Supra drawbacks

[REDLINE]

Echoing everyone else here. The Supra is fantastic. Car & Driver had a fantastic run with their long-term tester, saying it exhibited surprisingly Toyota-like reliability for a BMW.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a32032594/2020-toyota-supra-reliability-maintenance/

As AHP said, the biggest downfall to the Supra is the dealership. If you can find a good dealer local to you, you will never have a problem.

One minor issue that no one has mentioned yet is the hood. It has two latches, and it's made from aluminum. You have to shut it with some decent force (push-drop it from about the point the shocks start to let it drop), otherwise you may only latch one, or neither. Some people have had their hoods warp from doing this improperly.

Now - don't get me wrong, I think it's really hard to screw it up, but some people are terrified of hurting their delicate little flower, so they won't use some force to close the thing, I guess!

A friend of mine had a GT350R. While I absolutely love the engine in that car, the rattles and other random issues killed it for me. I can tell you that the worst-built Supra is at least on-par with the best-built GT350. Yes, there are some minor things - but there's a simple fix for just about every one of them, if you search.

This is is super helpful. Thanks!

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[kaj]

If you buy a Supra can I buy your GT350 from you to turn into a track car?

Funny. I went the opposite route. My 350R just didn't do it for me. LOL

OP: if you're looking for somebody to compare a 350r to the Supra, let me know I can do that for you.

Things I've noticed tracking the car so far, my car is 100% stock:

My gear shift lever swaps back over to automatic mode when I make hard left hand turns. It's pretty annoying, I'm currently working on a fix.
I haven't noticed anything else that seems to be a problem for me. Any noises, rattles, or squeaks that people mention, are going to be nothing compared to my previous and current track cars.
My car is a 21 and consumes no oil, nor have any of the other 21s that I've come across.
The TPMS system is weird. Apparently I have to keep reteaching it to compensate for the pressures I run, but I haven't figured out how yet. I just don't like having pop-ups and yellow lights on the dashboard.

That's about it for me. It's not as much of a race car as my other track vehicle, but I really do enjoy it. To the point where I think I may be selling my current track car and keeping the super exclusively.

It's all preference, of course, but I am enjoying this car about a hundred times more than my 350R

 

[B58_ hwAyaq]

I will say the absolute worst part about this car is not the car itself but the dealers who will do anything to avoid having to work on it.

100000000%

I’m on the phone with the 3rd dealer today trying to schedule a simple oil change (included in my ToyotaCare that came with the car when I bought it used).

And I had to schedule it 19 days out to ensure a Supra tech is available and they have the right GR Supra oil…

I love this car. I loathe the dealership experience.

If it wasn’t for the free oil changes, I’d be at my preferred euro performance shop for any work I don’t want to do myself.

Outside of that, this car is remarkably solid (besides minor annoyances already mentioned), and it has me eyeing BMWs in the future.

(2020 ecutek tuned, FWIW)

 

[Mimosa]

The oil thing is a non issue.

Use 5w30

If you boost the shit out of your car use 5w40

Problem solved.

 

[Kujiwara]

I have a New Edge Cobra with 600HP and lots of chassis and suspension upgrades for road course driving back in the day, used to be quicker than 997.1 GT3 around the tracks. So I can sort of relate to a GT350 in a way. I've yet to buy a supra but test drove a bunch and also drove one on track, just waiting on the reviews and first year feedback on the MT supras. I'm sure I'll buy one though.

Supra is very different and serious although arguably the 350 has more track focused parts, the Supra is still more serious car/design to begin, I guess that's what german performance cars are like. You'll love it regardless, just from the smaller size and nimbleness you'll forget about that glorious V8 a little easier.

From my research, the issues has been:
1. Oil level measurement sometime doesnt work, does not seem to be a popular issue, permanent fix seems to be replacing the sensor and a oil valve. This also contributed to some cars measuring oil incorrectly and false low readings.
2. 2021 burning oil seems to not be a popular issue, haven't seen many 2022s with the issue, so guess 2023 is ok. Some reported 30 weight oil solving legit oil burning issue, makes sense, and also a good way to prevent wear from driving too hard on 0w20
3. Buffeting is cheap fix
4. I personally will switch to a Z4 M performance steering wheel right away
5. 2023 has quite a lineup / markup right now
6. trunk popping up and closing itself when you unlock the trunk from inside the car and close the door. due to air pressure
7. If you're after a MT model, there are some parts that have never been on any toyota or bmw before so there might be "first year model" issues to the MT ones specifically. But the gearbox itself is a modified BMW box, with roots tracing all the way back to the Z4M/1M, so I don't anticipate issues with the box itself.
8. random people yelling is that a supra at you, or people asking you why don't you buy a BMW

All in all there's no crazy issues with the car, hence why so many love it

 

[Nihil]

You'll hit your head every time you get in and out

I'll caveat that by saying I don't own a Supra at the moment, but when we went to try one this happened every time and my wife nixed it from her consideration. She thought for sure this was the one until that happened. I know it won't matter to most enthusiasts, but the ergonomics do take some getting used to.

 

[Tsuki]

6. trunk popping up and closing itself when you unlock the trunk from inside the car and close the door. due to air pressure

Honestly, the trunk not having a release on the outside is probably top-3 most annoying things about the car for me. Probably #2, even.

