the car for 30mn with a friend as passenger, and the attention we were getting was unexpected considering its a Toyota. We even had a guy on a lambo give us the wave while stuck in traffic.
• The interior: I never owned a Toyota but uber drivers love them hence having experienced a few of them, I never thought I'll be happy with a Toyota interior. Well the supra interior is definitely a big step up to your average Toyota. I liked the design but most importantly the build quality was solid without any strange noise or vibration.
• The steering / suspension : I normally like cars with quick steering so I was a bit worried about the 15:1 ratio... Well I didn't need to as it felt incredibly quick and responsive. I assume this is the result of the short wheelbase. The suspension was great in both sport mode and normal and I personally would have no issue driving in sport suspension all the time. From my brief test drive I think if you were looking to track the car regularly you might want a stiffer suspension set up as the car felt I little soft on some corners.

Things that need improvement... :

• The tech: honestly is not great, having owned a current bmw with the latest I drive the one on the supra feel a bit old. However is not just that. The screen is really dim, towards the end of the test drive I needed to park the car and I honestly couldn't make up the image from the rear camera as the screen was not bright enough. Also no android auto which means no waze for me. The sound system was also average at best compared to the Harmon kardon 16 speaker on my m135 xdrive (which by enlarge is not considered as a good sound system by m13i xdrive owners)
• Toyota communications/marketing: I feel like there is a lot of confusion in regards to yearly changes/upgrades done by Toyota. I understand that we in UK/Europe we do not get the engine upgrades due to emissions regulations (even though the new m240i with the same engine and gearbox has 374hp) however it would have been nice for Toyota to give us(UK/EU customers) details of any suspension changes or other upgrades. The Supra in the US got various upgrades to the suspension including strut braces (the most visible change). I searched online and even asked my dealer but no one knows if we in the UK/ Europe got the same upgrades to the suspension. If someone have any details please let me know. I do worry that a month after delivery, Toyota comes up with the 374bhp power upgrade and instantly wipes out the value of the 340bhp Supra, similarly to what happened in the US.
• Toyota handling of the Supra: many of the *dislike" mentioned above have been around since the car release all the way back to 2019 and I find it disappointing that Toyota haven't got around fixing some of them (screen too dim ect). I mean they increased the power for some market, which is nice, but then they can't be bothered to fix some small but glaring issues? As a potential costumer, Toyota lack of attention to detail does worry me especially when the car cost £50k.

Overall I really like the car. It felt special to drive and to look at. It's also incredibly rare in the UK which something I like. The car defenetly feels faster than advertised, and from what I understand the early cars did dyno higher than spec however I haven't seen any stock dyno run for the 2021/2022, so that might not be the case anymore?

So in the end I decided.... To order one and so I put a deposit down and picked red as my colour. Delivery date is expected towards September/October but of course is all up in the air with delivery dates for now.

Ps sorry for the long post.

Thanks for this. One of the better reviews outside of a magazine Ive seen on a forum. I have the 2.0 here in the USA. Im going back to Germany soon. The 2.0 will be sold as I will pick the 3 liter machine after Im settled back in Germany. Hopeful to find the 3.0 in yellow!! I see them for sale so should be no problem.

I feel very happy with the 2.0. Given the lower speed limits here etc, the 2.0 is a fine and balanced performer. The pull of the 3.0 is superb. I find no major fault overall with either package. I hope you enjoy yours!

 

[suicidaleggroll]

The dim screen is an easy fix with bimmercode btw

 

[romanLegion9574]

The interior: I never owned a Toyota but uber drivers love them hence having experienced a few of them, I never thought I'll be happy with a Toyota interior. Well the supra interior is definitely a big step up to your average Toyota. I liked the design but most importantly the build quality was solid without any strange noise or vibration.

The interior is basically all BMW, hence the big step up.

 

[Chappers]

Hi everyone,

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to test drive a 3.0 pro supra in the UK, below you'll find my initial like and dislike.

