GIMS Live: Toyota Supra Finally Sets Foot In Europe
We've seen it a lot as endless teasers and concepts. And it was released already a few months ago with some controversy. But the new Supra finally sets foot in Europe.
The fifth generation, in its full name the Toyota GR Supra makes its European debut at the 2019 Geneva Motorshow. But is it really the disappointment people say it is?
So maybe the engine's crap?
For starters: the car is powered by a 3.0 straight-six engine like its predecessor. But this time the engine comes from their German friends who know how to make a perfectly good inline-six. It makes 340 hp and 500 Nm's of torque and thanks to that it sprints to a 100 kmh in just 4.3 seconds. Not really something that sounds like a disappointment.
Well maybe the ride won't be that good?
As for dynamics the Supra has a lower center of gravity than its little brother the GT86. It has a perfect 50:50 weight distribution and has higher structural rigidity that a Lexus LFA. On top of that you get an active rear differential that can change from 0% to 100% lock in the blink of an eye. So in the handling department there's not a lot to be ashamed of either?
So it must be ugly then?
Finally the design of the car is very clearly traced from the FT-1 concept we saw a few years ago. It's your typical coupé sportscar. Long bonnet with a short and sloping rear. It has a nice diffusor and a very cool F1-Style rain-light and various air ducts around the car. Okay so taste is subjective so I'll leave that one in the middle.
How is it then that the car everyone was waiting for now gets little to no credit from the community? It's not as wild as the concept but that's rarely the case with cars. There's a lot of shared parts with BMW but that's common practice these days. Look at the X-Class we drove last year.
Maybe it's just that some car names shouldn't be revived because die-hard fans will complain it's not the same thing as it used to be. The community is too hard on this car because it's not a blank copy of the MkIV but what's the point in that? A car has to evolve and I'm sure this new MkV Supra will be great.
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