The New Supra 3.0 Is Here And It Still Wants To Kill You
Toyota has been making the Supra for decades now. It represents the pinnacle of the company’s engineering prowess and an opportunity for it to show off its in-house talent.
Toyota never sold the old Supra in large volumes. Nor did it want to. It was always very much a petrolhead’s car, going head-to-head with the likes of the Subaru Impreza, the Honda NSX, and then Nissan Skyline. In the 1990s, all of those vehicles were surprisingly similar on paper, and out on the road.
Of course, the world moves on, and now the days of the old Supra are little more than a nostalgic memory, enshrined on the Instagram feed of Blacklisted Inc. But Toyota hasn’t forgotten about its most exceptional vehicle. In fact, it has been working feverishly behind the scenes to bring us a new car that will rekindle the old magic.
The Supra 3.0, also called the GR Supra, is a radical shift in the company’s approach to performance vehicles. The car actually looks a lot more like an Alfa Romeo than it does a traditional Toyota. The Japanese carmaker has taken pains to create something that looks positively European. Or, stranger yet, Italian.
But somehow, the company has pulled it off. This vehicle is a real head-turner, with its GT-style chassis, long bonnet, and hunched rear end for added stability.
Like its predecessor, it is not a practical car. You won’t be taking this thing with you to the shops. Just getting in and out of the driver’s seat is a battle that only a wiry teenager can win the first time around.
But despite these minor quality-of-life issues, you forgive Toyota. They’ve clearly made a car designed to appeal to the genuine drivers out there – not just the luxury market. And they’ve created something that is so utterly uncompromising you find yourself doing a double-take every time you see it. Does this car come from the same company that makes the dreary Avensis? It doesn’t seem possible.
The outside is impressive, but it is the interior of the vehicle that sets it apart from its forebears and shows you just how much automotive technology has improved. Gone are the plastic vent covers and the dirty, nylon upholstery. And in its place are high-quality carbon and chrome finishes and a bunch of electronics the original drivers could only dream of. There’s a touchscreen – almost standard now, even in supercars. And there is air conditioning, LED headlights, and wireless charging for your phone if you happen to need it.
The performance numbers are solid too. The car will rocket you to 62 mph in a mere 4.3 seconds. And Toyota claims that it’ll go well beyond 155 mph unlimited, though you’ll only be able to unlock that on private racecourses.
You also get a bunch of different driving modes, depending on how you intend to use the vehicle. And there’s a 290-liter boot, which is more than enough for your golf clubs. We can imagine people having a lot of fun with this car.