In defence of the A90 Toyota Supra
Discussion
It's a slow day at work, and as usual I'm spending far too much time thinking about cars I don't own, but reading the article about the new Lotus Emira 2.0-litre 4 cyliner DCT model costing £81k list, just reminded me of how criminally underrated the Toyota Supra is.
The Supra looks great. It looks great in pictures and it looks great in the flesh. It's low, purposeful and unique without being too try hard sportscar. Drive a Lightning Yellow model down your high street and watch the heads turn.
Of all the engines Toyota could have chosen to use, outside of an M engine or something from Porsche's GT department, they probably picked the best one available. The 6-cylinder, turbocharged B58 is strong, reliable, economical, makes a great noise and has enormous tuning headroom. 440bhp is available from a simple £600 Litchfield remap. 1000bhp tunes have also been done.
Gearbox? Again, Toyota didn't choose to buy in or build their own snappy, bolt action, PDK-esque dual clutch box, but the ZF8 is tried and true. Very fast and very reliable. Failing that, you can even get it with a 6 speed manual!
Think it's just a reskinned Z4 M40i with a roof? Not quite. The suspension, gearbox software and engine reliability thresholds are all Toyota. It also lapped the Nurburgring in 7:52s - a few tenths faster than the previous generation M2 Competition. A full blown M car with a reported 65bhp advantage.
So it's basically an M car, that has been vetted to Toyota standards, but without the slightly distasteful image that BMWs and M cars have these days.
Genuine downsides...?
It's not a Toyota design from the ground up? Correct, but that was never an option. It would have cost billions and people would still have bought a Porsche.
The B58/ZF is a competent drivetrain but not the most exciting? I agree, but looking around what else would you have used?
The interior is frustratingly, obviously, unforgivably BMW parts bin? I agree. I know it should be about the love of the drive, but a £60k 2-seater sports car is an indulgence in most people's world, and they could have repurposed some of the saved development time in the mechanical department with just a little bit of customisation or zing in the interior.
What would you buy instead?
Emira? Cancelled orders coming out of their eye balls. And far too expensive.
A110? Not judging by the sales stats.
Cayman? Despite all the talk about how brilliant its rivals are, this is where people end up.
Shame really. For £60k brand new or £40 odd grand used... It's an absolute bargain.
Come at me
The Supra looks great. It looks great in pictures and it looks great in the flesh. It's low, purposeful and unique without being too try hard sportscar. Drive a Lightning Yellow model down your high street and watch the heads turn.
Of all the engines Toyota could have chosen to use, outside of an M engine or something from Porsche's GT department, they probably picked the best one available. The 6-cylinder, turbocharged B58 is strong, reliable, economical, makes a great noise and has enormous tuning headroom. 440bhp is available from a simple £600 Litchfield remap. 1000bhp tunes have also been done.
Gearbox? Again, Toyota didn't choose to buy in or build their own snappy, bolt action, PDK-esque dual clutch box, but the ZF8 is tried and true. Very fast and very reliable. Failing that, you can even get it with a 6 speed manual!
Think it's just a reskinned Z4 M40i with a roof? Not quite. The suspension, gearbox software and engine reliability thresholds are all Toyota. It also lapped the Nurburgring in 7:52s - a few tenths faster than the previous generation M2 Competition. A full blown M car with a reported 65bhp advantage.
So it's basically an M car, that has been vetted to Toyota standards, but without the slightly distasteful image that BMWs and M cars have these days.
Genuine downsides...?
It's not a Toyota design from the ground up? Correct, but that was never an option. It would have cost billions and people would still have bought a Porsche.
The B58/ZF is a competent drivetrain but not the most exciting? I agree, but looking around what else would you have used?
The interior is frustratingly, obviously, unforgivably BMW parts bin? I agree. I know it should be about the love of the drive, but a £60k 2-seater sports car is an indulgence in most people's world, and they could have repurposed some of the saved development time in the mechanical department with just a little bit of customisation or zing in the interior.
What would you buy instead?
Emira? Cancelled orders coming out of their eye balls. And far too expensive.
A110? Not judging by the sales stats.
Cayman? Despite all the talk about how brilliant its rivals are, this is where people end up.
Shame really. For £60k brand new or £40 odd grand used... It's an absolute bargain.
Come at me
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