First of all a bit of background of my past car ownership. Bmw e46 330ci x 2, e92 m3, stage 2 mk5 golf gti, bmw m135 xdrive(lasted 3 months) and now the abarth 500.

Things I liked:

• Engine and transmission: The engine pulls from low rpm all the way to the top, there is virtually no lag, the gearbox was quick and sharp in sport mode but smooth in normal mode. Having owned a dct in the past I can tell you that everyday drivability is much better with the ZF and most importantly, with the gearbox in sport mode is still very fun to use the paddles. Don't get me wrong a dct will be sharper still but roundabouts and slow speed manouvers including slow traffic were a pain on my e92 m3. I do not feel shortchanged in any way with the ZF compared to my m3 dct.
• The look of the car: Picture do not capture the presence of the car. I only test drove the car for 30mn with a friend as passenger, and the attention we were getting was unexpected considering its a Toyota. We even had a guy on a lambo give us the wave while stuck in traffic.
• The interior: I never owned a Toyota but uber drivers love them hence having experienced a few of them, I never thought I'll be happy with a Toyota interior. Well the supra interior is definitely a big step up to your average Toyota. I liked the design but most importantly the build quality was solid without any strange noise or vibration.
• The steering / suspension : I normally like cars with quick steering so I was a bit worried about the 15:1 ratio... Well I didn't need to as it felt incredibly quick and responsive. I assume this is the result of the short wheelbase. The suspension was great in both sport mode and normal and I personally would have no issue driving in sport suspension all the time. From my brief test drive I think if you were looking to track the car regularly you might want a stiffer suspension set up as the car felt I little soft on some corners.

Things that need improvement... :

• The tech: honestly is not great, having owned a current bmw with the latest I drive the one on the supra feel a bit old. However is not just that. The screen is really dim, towards the end of the test drive I needed to park the car and I honestly couldn't make up the image from the rear camera as the screen was not bright enough. Also no android auto which means no waze for me. The sound system was also average at best compared to the Harmon kardon 16 speaker on my m135 xdrive (which by enlarge is not considered as a good sound system by m13i xdrive owners)
• Toyota communications/marketing: I feel like there is a lot of confusion in regards to yearly changes/upgrades done by Toyota. I understand that we in UK/Europe we do not get the engine upgrades due to emissions regulations (even though the new m240i with the same engine and gearbox has 374hp) however it would have been nice for Toyota to give us(UK/EU customers) details of any suspension changes or other upgrades. The Supra in the US got various upgrades to the suspension including strut braces (the most visible change). I searched online and even asked my dealer but no one knows if we in the UK/ Europe got the same upgrades to the suspension. If someone have any details please let me know. I do worry that a month after delivery, Toyota comes up with the 374bhp power upgrade and instantly wipes out the value of the 340bhp Supra, similarly to what happened in the US.
• Toyota handling of the Supra: many of the *dislike" mentioned above have been around since the car release all the way back to 2019 and I find it disappointing that Toyota haven't got around fixing some of them (screen too dim ect). I mean they increased the power for some market, which is nice, but then they can't be bothered to fix some small but glaring issues? As a potential costumer, Toyota lack of attention to detail does worry me especially when the car cost £50k.

Overall I really like the car. It felt special to drive and to look at. It's also incredibly rare in the UK which something I like. The car defenetly feels faster than advertised, and from what I understand the early cars did dyno higher than spec however I haven't seen any stock dyno run for the 2021/2022, so that might not be the case anymore?

So in the end I decided.... To order one and so I put a deposit down and picked red as my colour. Delivery date is expected towards September/October but of course is all up in the air with delivery dates for now.

Ps sorry for the long post.

I felt exactly the same as you, and did exactly the same before Christmas haha congrats on the purchase, I've been researching mods n most of the dim n android auto can be reteofitted

 

[zrk]

The sound system was also average

Doing @tadda's Audio mods, especially the EQ + ASD removal, completely changes the stereo, even without the bass port mods. 15 minutes for the EQ stuff, ASD removal requires Bimmercode, but you're going to need that to fix the display brightness anyway.

