2020 Toyota Supra - Revealed for Real

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

The teaser parade is over, and the 2020 Toyota Supra is now fully visible to the world.

Toyota’s fifth-generation Supra follows the FT-1 Concept, as we all knew, and was developed by Toyota’s GAZOO Racing.

Contained within the two-seat sports car is a 335-horsepower (365 lb-ft of torque) 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six cylinder engine, an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, an adaptive suspension, and an active differential that distributes torque between the rear wheels as needed.

Toyota may have teased the Supra to death, to the point that many NAIAS attendees were “meh” about it, but either I have a higher tolerance for annoying teasers or I just like the car more than most. It looks good up close — the lines flow better than in pictures and the proportions look less out of whack.

I spoke to a Toyota PR person about the target competition, and that would be the Porsche Cayman. Other names tossed about include the BMW M2. He confirmed that the Supra’s footprint is similar to that of the FT86, but he pointed out that the buyer is different — fairly obvious, given the $50K starting price point.

Nineteen-inch wheels front and rear are shod with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires and outfitted with 13.7-inch Brembo brakes with four-piston calipers. The Supra has a rear multi-link suspension.

Here’s a few performance specs for perusal: A 0-60 time of 4.1 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 155.

I don’t know if the Supra can really steal Cayman buyers away from Porsche, but I don’t think it will be a flop. As per usual, I am bummed at the lack of a manual transmission, but the Supra otherwise looks pretty good on paper. And not so bad in person.

Even the $50K price is reasonable, though it will get pricier with options.

Teased to death or not, color me as more than meh. Toyota has something good here. Maybe not special in the way the Supra once was, but very, very good.

[Images @ 2019 Tim Healey/TTAC]

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • SunnyvaleCA SunnyvaleCA on Jan 15, 2019

    Given that much of the mechanicals of this car are a BMW, where would you go for service? If you have engine problems (or even engine maintenance) would you go to a BMW shop? Would a Toyota have the tools and experience to handle any issues efficiently?

  • Shawnski Shawnski on Jan 15, 2019

    If I wanted a BMW, I would by the one that actually looks good.

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