2019 Toyota Supra Prototype Review: First Impressions

Let’s cut to the chase – the 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo engine is simply electrifying! A fact with which Tetsuya Tada, the father of the Toyota GT86 and the new Supra, quite readily agrees: ‘In keeping with the legacy of the Supra, we wanted to revive the same sense of excitement with the new car. And the straight-six is one of the primary reasons behind our collaboration with BMW. When we started engineering the car in 2012, only the Bavarians produced it.’ Tetsuya Tada made this confession at the Madrid circuit of Jarama, where we test-drove one of the pre-series specimens of the Supra. 

Developed mostly on public roads and tested extensively at the Nürburgring, this brand-new generation of the much-loved Toyota coupe has a MacPherson strut suspension at the front and a multilink setup at the rear. The technical base of the new Supra has been derived from the new BMW Z4, including the 3.0-litre turbo engine. Toyota hasn’t revealed the power or torque figures as yet, but we’re pretty sure that they’ll be in the range of 340bhp and 500Nm, respectively. It’s silky smooth engine offers very strong power delivery and an exhilarating exhaust note. Moreover, selecting Sport mode stiffens up the suspension and adds more feel to the steering, making it quick and precise. At the same time, the exhaust note becomes more pronounced, and the ZF-derived eight speed automatic doesn’t give you any reason to get nostalgic about a manual transmission. In fact, the speed with which it shifts, especially when using paddle shifters, will fool you into believing that it’s a double-clutch automatic. It’s that good!

Assured Performance 
It’s fast! There you have it. However, Toyota doesn’t just have numbers in mind – the idea is to revolutionise the relationship between man and machine, and not just focus on outright performance. We first saw this approach on the GT86, but the Supra takes it to another level. On the road, the Supra goes around bends with enough confidence to inspire in you a profound sense of safety. In fact, this is not surprising at all, for the torsional rigidity of its chassis is higher than that of the Lexus LFA – which also ensures exceptional comfort while driving. 

On the track, its perfect balance and 50-50 weight distribution become immediately evident. The front wheels constantly maintain strong traction and are quick in changing direction, while the rear wheels faithfully follow. The presence of an electronically controlled mechanical self-locking differential ensures that not even a hint of traction is lost. Overall, the new Toyota Supra justifies, in every possible way, the hype that surrounds it in abundance. Now, all we need to do is wait till the next summer for Toyota to reveal the price of this all-new coupe.

THE STAR OF MOVIES AND VIDEOGAMES 

The Supra was born in 1978, and so far there have been four generations. The first three remain inconspicuous, especially outside Japan, but the fourth and the last (1993) is the most famous, thanks to movies like the The Fast and the Furious and video games like Gran Turismo. Boosted by a BMW derived 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo engine, producing 350-horsepower, the new Supra boasts of impressive performance and great comfort. 

The braking system is sourced from Brembo and incorporates a hidden four-piston caliper. The tyres are Michelin Pilot Super Sports, 255/35 at the front and 275/35 at the rear. The adaptive suspension allows a ride height reduction of 7mm.

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