 

[nc_]

I think others have beaten me to the punch with solutions for the screen being dim and the audio quality - hopefully that shows the community is definitely there for smoothing off the occasional rough edge leftover!

Just remember to get the thing aligned as part of the PDI before you collect it! They are all wonky from the factory.

 

[djbilly]

Hi everyone,

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to test drive a 3.0 pro supra in the UK, below you'll find my initial like and dislike.

First of all a bit of background of my past car ownership. Bmw e46 330ci x 2, e92 m3, stage 2 mk5 golf gti, bmw m135 xdrive(lasted 3 months) and now the abarth 500.

Things I liked:

• Engine and transmission: The engine pulls from low rpm all the way to the top, there is virtually no lag, the gearbox was quick and sharp in sport mode but smooth in normal mode. Having owned a dct in the past I can tell you that everyday drivability is much better with the ZF and most importantly, with the gearbox in sport mode is still very fun to use the paddles. Don't get me wrong a dct will be sharper still but roundabouts and slow speed manouvers including slow traffic were a pain on my e92 m3. I do not feel shortchanged in any way with the ZF compared to my m3 dct.
• The look of the car: Picture do not capture the presence of the car. I only test drove the car for 30mn with a friend as passenger, and the attention we were getting was unexpected considering its a Toyota. We even had a guy on a lambo give us the wave while stuck in traffic.
• The interior: I never owned a Toyota but uber drivers love them hence having experienced a few of them, I never thought I'll be happy with a Toyota interior. Well the supra interior is definitely a big step up to your average Toyota. I liked the design but most importantly the build quality was solid without any strange noise or vibration.
• The steering / suspension : I normally like cars with quick steering so I was a bit worried about the 15:1 ratio... Well I didn't need to as it felt incredibly quick and responsive. I assume this is the result of the short wheelbase. The suspension was great in both sport mode and normal and I personally would have no issue driving in sport suspension all the time. From my brief test drive I think if you were looking to track the car regularly you might want a stiffer suspension set up as the car felt I little soft on some corners.

Things that need improvement... :

• The tech: honestly is not great, having owned a current bmw with the latest I drive the one on the supra feel a bit old. However is not just that. The screen is really dim, towards the end of the test drive I needed to park the car and I honestly couldn't make up the image from the rear camera as the screen was not bright enough. Also no android auto which means no waze for me. The sound system was also average at best compared to the Harmon kardon 16 speaker on my m135 xdrive (which by enlarge is not considered as a good sound system by m13i xdrive owners)
• Toyota communications/marketing: I feel like there is a lot of confusion in regards to yearly changes/upgrades done by Toyota. I understand that we in UK/Europe we do not get the engine upgrades due to emissions regulations (even though the new m240i with the same engine and gearbox has 374hp) however it would have been nice for Toyota to give us(UK/EU customers) details of any suspension changes or other upgrades. The Supra in the US got various upgrades to the suspension including strut braces (the most visible change). I searched online and even asked my dealer but no one knows if we in the UK/ Europe got the same upgrades to the suspension. If someone have any details please let me know. I do worry that a month after delivery, Toyota comes up with the 374bhp power upgrade and instantly wipes out the value of the 340bhp Supra, similarly to what happened in the US.
• Toyota handling of the Supra: many of the *dislike" mentioned above have been around since the car release all the way back to 2019 and I find it disappointing that Toyota haven't got around fixing some of them (screen too dim ect). I mean they increased the power for some market, which is nice, but then they can't be bothered to fix some small but glaring issues? As a potential costumer, Toyota lack of attention to detail does worry me especially when the car cost £50k.

Overall I really like the car. It felt special to drive and to look at. It's also incredibly rare in the UK which something I like. The car defenetly feels faster than advertised, and from what I understand the early cars did dyno higher than spec however I haven't seen any stock dyno run for the 2021/2022, so that might not be the case anymore?

So in the end I decided.... To order one and so I put a deposit down and picked red as my colour. Delivery date is expected towards September/October but of course is all up in the air with delivery dates for now.

Ps sorry for the long post.

