Toyota Supra first reader review: More reset than reboot

Toyota fans are eagerly awaiting the return of the Supra nameplate since the day it was decommissioned in 2002. Introduced in 1978, Supra has evolved over the decades from a modest choice of options over the Celica to a real sports car. His final iteration, the MKIV A80 Supra, was so often positioned against various high-dollar Italian exotics during the 1990s, which earned him the status of hero among the crowd of tuners. The power of 326 horsepower from its 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged six-cylinder in-line engine was little more than a starting point.

The MKIV left in 2002 but never really left the consciousness of those who were inclined to the "importers" side of the spectrum of performance. Whether it's the ridiculously stuck-up hero's car from The Fast and the Furious or the Castrol TOM's Supra GT richer in color Gran Turismo, the Supra … well, he kept his name.

Now, more than 15 years later, it's back. Okay, okay, that's almost back. The release of the new Toyota Supra will take place in the first half of 2019, and is expected to come into production in 2020. It's still a long way off, but I've just started my first ride behind the wheel of a prototype says 95% complete.

So how's the new Toyota Supra? It's good. It's really good, but maybe not quite what you expect.

The formula

Many things have changed since the introduction of the A40 Celica Supra in 1978 until the end of the epic range, double turbo MKIV A80 Supra in 2002. This new Supra picks up there, reporting some of the features more striking of this car. characteristics.

The first is the general configuration of the transmission: spinning wheels at the front of the engine at the rear. This continues with the new A90 Supra. Its engine, too, picks up where the last Supra stopped: a 3.0-liter turbocharged 3.0-liter inline, as before. However, expect more power this time.

How much more? Toyota is not saying yet, except that it will be more than 300 horses. Given my time in the saddle and some quick estimates, I would say we are north of 350. But, again, there are still some precise numbers.

No figures on weight yet. Toyota said the car will have less than 1,500 pounds, or about 3,300 pounds. It's not quite light, but what's interesting is how the new Supra carries its weight. At the launch of Supra, Deputy Chief Engineer Masayuki Kai was proud to point out that the center of gravity of the car is actually lower than that of the Toyota 86, a car built around a four-cylinder engine specifically designed to lower the coefficient of expansion. As the Supra goes even lower with a vertical, the six-in-line is impressive.

Kai and his team also spent a lot of time talking about the relationship between the wheelbase (effective length) of a car and its track width. Although no precise figure has been given, the ratio of Supra is less than 1.6, which is even more square – and theoretically more balanced – than the 86, which is of course a machine remarkably agile.

However, with the Toyota 86 reaching 2,800 pounds, perhaps less than the new Supra, do not expect a similar driving dynamics.

And do not expect the Supra to look much like its predecessors. While it's hard to really feel the thing with this delusional camouflage blanket, it's clear that the nose-tail spoiler and duck tail will provide a distinctive approach. I will hold back the judgment until I see one without the trippy graphics, but I wanted to convey an unfortunate design detail: all the plastic vents you see in the wings and in the doors are solid . They are just there for the eyes.

JDM meets DTM

Speaking of the general layout of the new Supra, I would not like to specify how much the car comes from BMW. A bit like the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 are intracorporeal siblings, so does the new BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra. This six-cylinder in-line engine at the heart of the JDM Supra? He comes from DTM country. Thus, the chassis and the transmission, the electronics and, of course, a very important part of everything under the skin.

Is this a bad thing? Not at all, but it's something to take into consideration and it's something that is immediately apparent to the second where you sit in the stuff. The prototypes I drove all had very well-dressed interiors, covered with black felt to hide the seats, panels and other components. Despite this, the BMW-ness shined like a Bavarian lighthouse. To select the player, press a button on the side of the vertical shift lever and pull it backwards, like most modern BMWs. An iDrive rotary controller was exposed on the side.

Let's just say that if you have developed a bit of sensibility for Toyotas over the years and as the owner of an MR2 that I most certainly had, slipping in the Supra is more than a bit weird. However, this is not entirely BMW.

The steering wheel looks particularly different. Modern M cars are a bit infamous for their squat and spongy steering wheel. The Supra, in comparison, is skinny, a bit like my MR2. Meanwhile, the all-digital steering wheel gauge group looks rather sportier than your average BMW, although half of it is not functional for my drive.

On the track

About 60 seconds after sitting in the Supra for the first time, I was at full speed coming out of the Jarama circuit booths. Used in Formula 1 until the early '80s, the title is legendary. Strong curves will help you when you have your lines on the right. The surrounding walls will be happy to punish you when things go wrong.

