Toyota has brought back one of its most iconic nameplates for 2020 in a reborn Supra sports car. Despite being a staple of the Toyota lineup for more than two decades, the Supra was discontinued following the 2002 model year. Ironically, that move came just a year after the car enjoyed a surge in popularity thanks to an appearance in the original Fast and the Furious movie.
Let's get something out of the way here: despite its engineering prowess, Toyota didn't design the Supra from scratch. It's the result of a cost-saving collaboration with BMW that also birthed that company's latest Z4 roadster. The GR label refers to Toyota's Gazoo Racing division, which helped tune the Supra's chassis for track-driving prowess.
Toyota wants to make a big splash with the Supra, so it's launching the car in what will be its most potent configuration. A BMW-made 3.0L turbo six-cylinder makes 335 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque and comes matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
It's likely the future will bring a lower-priced four-cylinder variant and -- if sports car purists get their way -- a manual transmission, but to start, all Supras boast a 0-60 mph (96 km/h) acceleration sprint of 4.1 seconds thanks to that six-cylinder and its automatic.
Other go-fast tricks include a mechanical limited slip differential to maximize rear-wheel traction and power delivery.
Toyota's decision to work with BMW on the new Supra was a shrewd one. Toyota benefits from BMW's performance prowess to end up with a sports car that competes in a lower price bracket. The two cars are further separated by the fact the new Z4 M40i gets a 382-hp version of the same engine.
With the Supra, Toyota has itself a car to go up against established mid-priced sports coupes like the Nissan 370Z, a 10-year-old design overdue for an update. The GR Supra more than doubles the Z's starting price but we don't think that'll keep buyers away, at least not right immediately. In any event, Toyota will roll out that aforementioned four-cylinder Supra variant either as a late 2020 or early 2021 model to keep things fresh in the face of whatever plans Nissan has for the Z.
The GR Supra's standard features include a 12-speaker stereo, 8.8-inch infotainment touchscreen, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, digital gauge cluster, head-up display, dual-zone automatic climate control, passive keyless entry, 14-way power seat adjustments, garage door opener and auto-dimming side mirrors.
Every GR Supra also comes with forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, road sign assist, parking sonar with rear collision warning, blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, tire pressure monitoring and adaptive headlights with automatic high beams.
Toyota's fuel consumption estimates for the GR Supra are 9.9/7.7 L/100 km (city/highway).