Reviews are in for 2020 Supra MKV preproduction car

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Goose

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Since I'm interested in the car, I only care what I think about it, not what anyone else does. Though it would be nice if The GT Trio like it.
 
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Supra93

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterl...andling-but-controversial-looks/#7221839770cf

Supra Is Back With Plenty Of Grunt And Great Handling But Controversial Looks

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Rarely does a car come along that elevates adrenalin and anticipation levels to 11. When full volume is 10, that is. The new Toyota Supra, code-named A90, is such a car. The reason for its pre-launch hype is a product of an unusually long gestation period, the fact that it teased sports car fans multiple times in tri-color camouflage at places like Goodwood, and the fact that it was borne from an intriguing co-development program between Toyota and BMW.

Even though the A80 predecessor went out of production in 2002, the Supra name and high-performance imagery have been kept alive in collective cult folklore thanks to its regular stints in the $5 billion-grossing Fast and Furiousmovie franchise that first arrived in cinemas in 2001. In fact, the Mark IV A80 Supra was one of the hero cars from the first installment‘ Fast and Furious,’ a car rescued by O’Conner’s character from a junkyard and brought back to life in Toretto’s garage.

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The Supra name and high performance imagery were been kept alive in collective cult folklore thanks to regular stints in the $5 billion grossing Fast and Furious movies. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOYOTA

Almost as important in keeping the Supra name front and center in the minds of current enthusiasts and future drivers for the past 17 years was its regular appearances in the world’s biggest-selling driving simulator game Gran Turismo (GT). Having spent hundreds of hours over the past 20 years exploring the limits of GT with dozens of gamers from Tokyo to LA to Frankfurt, I can safely say that just about every gaming addict I know has at least one heavily tuned Supra in their virtual garage.

We first heard about the co-development agreement between BMW and Toyota way back in 2012, when the two carmakers revealed that they were going to share a platform and powertrain for the next generation Supra and BMW Z4.

Then after six long years, a fully-liveried Supra race car concept appeared at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show in March to rapturous applause and high expectations for something special in the production version. For the last year, we’ve seen the Supra appearing in heavy camouflage at strategic events the U.K., Spain and even the U.S. The car you see here, however, is the first time we have laid eyes on the actual un-camouflaged production sheet metal and I had a chance to drive it at the Sodegaura Forest Raceway some 90 minutes south-east of Tokyo.

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The Supra body is function over form, beefcake over beauty. But it certainly has street presence. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOYOTA

Okay, first impressions? No beating around the bush here. The new Supra is visually striking but it’s not a pretty car. It is function over form, beefcake over beauty. If we hoped for a direct transition from the sharp-looking, well proportioned FT-1 concept car first seen at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, we were let down. Its muscular front and side skirts seem inspired by Chris Hemworth’s Thor character from The Avengers movie franchise while its bulging rear haunches could have easily been influenced by Jennifer Lopez’s generous booty.

That combination in itself sounds rather appealing—Chris meets JLo—but unfortunately, that potential eye-candy body seems to have been injected with steroids, disrupting the overall balance. In fact, according to one source close to Toyota, the reason the Supra isn’t an aesthetic beauty is that designers, in all their wisdom, decided to merely shrink the sensational looking FT-1 concept, without adjusting its proportions in the downsizing process. But then as they say, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ and from what we’re hearing, the new Supra’s beefcake body is going down well in the U.S. where a race car version will replace the Camry in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2019.

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Inside, the red and black dual color toned leather seats provide excellent support and comfort and the dashboard execution is more adult-friendly than boy racer oriented. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOYOTA

Having just driven the new Supra A90, I can confirm that it will not let you down in handling or performance. Powered by a BMW-built 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-6, sharing its architecture with the BMW Z4, the new Supra generates 335hp and 365 lb-ft of torque through a ZF-supplied 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which is undoubtedly one of the best powertrains in the world. Now for the sports cars diehards out there, you’d better sit down. There is no stick shift version. As Tada says, with reasons including that fact that a manual transmission might impact GT86 sales, Toyota only offers the 8-speed auto.

After briefly chatting with Supra’s chief engineer Tetsuya Tada about the car’s long gestation period, he explained that although it does share basic components like powertrain and chassis, the feel of the Supra compared to the Z4 is very different. “Once we had the basic platform and powertrain, each development team went to work in isolation from the other. So the end results are two completely different cars,” he stresses.

