Toyota Supra 3.0, more is better?
A little while ago, we had the chance to test the Toyota Supra 2.0. Some of us liked it, but some of us couldn’t care less about the 2-liter four-cylinder #Beau. “The only proper engine in the Toyota Supra A90 is the 3.0-liter six-in-line” was the most used sentence in the week we could enjoy the four-banger. But how could Beau convince me about his thought? Yes, he dropped our ass in the 3.0-liter version and I didn’t complain.
More is … more!
Three is more than two and 340 hp is a lot more than 258. Those 82 extra horsepowers and a total of 500 Nm have really changed the car. Where the four-cylinder Supra feels like a daily driver, this one feels more like a sports car, a tire-shredding sportscar! The ideal way to test the quality of the Toyota Supra 3.0 is on a nice, dry, sunny spring day and we got some cold, wet and grey winter days. It didn’t help that the summer sports tires were transformed into slicks.
It was a hard day at work to get the best out of the car in those conditions and until this day I believe I haven’t pushed the car to its absolute limit. But because of that, I know the Toyota Supra is one of the best sports cars at the moment. It’s more than fast enough with a “zero-to-100-km/h”-time of just 4,3 seconds, thanks to launch control, and a top speed of 250 km/h. The engine is torquey enough to make the traction control light go berserk even in third gear (could be due to the tire wear) and that ensures sideways pleasure for the interested among us. With or without the traction control stepping in, you can easily control the car with the gas pedal and lighting-fast 8-speed ZF gearbox. A strong participant for the title of “best gearbox” and it feels pretty sharp in the Supra when you compare it to the 8-speed ZF in the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Unbelievable how different car manufacturers can adjust that thing.
A few things we missed on the 2.0-liter Supra were immediately clear and some of them we learned to miss. An obvious one is the sound, that 3.0-liter straight six sounds like Eminem and that 2.0-liter is something like Lil Pump. Who? Yes, just what I mean. Different league! A little less obvious was the Active Sports differential that makes this car stand out over his little brother. It changes the feeling of the entire car and benefits to the supreme handling.
Toyota -itself- speaks of an average consumption of 8,2 liter on 100 km (WLTP). In real life we struggled to get it beneath the 10 liters-mark, but what did you expect of a 340 horsepower sports car. At 70 km/h, you can make the Supra sip 6l/100km thanks to cruise control and 7 liter/100km should be enough to get you around at 120 km/h. But please don’t look at that accelerator because your consumption increases faster than its speed and that’s pretty impressive.
Twins
Probably something a buyer of the 3.0 doesn’t want to hear is that the 2 Supra’s are pretty much identical! You really need to have a great set of eyes to see the differences. Bigger exhaust, larger calipers and parking sensors in the front are the 3 things I have found. Can you find some more?
If you have read my review of the 2.0-liter Supra, then it’s clear how great I think this generation Supra looks. A long hood, aggressive front lights and bumper, awesome wheels, great lines and don’t get me started about those hips! Toyota made one hell of a sexy car with which you can stand out of the crowd. And let’s face it, everyone wants to stand out -if you buy a Toyota Supra.
BMW with Toyota-logo
Completely the same subtitle as in the previous review. The car is also practically unchanged on the inside. Not a bad thing, because it’s good quality and easy to use. Everything is clear and exactly where you expect it to be! Good work BM … Toyota (bad joke, sorry).
You can’t expect a whole new interior trim for each engine and there is no such thing. The car is a nice place to be in with JBL Premium Sound System, at least 10 speakers, a Head-up display, wireless charging for your smartphone, a multimedia system with an 8,8-inch touchscreen and Toyota Supra Safety+. That last one includes a pre-collision system with pedestrian- and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitor and a lane departure alert with steering correction.
The choice
Help help help! I have to put my pride aside and agree with my colleague, Beau. Now we have driven the 3.0-liter Supra, we know this is the engine you want in your new sports car. The experience is more complete in the 340 horsepower one thanks to an even better handling -differential- and awesome sound. Toyota, can I change my order? I would like the 3.0-liter for a minimum of 65.500 euros. Yikes.
