Hot Take: The Original Lexus SC is BETTER than the Supra MK 4!

Free of the Supra’s hype, the first Lexus SC coupes competed with the world on their own terms… and won.

The Lexus SC is a better car than the Toyota Supra MK 4. 

There, I said it. That might rile up the Fast and Furious set, but it’s the truth. And the truth shall set you free. 

I’m not calling the Supra a bad car. I’ve driven a number of them, including the vaunted MK 4. They are good cars but not great cars. Based on its looks, I expected the Supra to be a street fighter. But it came off like flabby Thor in Avengers Endgame. It’s too heavy and feels like it’s a half-step slow. Even though the performance numbers are impressive, it’s not a sports car. It’s more of a grand touring car, a good one, like a Japanese Porsche 928. 

The Lexus SC is also a grand touring car, but more graceful. Its design broke new ground, causing a stir when it was launched. It’s also more graceful to drive, with a nice combination of luxury and performance. Where the Supra feels edgy, on its toes like it’s trying to prove something, the Lexus is relaxed, on the balls of its feet. I know the Supra is faster, but the Lexus is more comfortable going fast. 

The Lexus is more comfortable and quiet inside as well. It feels airier, the design is ’90s minimalism at its best. The Supra feels confined by comparison. When dressed in all black, it’s like the inside of Darth Vader’s TIE fighter. 

Perhaps the biggest letdown isn’t the Supra’s fault. It’s the perception surrounding it. It simply doesn’t live up to the superhero hype surrounding its six-figure price tag. The Lexus SC shares the Supra’s platform, and many of them were equipped with a non-turbo version of the legendary 2JZ engine. But it doesn’t share the Supra’s baggage. 

The Lexus SC was a clean-sheet design of its own merit. Launched as a coupe companion to the LS, it was not an LS coupe. It was its own car, one as good or better than the BMW 8 Series or Mercedes SEC it competed against. And it’s the car the Supra wanted to grow up to be.  

Photos: Lexus

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Mark Webb

Mark Webb is fascinated by anything automotive and particularly loves cars that are unusual or have a good story. He's owned a variety of cars from 60's muscle, Japanese imports, and oddities like a VW Thing and Porsche 924. After 20 years in the automotive and tech industries, he's a walking encyclopedia of car info and is always on the lookout for his next project or a good road trip.