The new Toyota Supra is here, people are mad at it, and here’s why.
It’s been 17 years since Toyota made a Supra. It’s true, Toyota was making Supras well into the new millennium before they ceased worldwide production in 2002. According to Toyota in an official press release they put out earlier today (Jan. 14,2019) we finally have a new one but people are super upset about it for some reason even though nary a journalist has driven one, they aren’t even for sale, and you’d think people would genuinely be excited about a new sports car. Such is not the case. Here are the MAIN reasons why people are mad at the new Toyota Supra right now.
The biggest reason is that it’s not 100 percent a Toyota. Arguably, all the Toyota Supra is, is a badge-engineered BMW Z4 which it shares components with heavily. The Toyota Supra shares its basic chassis and engine options with BMW which, to some people, is basically the entire car. Sure, the Toyota Supra and the BMW Z4 will look nothing alike but side by side, they do share similar length, width, and height due to sharing two of the most basic things, a foundation and a powertrain.
The Toyota Supra, to some, represents all that is good with Japanese imports from that Golden age in the 90’s when Japan was pumping out literal gold. There was the Type R’s from Honda, the Acura NSX, 300ZX, GT-R, RX-7, and the mack daddy Toyota Supra. It was 100 percent a Toyota product and is arguably perfection for some people with its range-topping sequential twin-turbo. Boy, was the Supra fast off the line but when that second turbo kicked in, it was bye-bye to whatever was in the other lane. Muscle car guys had their Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes but this generation had Japanese muscle like the GT-R and Supra as dream cars thanks to video games and movies casting these cars as stars. To make a Supra with parts from another car is inexcusable for some.
Just look at the VIN plate on the side of the rear door, this photo taken at the North American International Auto Show earlier today. It like Toyota isn’t even trying to hide its BMW roots.
In the Toyota press kit for the new Supra: “Details Matter.” Also in the press kit, an interior photo showing the VIN sticker in the door jamb – and everything you really need to know about the new #Supra. #BadgeEngineering is #BadEngineering. pic.twitter.com/Vj0CXMm6dB
— Jason Cammisa (@JasonCammisa) January 14, 2019
To further add insult to injury, Toyota did not plan to add a manual option, period. The Supra only has a quick shifting “8-speed automatic transmission” which takes away the fun of a third pedal, synonymous with a driver’s car. Toyota has since admitted they’d offer a manual if there’s enough demand.
Those are the main reasons from what I’ve seen. MSRP starts at $49,990 and goes up from there. You can finance that much, own it and feel proud about owning a piece of the Supra story but there’s going to be some kid or hater in a Civic who’ll yell, “hey, nice Z4” or “nice BMW” and it’ll sting the first time, if just for a little.
At the end of the day we have a new Supra, it’s going to be better than the old one, and without BMW, there wouldn’t be one. Therein lies the rub.
Source: Toyota
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“At the end of the day we have a new Supra, it’s going to be better than the old one, and without BMW, there wouldn’t be one.”
LOL not even close. The old Supra could make 500 crank horsepower with literally NOTHING but a boost controller. It was so perfectly engineered that people were daily driving 800HP Supras that were more reliable than even the weakling BMW 318 chick-mobile.
110% factual