Yeah, the Supra has the previous generation iDrive afaik, hence no Android Auto - which is a PITA. Can only assume that BMW didn't want to give Toyota their very latest tech for the Supra or maybe Toyota didn't want to pay for the latest version.

I just use Waze on my phone - not that big a deal - but would have been nicer to have it on the actual car's screen.

As suicidaleggroll said, you just need to get the Bimmercode App and an OBD link like this one:

https://www.obdlink.com/products/obdlink-cx/

With those you'll be able to do lots of coding on the car, such as increasing the screen brightness, turn on the rear daytime driving lights, enable Sports+ mode, start the car with Sport enabled and loads of other stuff.

The 3.0 here in the UK says it comes with 335 BHP. Many, including myself have had them on a dyno and all have produced differing results. My 2020 said it was putting out 350 BHP, but I don't have much trust in that dyno, and I think it may have understated it if anything.

We're not getting the 382 BHP that the US Market got as far as I'm aware, and that's due to emissions laws. In the US they don't have as restrictive exhaust as we have due to the cat and filters.

If I can help with any other questions etc feel free to give me a shout.

 

[Hakiro09]

Thank you all for your replys. It's nice to know that the majority of my "complains" are easily fixable.

Is also great to know that the mk5 supra community is alive and well.

Does anyone know if the suspension changes made for the USA market have carried over to the UK?
I ask becouse during my test drive the car felt planted and when I did put my foot down in second gear the car was very controllable so maybe thay changed something.
Btw the car was a 2021

Also does anyone know of any changes made for the 2022 in the UK.

Again thank you all!!

 

[TurboTime]

Did you test drive an older used vehicle? Screen brightness was fixed in software update.

No changes to suspension in UK, not getting the "o" engine either.

We are not getting A91 or A92, just the good old A90

Interior as mentioned is previous gen BMW

 

[iEatCommunists]

I felt exactly the same as you, and did exactly the same before Christmas haha congrats on the purchase, I've been researching mods n most of the dim n android auto can be reteofitted

Fyi I'm fairly certain andriod auto's retrofit is limited to display on the screen and you can't make the screen touch sensative. This really lowers the appeal for me.

 

[Hakiro09]

Did you test drive an older used vehicle? Screen brightness was fixed in software update.



No changes to suspension in UK, not getting the "o" engine either.



We are not getting A91 or A92, just the good old A90



Interior as mentioned is previous gen BMW

Hi Turbotime,

The car I test drove was a white supra with a 21 plate.

Also thank u for letting me know about the suspension. Honestly the suspension and traction was really good considering the roads were wet.


I think the 2023 might receive a bigger update in the UK , might be worth waiting for a January 2023 car. According to my dealer my car would be due December 22...will see.

 

[Dan]

Haha I had a F40 M135i xdrive before the supra!
The Aisin gearbox was awful on that car compared to the ZF used here in the supra.

 

[TurboTime]

Hi Turbotime,

The car I test drove was a white supra with a 21 plate.

Also thank u for letting me know about the suspension. Honestly the suspension and traction was really good considering the roads were wet.


I think the 2023 might receive a bigger update in the UK , might be worth waiting for a January 2023 car. According to my dealer my car would be due December 22...will see.

FYI there's quite a few 21 plates that are Jan 20 cars (same with lots of manufactures) so probably one of those and therefore old software not updated.

2023 probably be the same again as we are not allowed the other engine for emissions and any tweaks don't make financial sense relating to this especially as euro 7 less then 3 years. Basically Toyota is not interested unless US or home markets.

Android auto option is expensive and unreliable I've heard so rule that out. As I said this is BMWs last gen inside and they didn't have it either, so it will not come. Annoying as I'm android....

Overall a good car, but let down by poor build quality, price, steering ratio, rotten stereo, Toyota UK, etc. etc. still I own one so can't be all bad ;-)

I think you hit upon most of this when you test drove and sound happy to just deal with them which I guess I did too. TBH I didn't really enjoy the test drive, but got offered a great deal so went for it. You do feel special inside as not many about.