Luckily, I had a guide on the right seat, the British rider Abbie Eaton of the Grand Tour fame, who kindly talked to me about the nuances of the circuit as I found my bearings and, more importantly when I felt good.

And it took a long time. The Supra actually has a little roll and a slightly relaxed look that gives the impression of a car requiring a soft touch. As I would discover, this is not necessarily the case. Pushed harder, the car's nose (rolling on 19-inch Michelins, 255-wide section) had a lot of grip, so that it never fell under the terminal understeer when it ####################################################>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> It was too hot in a bend.

The rear, meanwhile, was well behaved, the car pulling heavily on the tightest corners with the help of a traction control system that was obviously aimed at controlling this. 3.0-liter engine, but was running silently without obvious cuts.

Another limited slip differential at the rear also helps. This is an electronically controlled diff, but the electronics only serve to modulate the pressure of the internal friction plates. In other words, there is not an open differential that relies on the brakes of the car to limit wheel spin. The Supra's ECU can rock the fully locked differential (both wheels spinning at the same speed) to fully open (a wheel getting all the power) in a split second. In the sporty tuning of the Supra, the differential was aggressive enough to keep the rear wheels synchronized, even under braking, the result being a very vivid feeling at the rear.

And if I have to complain about something, it's those brakes. The four-potged Brembos never sagged, but the pedal feel was a little slack and seemed to be degrading during the day. Whether the blame is in the system itself or simply because of a day of running in on a hot and late summer Spanish day, I can not be sure. Additional tests are required.

In the streets

So the Supra is a capable machine on the track, but a car like this will spend the vast majority of its life on the streets. I am delighted to announce that the car was a real pleasure on the many and varied traffic routes around Jarama and Madrid.

We started on the highway, where the Supra was comfortable and composed, adaptive dampers providing good driving quality, even on broken pieces of pavement that we could find. The car can only accommodate two passengers, but with plenty of storage behind the seats and under the tailgate, future owners should start planning extended weekend getaways.

When the hills on the horizon approached and the road began to twist and turn, the Supra really responded in kind. In fact, I started my stay in a Toyota 86, doing my best to pursue a Supra on the most incredible roads that I have had the privilege of driving. With the four screaming tires, I could just stay in the turns, but the Supra, which was much faster, went straight.

Exchanging in the Supra to put it together was a good way to feel the differences, and yes, you can certainly feel the extra weight of the new car. Also, can you feel the extra grip of all the tires, not to mention the more sophisticated suspension and transmission. Again, the brakes were the only limiting factor on the descent, but never to the point of ruining the fun.

There, I was able to spend more time experimenting with the transmission, an eight-speed automatic that always did what I wanted with the paddles, but often took its time. Left to its own devices, however, it did a great job of aggressively downgrading when I whipped it and lazily went into gear when I was stuck in traffic. As well as a DCT or a manual for sporty driving? Not a mile, but Toyota said that a manual transmission is theoretically possible on the road.

And then there is power. Although the new MKV A90 Supra does not compare to some of the Mark IV Supras tuned with their watermelon-sized turbochargers and their delay for days, there is no shortage. What is missing, however, is the noise. The cars we tested were on the quiet side, despite some digital injections of engine notes through the car's speakers. Yes, like many BMWs, the car emits fake engine noises, louder noises in sports mode and can not be turned off. Even so, when pressed, the Supra does not roar exactly. However, North American cars will have higher emissions than those we tested in Spain. (Sorry, European readers.)

Finally, although I can not say much about the seats (they too, they were covered), I can say that there is a lot of room, thanks to this double bubble roof, and that the cabin is compact but never claustrophobic.

pack

If you have to keep in mind one thing when you plan to use the MKV Supra, it is that you should not consider it as a reboot. Instead, think of it as a reset. This is not the manic and massively powerful monster most people remember from video games or movies. That's good, because the Supra was never like that when leaving the showroom.

What will this new Supra be? It will be fast but not explosive, responsive but not punitive and, overall, very fun and rewarding to drive. This will be the kind of machine you could reasonably drive everyday, in a comfortable way, and something that I would love to show off on winding roads that are heading in the general direction of a weekend getaway.

And what about big questions, for example, how much will it cost and when can you get one? For this, Toyota will leave us all a little longer.

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Editor's note: Roadshow accepts multi-day loans from builders to provide editorial reviews. All the criticisms of marked vehicles are completed on our territory and according to our conditions. However, for this feature, the manufacturer has covered travel expenses. It is common in the automotive industry because it is much cheaper to ship reporters in cars than to ship cars to reporters.

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