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Powered by a BMW-built 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-6, sharing its architecture with the BMW Z4, the new Supra generates 335hp and 365 lb-ft of torque. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOYOTA

Heading out onto the track, the first thing you notice is that the new Supra is fitted with its own unique specification of springs and active dampers with three settings (Normal, Sport and Sport +), an electronic diff, 4-pot Brembo brakes and 19-inch Michelin Pilot Sport rubber. Tada impresses by telling us that the car squeezes in under 1500kg in weight, its steel and aluminum shell is stiffer than that of the Lexus LFA, and the center of gravity is lower than a GT86. That’s impressive given that the GT86 employs a Subaru-sourced boxer engine, powerplants that normally sit lower in engine bays than inline sixes.

Keep the 3.0-liter spinning around 3000 revs and you’ll have a tsunami of torque on tap. The Supra possesses ample acceleration and, for a straight-6, it revs hard and delivers prodigious power all the way to its 7000rpm redline. At 4.1 seconds, its zero to 60mph sprint time is nearly a second quicker than the A80 predecessor. Shifts are quick on the 8-speed with minimal shift-shock and in manual mode, it will hold a gear rather than changing up if you are running in either of the Sport modes.

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The Supra possesses ample acceleration and, for a straight-6, it revs hard and delivers prodigious power all the way to its 7000rpm redline. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOYOTA

The Supra reveals its true colors in the corners, entering and exiting with poise and purpose. The e-diff puts power down without a fuss, and as the steering unwinds there's an adjustable amount of slide if you want it. There's plenty of grip available from the 19-inch Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires translating the obedient and confident turn-in.

The A90 Supra has just the right amount of roll and pitch, while the steering points you into a corner using a single input with minimal mid-corner corrections. At the limit, however, the coupe can feel a little peaky as it slides and fights for grip. Ah yes, for the drifters out there, a quick flick of the traction control to off, and ‘power sliding’ is there for the taking.

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The combination of the superbly composed chassis, perfectly weighted steering, and purposeful power delivery make the Supra a hugely satisfying driver experience. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOYOTA

Steering feel is precise and nicely weighted, and dare I say, more composed than the nervous GT86. The combination of the superbly composed chassis, perfectly weighted steering, and purposeful power delivery make the Supra a hugely satisfying driver experience. While the brakes do wipe of speed quickly, I would have liked slightly bigger brakes with more rigidity and more immediate stopping power. But I’m sure a higher performance brake package will be offered once the car lands in showrooms.

With pricing starting at just over $50,000, the Supra does everything with pace and poise. It is less of a sports car and more of a GT car, which is what Tada was aiming for. Inside, the red and black dual color tone leather seats provide excellent support and comfort and the dashboard execution is more adult-friendly than boy racer oriented. It feels almost as precise as a Porsche Cayman and nearly as tightly wound as an Alpine A110, but then again, remember what Toyota’s target is here. It’s the GT86’s big brother so it must be more mature, more powerful and more refined. And that translates to exactly what Toyota has built here, a BMW-flavoured Toyota-tuned ‘GT car.’
 

BRX

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Even though I completely disagree on the looks being out of proportion and some other comments, that's a very good first review of the production vehicle. Are we expecting more reviews from other sources on this same event? Maybe videos?
 

TheFalls

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The author wasn't too impressed with the looks but it seems he liked the handling.

And didn't complain about lack of power at all. :)
 

MA617M

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No, the car has two modes. Normal and Sport. You can switch the VSC between sport and off, but that is not really a driving mode.
 

Stuhagen

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Is there any specs out there for interior dimensions? I *heard* that the inside is very close in size to the FRS/BRZ. That if you are fairly big/tall you may find it hard to get in and out.
 

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Is there any specs out there for interior dimensions? I *heard* that the inside is very close in size to the FRS/BRZ. That if you are fairly big/tall you may find it hard to get in and out.
I don't have exact specs, but interior wise it is fairly similar in size to an FRS/BRZ. The door opening is quite low/narrow so tall people will likely bump their head on the pillar getting in and out if they're not careful lol. Interior headroom is fine though, should be fine for people up to 6'3", maybe 6'4", even with a helmet. The seat sits a little too high up for my taste but that's because of all the power adjustment gizmos no doubt. Would have preferred a lower manual seat.

Regardless, if you fit in an MKIV, you should definitely fit in this!
 
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