Toyota Supra Reborn

A Brief History of the Toyota Supra

Any gear enthusiast of the ’90s will tell you that, Toyota Supra was a well deserved 90’s hero sports car. For many, it was an excellent introduction to the sports car world, because unlike the exorbitantly expensive and luxurious roadsters of the era, it was more affordable. The former popular supercar was even fortunate enough to land a role in the supernova smash movie, “The Fast and the Furious.” Actually, It is this connection that helped bring out a new generation of the Toyota sporty coupe Supra enthusiasts who fancied the car’s performance.

Now, although its production ran for over 23 years, it is only until 1992 when the Mark IV arrived, that welded its place in the sports car world as an affordable, tunable, and lovable king of the ’90s. It was initially developed as a better version of the 2+2 Toyota Celica Coupe, which had driving dynamics paralleling sports cars with a higher price tag.

Be as it may, after an unbeaten 10-year run, Toyota halted its production in 2002 with the Mark IV, leaving the ‘Kingdom’ to languish in its own mirage. It is only two decades later that the Supra started making headlines about a possible return to the US market. The auto giant spent around five years testing the market by stoking gear heads with the possibility of a fifth-generation model being launched in 2019 at the Detroit Auto Show.

The future of the Sporty Coupe

Fast forward to 2020, Toyota 22 sports coupe was reborn in Detroit. The fifth-generation Supra was designed in partnership with BMW and share the same power-train and platform as BMW’s 2019 Z4. The eagerly awaited Toyota has an overwhelming resemblance with the 4th generation 1998 Supra as well as the Iconic 1967 Toyota 2000 GT. Toyota says it has maintained similar features of the historic car and will continue doing so even in future models with high powered inline 6-cylinder engines, short wheelbase, and a sophisticated chassis.

Why it is becoming affordable

Though the 2+2 car is not cheap, it is affordable. Toyota announced its prices and specs in the recently concluded Detroit Auto Show. Immediately when the announcement was made, social media exploded with posts and comments, the main subject being either anger or surprise at the (over $50,000 figure.

If you follow auto news closely, you probably know that the new Supra’s specs are almost the same as BMW’s Z4. Though developed independently, the primary platform is the same. Actually, they were built and developed by the same company (Magna Steyr) in Austria. But the BMW lists at $63,900 and the Toyota at $50,920. So essentially, the Japanese auto giant is offering the same car built in the same factory but with a different name at a $13k discount!

Features of the Toyota Supra Reborn

What’s more, what do you get for the $50,920? First, you get turbocharged in line-6 cylinder 3.0-liter engine that is capable of producing up to 365-pound ft of torque and 335 horsepower. The powerful motor is mated on an 8-speed auto gear with paddle shifts. It doesn’t have a manual option.

Also, the Supras come with a robust rear launch and differential adaptive cruise control features. Also, it has some advanced and standard driver assistance capabilities, including automatic high beams, lane departure warning as well as pedestrian detection with emergency braking. Other ADAS feature includes rear cross-traffic notification, rear collision warning alert, parking sonar alert, and blind-spot monitoring.

There is also a compelling infotainment system, with an interior decent enough to spend quality time in. The standard model has Alcantra seats, while the launch-in and premium editions come with heated leather seats, wireless phone charging, and heads up display.

Obviously, from the figures above, the Supra is far away from cheap, but considering the features on the table now, it has a prudent value proposition for anyone who wants to move swiftly and in pleasure. The price is much less of an issue as the car has always been fantastic to drive since its first launch, and this latest model doesn’t look like it will be an exception!

Bottom line

Either way, the unveiling of the new car was a fascinating moment for Supra lovers. They are definitely powerful machines. So, if you come across one, even if it’s a
fourth-generation, grab it and you’ll be glad you did!