Verdict
– Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Because the web likes to level out, the Toyota Supra has BMW bones and a Bavarian-built six-cylinder engine, and for some time, you could possibly solely get it with an eight-speed computerized transmission. A minimum of the 2023 mannequin yr mounted what the web deemed to be one of many Supra’s largest flaws: It lastly has a six-speed handbook.
The usual six-cylinder Supra is already a reasonably unbelievable sports activities automotive in my thoughts. Its turbocharged 3.0-liter engine provides it a whopping 382 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque, which pushes it to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds with the auto and 4.2 seconds with the handbook. Opponents just like the Nissan Z and base Porsche Cayman aren’t as fast by comparability.
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However whereas the eight-speed is simply an okay gearbox, the six-speed handbook makes the Supra extra pleasing to drive laborious. And apart from, what’s three-tenths of a second between buddies?
The handbook in query is a ZF six-speed borrowed from the European BMW Z4. It is a fairly unremarkable gearbox (as I famous in my preliminary first drive overview); it has a slender catch level and a spring-loaded clutch with lengthy, notchy throws. By comparability, the Porsche 718 Cayman and Nissan Z each have snappier manuals.
However the six-speed does have a shorter last drive ratio of three.15 in comparison with 3.46 within the auto, plus commonplace rev-matching. And pairing the do-it-yourself gearbox with the Supra’s punchy six-cylinder makes for a enjoyable sports activities automotive irrespective of which means you slice it.
Accelerating off the road and ripping it into second and third gear is a hell of a very good time. Downshifting with the usual rev-matching function makes it simple to drop right into a decrease gear and lay laborious into the accelerator for fast passes. And normally, the Supra’s balanced suspension and glorious steering assist keep its standing as a reasonably stellar sports activities automotive.
The automotive examined here’s a Supra 3.0 Premium with the six-speed, which had a beginning MSRP of $53,595 with vacation spot at launch. After choices, this tester is available in at an estimated $56,660.
However if you’d like a 2023 Supra with a handbook as of late (because it presently sits on the Toyota shopper web site), the bottom 3.0 mannequin is the one possibility, beginning at $54,695 earlier than the obligatory Security And Know-how package deal ($2,960). The 2023 Premium mannequin is not accessible with the handbook. The 2024 mannequin, although, is obtainable with an eight-speed computerized or a six-speed throughout trim strains, with the bottom 2.0 mannequin being the one outlier.