2020 Toyota Supra Drive Review: Return of an Icon

On the road with the Toyota Supra

Despite the aggressive styling, and track day domination Toyota has put forth with the Supra, it does still need to work well on the road, because, let’s face it, that’s where 99% of us actually put miles on our cars.

Fortunately, the Nurburgring is a very bumpy track, so, despite all the hardcore ‘Ring test miles, Supra is very capable of handling bumpy, real world road conditions. While I still prefer the Supra in Sport mode in almost every instance, backing things off to Normal mode does reveal a slightly different character. The gunshot exhaust note tames to a more mellow inline-six cylinder howl, and, most notably, the adaptive dampers are really good for the everyday commute.

On road performance is stellar, because, while I did not always mesh with the transmission on the race track, it works perfectly everywhere else. It’s smooth, quick, and keeps that turbocharged engine in the sweet spot. However, that’s a bit of an easy task, considering that the B58 engine produces all 365 lb-ft of torque from just 1,500 RPM. The overall package makes it feel very quick, at all times. Toyota claims Supra will do 0-60 MPH in just 4.1 seconds, which is stellar.

Inside the Supra

Previous Supra models leaned more towards the grand tourer-side of the sports car spectrum, and this latest A90 Supra can do that dance, as well. However, unlike previous Supras, this one does lose a bit of that inherent grand touring aspect, simply because this only a two-seater. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too. After all, while the Supra is five-inches longer than the 86, the wheelbase is four-inches shorter than that car. The trade off is that this latest model has commendable trunk space.

 While I still prefer the Supra in Sport mode in almost every instance, backing things off to Normal mode does reveal a slightly different character. The gunshot exhaust note tames to a more mellow inline-six cylinder howl, and, most notably, the adaptive dampers are really good for the everyday commute.

Indeed, the interior ergonomics are excellent, over all. This car can easily accommodate passengers up to about 6’4″, and outward visibility is quite good for sports car with almost no rear quarter glass. The steering wheel is, likewise, easily adjustable to fit people of all sizes.

Interior tech is equally commendable at this price point, with most everything being cribbed from BMW. The infotainment system is based on BMW’s iDrive 6 system, and is pretty responsive and nice to use. Big props to the integration of features like wireless charging, and Apple CarPlay, something Toyota has been dragging its feet on.

The standard sound system is a 205-watt, 10-speaker setup, and it sounds pretty nice. Though, with such a small cabin, the acoustics are bound to be good. Of course, jumping up to the Supra Premium, or Launch Edition model nets you a 500-watt, 12-speaker JBL audio system, which sounds excellent. JBL was on hand at the event showing the level of care that was exacted when designing the speakers and acoustic setup for Supra.

Continue reading for the conclusion of the Toyota Supra review…