The article was originally produced on August 13, 2020, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Toyota Supra

It is with mixed feelings that I experience the revived Toyota Supra.

The Toyota Supra was launched in the late seventies as a sporty GT, then with the name Celica and the extension Supra. A six-cylinder engine with 140 horses gave the car a top speed of 215 kilometers per hour. 

We fast forward to the most famous generation, which was the fourth in line and lived between 1993 and the early 2000s. It was much loved by tuning-mad car geeks in the context of street racing. The stardom of the model increased even more when it featured in the films The Fast and The Furious where the now deceased Paul Walker played one of the main characters. 

Honda NSX and Nissan GT R

The fourth generation Supra originally had 330 horses from a twin-turbocharged six of three liters. But almost no Supra from this generation has its original horses left. As I said, the model was extremely popular among people who tuned their cars. Supras with over a thousand horses are not uncommon in these circles. Two other Japanese car models that have also been praised and placed next to the Supra are the Honda NSX and the Nissan GT-R.

In 2002, production was stopped for the fourth generation Supra and it was not until 2019 that Toyota revived the venerable model with a fifth generation. During these intervening years, both Honda and Nissan had already managed to do this with gusto. Their new versions of their old icons had already become highly regarded sports cars. Above all, Nissan, which reaped great success both officially and unofficially with the GT-R, which was also available in several versions.

BMW key

It is with mixed feelings that I approach the brand new test car. Because when Toyota reintroduces a model as old as the Supra, it chooses to do it in a slightly strange way. You replace the body of a BMW Z4 in a completely sonic way, and throw on Toyota emblems. You even get a BMW key for your Toyota Supra. 

The new Supra looks really tough and most people take a second look when they drive by. But when we start to crawl under the skin and compare performance figures with competitors Honda NSX and Nissan GT R, it becomes almost a little embarrassing. Compared to their original models from the nineties, Honda and Nissan have increased their engine power by roughly 300 horsepower for their respective models. Toyota's new Supra has only become ten horses more powerful than its old predecessor...

So when I now get the fire yellow Supra out, I feel a little skeptical. However, it is a bit of a contradictory feeling as I actually liked the latest BMW Z4 which you can read about here. (https://www.enliven.co/stories/automotive/bmw-z4-m40i-bayerska-harfonen). 

Wireless Apple CarPlay

But it's when the road turns that the new Supra really shows its true colors, from pale yellow to fiery fire yellow. Road holding and balance are top class. The car is easy to handle even at full attack through the curves and the brakes slow down just as much as is needed for the car to go through the curve and gather new power for the next straight. Suddenly all my disappointment has disappeared and I feel the euphoria fill my body. What an amazing driving experience!