Sure you'll love it, but that is some lead time you've got to wait :-(

 

[Blaque Diamond Wheels]

Hi everyone,

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to test drive a 3.0 pro supra in the UK, below you'll find my initial like and dislike.

First of all a bit of background of my past car ownership. Bmw e46 330ci x 2, e92 m3, stage 2 mk5 golf gti, bmw m135 xdrive(lasted 3 months) and now the abarth 500.

Things I liked:

• Engine and transmission: The engine pulls from low rpm all the way to the top, there is virtually no lag, the gearbox was quick and sharp in sport mode but smooth in normal mode. Having owned a dct in the past I can tell you that everyday drivability is much better with the ZF and most importantly, with the gearbox in sport mode is still very fun to use the paddles. Don't get me wrong a dct will be sharper still but roundabouts and slow speed manouvers including slow traffic were a pain on my e92 m3. I do not feel shortchanged in any way with the ZF compared to my m3 dct.
• The look of the car: Picture do not capture the presence of the car. I only test drove the car for 30mn with a friend as passenger, and the attention we were getting was unexpected considering its a Toyota. We even had a guy on a lambo give us the wave while stuck in traffic.
• The interior: I never owned a Toyota but uber drivers love them hence having experienced a few of them, I never thought I'll be happy with a Toyota interior. Well the supra interior is definitely a big step up to your average Toyota. I liked the design but most importantly the build quality was solid without any strange noise or vibration.
• The steering / suspension : I normally like cars with quick steering so I was a bit worried about the 15:1 ratio... Well I didn't need to as it felt incredibly quick and responsive. I assume this is the result of the short wheelbase. The suspension was great in both sport mode and normal and I personally would have no issue driving in sport suspension all the time. From my brief test drive I think if you were looking to track the car regularly you might want a stiffer suspension set up as the car felt I little soft on some corners.

Things that need improvement... :

• The tech: honestly is not great, having owned a current bmw with the latest I drive the one on the supra feel a bit old. However is not just that. The screen is really dim, towards the end of the test drive I needed to park the car and I honestly couldn't make up the image from the rear camera as the screen was not bright enough. Also no android auto which means no waze for me. The sound system was also average at best compared to the Harmon kardon 16 speaker on my m135 xdrive (which by enlarge is not considered as a good sound system by m13i xdrive owners)
• Toyota communications/marketing: I feel like there is a lot of confusion in regards to yearly changes/upgrades done by Toyota. I understand that we in UK/Europe we do not get the engine upgrades due to emissions regulations (even though the new m240i with the same engine and gearbox has 374hp) however it would have been nice for Toyota to give us(UK/EU customers) details of any suspension changes or other upgrades. The Supra in the US got various upgrades to the suspension including strut braces (the most visible change). I searched online and even asked my dealer but no one knows if we in the UK/ Europe got the same upgrades to the suspension. If someone have any details please let me know. I do worry that a month after delivery, Toyota comes up with the 374bhp power upgrade and instantly wipes out the value of the 340bhp Supra, similarly to what happened in the US.
• Toyota handling of the Supra: many of the *dislike" mentioned above have been around since the car release all the way back to 2019 and I find it disappointing that Toyota haven't got around fixing some of them (screen too dim ect). I mean they increased the power for some market, which is nice, but then they can't be bothered to fix some small but glaring issues? As a potential costumer, Toyota lack of attention to detail does worry me especially when the car cost £50k.

Overall I really like the car. It felt special to drive and to look at. It's also incredibly rare in the UK which something I like. The car defenetly feels faster than advertised, and from what I understand the early cars did dyno higher than spec however I haven't seen any stock dyno run for the 2021/2022, so that might not be the case anymore?

So in the end I decided.... To order one and so I put a deposit down and picked red as my colour. Delivery date is expected towards September/October but of course is all up in the air with delivery dates for now.

Ps sorry for the long post.

Pretty comprehensive review. Weighing the pros and cons will definitely help you out with the upgrades you might wanna put up. Hope to see your car in posts real soon!

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