Review | 2019+ Toyota Supra

You need little more then an in-line six cylinder engine, that powers the rear wheels, fitted in a two-door coupe, to have the most amount of fun on the road. Stylish looks, complemented with sharp lines and aerodynamic styling add to the package. Meet the all-new Toyota Supra. It's a car that needs to be driven to fully experience it. So that's exactly what we did.

The discussions were fierce when the all-new Toyota Supra was first shown to the audience. Some didn't like the design, others heckled the fact that it's made in a joint venture with BMW. Nobody knew if it would be able to live up to its name and its legendary predecessor.  Once the Supra actually hit the streets, everyone fell silent. It looks futuristic. The proportions are just right. It's sleek and just looks, fast. 

Then you get in, get hugged by the bucket seats and start her up. An exhaust note that makes you turn down the radio right away. Pops and cracks every time you let go off the accelerator paddle. The Supra drives like no other Toyota, yet its an undeniable part of the family. It's like the travelling cousin that's always full of adventurous stories you'll never get to experience. Making you envious, but you want to hear them anyway.​

Driveability

A 3.0-litre that powers the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. That sounds like a good combination. And it is. Between 5000-6000rpm you'll get the maximum power of 250kW and peak torque of 500Nm is delivered all the way from 1600rpm to 4500rpm. Simply, that means the Supra pulls away from pretty much a standstill like a wild animal is chasing it and kicks it up a notch when its already up to speed. Not surprisingly, it can get you to pretty much maximum speed in 4.3sec.

Unfortunately for the purists a manual transmission is not being offered at the moment (nor is it in the planning according to Toyota), but why would you want it anyway? The eight-speed auto shifts faster than a human ever could and you can always use the paddles if you really want to go into manual mode. Because of its 50/50 front to rear weight distribution it handles like a sports car should: sharp and confidence boosting. The Supra is well planted and stable, even when throwing it through a tight corner. Yet it feels light, thanks to the front suspension and weight of just under 1.5 tonnes.

The Supra launches the GR brand in Australia, which stands for Gazoo Racing, an initiative of Toyota representing their motorsport efforts. A badge on the back well deserved.

Liveability

Inside the Supra, it's exactly like you expect: all about the driver. The cockpit console is turned towards the person in charge. The sports seats are really grippy you and luckily you can extend the loin support a bit because otherwise anybody that weighs more than 80kg would feel oversized. 

The leather steering wheel feels study in hand and looking right over it - depending on the drive mode you're in – you'll either see the speedo or rev counter. Scrolling through the other options is easy and intuitive, like you would expect of a Toyota. Some other sport cars sacrifice user ability for driving abilities, but not in the Supra. There is a perfect balance between comfort inside, the latest technology and a captivating driving experience.

Standard features include heated and eight-way power-adjustable sports seats, dual-zone climate control, an 8.8-inch multimedia touchscreen, keyless entry and start, auto LED headlights, LED tail-lights and DRLs, rear LED fog lights, rain-sensing wipers plus heated and folding electric exterior mirrors.   That's the base model, complete with 18-inch forged alloys.   Get the GTS, and you'll go up to 19-inch rims, get a head-up display and instead of 10-speakers, you'll get 12. But you'll still prefer to listen to the exhaust notes though.

It's a two seater, so don't expect much storage space, but there are pockets in the doors and cup holders in the middle which is pretty much all you need. The boot is still a decent 290-litre, so it's enough for a weekend away for your better half or a good mate.

Cost

The Supra is offered in an entry-level GT trim, priced at $84,900, and the GTS at $94,900, a step up of $10K. No matter your choice you'll get the full suite of Toyota Safety Sense as standard, including active cruise control, a pre-collision system with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure alert, adaptive high beam and traffic sign recognition.

Seven standard colours are available, named after iconic racetracks like 'Fuji White', 'Suzuka Silver', 'Goodwood Grey', 'Monza Red', 'Silverstone Yellow', 'Le Mans Blue', 'Bathurst Black', and the optional 'Nurburg Matte Grey' (available on GTS only).

Though it probably really depends on your drive style the combined fuel economy is 7.7L/100km, thanks to a stop/start system that shuts off the engine while waiting for a traffic light. The Supra takes 91 RON though, so no need to pay premium fuel prices and if you register for MyToyota, you can you start saving on fuel right away.

All models have service intervals of 15,000km/12 months - Capped Price Servicing for the first five routine services and come with a minimum five-year unlimited kilometre warranty that gets an additional 2 years of engine protection when serviced annually.

Conclusion

The all-new Toyota Supra definitely lives up to its legendary name. It might have been a long wait, but it was worth it. Not only does the fifth generation Supra look smashing, it drives, handles and sounds like the exciting sports car it is.

It's combined performance figures with the comfortable driving and handling make the Supra an outstanding road trip machine, that equally could eat up the miles on the highway or in tight corners. Inside everything is where you expect it and works like you expect from a Toyota, which adds to the seamless driving experience.

The first 300 Supra's to land in Australia are almost all gone, but that doesn't mean you won't be able to get your hands on one. Toyota will have to keep producing the new Supra for at least the next two decades - simply because we don't want to have to do without anymore.