Even Toyota admits the new 2.0-litre Supra handles better than the faster one
You wait decades for a new Toyota Supra, and then two come along at once. We’ve had the 3.0-litre straight-six turbo, and now there’s this. The Toyota GR Supra with 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl power.
Don’t go looking for tell-tales on the outside. There aren’t any. Same exhausts, no ‘2.0’ badges. The Supra in the pictures is one of 200 ‘Fuji Speedway’ editions which upgrade the alloys up from 18-inchers to 19s and add more splashes of red and white than a Where’s Wally convention.
Instead, look under the bonnet. There, you find a 2.0-litre engine with a solitary turbo, delivering 254bhp and 295lb ft. That all still lands at the rear wheels alone via a standard-fit eight-speed automatic gearbox because – like the BMW Z4, which also has a choice of four or six cylinder – the Supra remains auto-only.
It’s quick enough, this My First Supra: you’ll go from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds and top out at a limited 155mph. The Supra 3.0-litre shaves a massive 1.1sec from that 0-62mph sprint (it’s got 335bhp and 368lb ft), but hits the same 155mph buffers.
Speed doesn’t matter, though. Because this Supra handles better. This is the one to have if you like corners. And it’s not us guessing that without having driven it. This is what Toyota itself is saying. Punchy.
It’s not just that the 2.0-litre is 100kg lighter than the straight-six version. It’s that the weight is also now balanced a perfect 50:50 across the axles. Toyota says “this new powerplant will deliver dynamic benefits as well as bringing GR Supra to a wider customer base” [basically, it’ll be cheaper to buy].
Toyota goes on to tell us “being lighter and more compact than the 3.0-litre unit, [the 2.0-litre engine] improves the car’s inertia characteristics and chassis balance for even sharper handling”.
So there you have it. The slower Supra is here, it’s still quick enough to live with most hot hatchbacks, and it’ll be sweeter in the bends – if you believe Toyota. So, is less more? Is this the smarter Supra to choose? Or perhaps, a lighter, 197bhp GT86 instead?
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