You'll hit your head every time you get in and out

Yeah, this! Literally everyone will hit their head getting into your car the first time, no matter how much you warn them. And, learn from me - if it's pouring rain out, do NOT move as quickly as you can to get into your car, you WILL end up concussed. haha

Getting OUT of the car, however, has never been a problem for me.

 

[Materia]

You'll hit your head every time you get in and out

I'll caveat that by saying I don't own a Supra at the moment, but when we went to try one this happened every time and my wife nixed it from her consideration. She thought for sure this was the one until that happened. I know it won't matter to most enthusiasts, but the ergonomics do take some getting used to.

Did you recline the seat? I'm 6'4" and unless Im wearing full race gear I won't touch roof.

I will say my drawbacks while minor are just rattling or creaking. Like where the touch screen. Makes noise sometimes, and sometimes silent af. No idea why. You'll hear noise randomly in car.

However, if you listen to music then you won't hear things unless its road noise.

Our Supra Connect App sucks, not that it matter for most people. I suspect it is due to BMW only giving basic shit to Toyota.

And no trunk button from outside.

All really minor stuff that doesn't stop me from enjoying this dope car on the way to work each day through Mulholland Drive.

 

[razorlab]

You'll hit your head every time you get in and out

I'll caveat that by saying I don't own a Supra at the moment, but when we went to try one this happened every time and my wife nixed it from her consideration. She thought for sure this was the one until that happened. I know it won't matter to most enthusiasts, but the ergonomics do take some getting used to.

"I don't own one but here is what will happen".

LMAO

I hit my head once, then I learned. Haven't hit my head again since and I even have a race bucket seat. Maybe some others take longer to learn basic things?

Most of the "drawbacks" listed so far in this thread are from people that don't know how things work.

Most annoying drawback I have experienced so far are all the teenagers in 1992 rusted out Honda Accords yelling "IS THAT A SUPRAAAAAAAA?!" when I'm pumping gas or driving by.

 

[Blindspot]

I still don't believe the oil thing is a real thing, but a minor thing that affected a handful of folks and the internet blew out of proportion. The 2021 also makes more boost out of the gate, which can have obvious effects on oil levels.

Otherwise, this list is pretty bang on.

My '21 drinks so much oil that I need to add a ton every 1,600km. Not only that, I've got 22,000km on my car after a year and have now been waiting for eight months for any sort of update or help from Toyota Canada and have heard nothing. Now my e-mails to the dealer are going unanswered. As someone who dreamed about owning a car like the Supra but never expected to, and then I unexpectedly found myself able to afford one, I cannot stress how disappointed and let down I am.

Certainly not a "minor thing" for some of us, and definitely something people need to keep in mind if they're looking at a 2021MY car.

 

[MyCorolla]

I am the original owner of a 2020 Premium. It seems I am one of the silent majority who have not had any issues. No rattles, no burning oil or oil sensor issues, no throttle hesitation, no hatch popping open due to air pressure, no paint issues, no Supra Connect issues, no HomeLink issues, etc. I don’t like the clown horn but I rarely use it so I don’t care. I did go with the cheap wind-buffeting fix even though I never drive with my windows down. I replaced the steering wheel because I could not stand the thin OEM version. Some complain about visibility, but I’ve had other cars with similar and worse visibility and I learned to position and use my side mirrors long before YouTube existed. Low clearance can be an issue with steep driveways. Closing the hood only takes dropping it from about five or six inches; no extra force required. I don’t track my car so all mods I’ve done are purely cosmetic. The best car I’ve owned thus far.

See if this also helps:

 

[Cosmok]

Sold my ‘16 GT350 after 32k miles for my Supra. Only thing I miss is the glorious sound of the VooDoo engine. Other than that, the Supra is a better car in most every way.

 

[JoeDaMechanic]

Haven't encountered it personally, but several people have had the dealer leave the shipping spacers on the shocks. Or leave without the dealer activating the nav.

The alignment from the factory can also be pretty bad.

No Android Auto from the factory, and the stock audio system sucks - even the upgraded JBL.

 

[AngelsofVerdun]

To further discuss on the rattling issue, some have major issues with rattles and creaks all over the interior. However, there are others that have no major issues with interior noise. As for me, I have experienced significant issues with rattling inside of my 2020 with 8300 miles on it. Although most might think I am overplaying it, I have had MANY passengers comment on the issue(s). In order to resolve it, I had to remove panels and sound-deaden things.

Not trying to scare you away, but it does seem to be hit-or-miss. Bear in mind, mine was purchased pre-owned with 5300 miles on it. It is possible that my example was stored outside it's entire life before being mine, and extended heat exposure can definitely introduce rattling. I am actually looking to sell and get a M2 Competition instead; my Supra has really let me down in the quality control department.

 

[32bitsofGil]

My '21 drinks so much oil that I need to add a ton every 1,600km. Not only that, I've got 22,000km on my car after a year and have now been waiting for eight months for any sort of update or help from Toyota Canada and have heard nothing. Now my e-mails to the dealer are going unanswered. As someone who dreamed about owning a car like the Supra but never expected to, and then I unexpectedly found myself able to afford one, I cannot stress how disappointed and let down I am.

Certainly not a "minor thing" for some of us, and definitely something people need to keep in mind if they're looking at a 2021MY car.

You should find a new dealer to work with. I just had my 21' engine rebuilt because of excessive consumption. New pistons and rings.

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