2021 Toyota Supra Road Test and Review

2021 Toyota Supra ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Casual observers wouldn’t realize it, but many seemingly run-of-the-mill luxury vehicles have ridiculous performance capabilities. A top example is BMW’s sedan lineup. A BMW sedan can pass for any other leather-lined cocoon, but if you drive it hard, you find phenomenal handling and, in many cases, absurd acceleration lurking under a conservative exterior.

The 2021 Toyota Supra won’t let you make that mistake. Though this rear-wheel-drive two-seater borrows its mechanical components from BMW, they’re wrapped in an exuberant body that could never be mistaken for anything but an ultimate driving machine — albeit one that’s straight out of Tokyo rather than Bavaria. Plus, while its base price of $42,990 is high for a Toyota, it’s not bad for a BMW. Let’s go over the details of this fast, flashy vehicle.

Well, that didn't take long.

The Supra was all-new for 2020, reintroducing a storied nameplate that had disappeared from the U.S. in 1998. But just a year later, Toyota has already given the model a bevy of updates.

Most importantly, Toyota added a new base engine: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo with 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. That cuts its base price by $7,000 over last year’s model, which offered only a turbocharged 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder engine. What’s more, the six-cylinder also got a power boost: from 335 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque to 382 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque. Toyota also revised the suspension and the steering.

Photo by Brady Holt

Sharp Handling

All the ingredients are there for the Supra to be a great-driving car, and the formula delivers the fun you’d expect. It originally debuted with a touch of the cold, sterile capability that defines many modern BMWs, but the steering has become sharper and better-weighted for 2021.

Besides, in contrast to most relatively affordable performance cars — such as the sales-leading Ford Mustang — the Supra is tiny. It boils driving down to its essence, not lugging around extra cylinders or extra seats. Everything is taut, without any slop anywhere in the driving experience like you find in many bigger sports coupes. Yet it’s also quieter and more polished overall than, say, a Toyota 86. Even more significantly, the Supra is much faster than its $27,000, 205-horsepower sibling, as we’ll discuss momentarily. This isn’t a smooth-riding car, but it tells you when you’re on a bumpy road without beating you up unnecessarily. Adjustable damper settings are available on six-cylinder Supras, but the four-cylinder model has just one suspension tune. Fortunately, it’s a good one.

Photo by Brady Holt

Plenty of Power

Even the new four-cylinder Supra is plenty quick. This little car weighs just 3,200 lbs, and that modest weight helps its base engine send the vehicle to 60 mph in about 5 seconds. There’s also enough power to kick out the vehicle's rear end without difficulty.

Of course, the six-cylinder can manage that sprint in less than 4 seconds, but in the real world, the bigger difference is that the six sounds better. The four has a decent growl when you accelerate, but the selectable sport mode — keeping the engine steadily at high rpms for quicker throttle responses — becomes an unpleasant drone on the four. Both engines are paired exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive. The 2.0-liter returns EPA ratings of 25 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 28 mpg combined; we averaged 29 mpg in our four-cylinder test vehicle. The six-cylinder isn’t far behind, at 22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined, about 1 mpg worse than the 2020 model. We managed 29 mpg in a 2020 six-cylinder Supra, too. Both engines require premium fuel.

Photo by Brady Holt

Between Mainstream and Luxury

The 2021 Supra is more expensive than fellow mainstream-brand sporty cars like the Ford Mustang or Nissan 370Z, but it costs less than luxury-brand models like the Audi TT, the Porsche 718 Cayman, and the Supra’s platform-mate, the BMW Z4.

Prices start at $42,990, and that price buys leather and Alcantara upholstery, an 8.8-inch infotainment screen, 18-inch alloy wheels, a four-speaker sound system, forward automatic emergency braking, and lane-keep assist. Our test car added the $3,485 Safety & Technology Package, which buys adaptive cruise control (standard equipment on most Toyotas), blind-spot monitoring with a rear cross-traffic alert and rear automatic braking, a 12-speaker JBL sound system, a navigation system, and Apple CarPlay. But you need the 3.0-liter model ($50,990) for power-adjustable seats, the adaptive suspension, or a limited-slip differential. And only the 3.0 Premium ($54,490) and A91 Edition ($55,990) offer heated seats, while a sunroof isn’t available at all.

Photo by Brady Holt

Extroverted Exterior

The Supra’s exterior exuberantly evokes the last Supra from the 1990s, but without such obvious retro cues that it looks like a relic of the past. There’s nothing subtle about this vehicle, either in its low-slung shape or the bulges, curves, and lines that cover every surface. This is clearly a Japanese design, with no Teutonic restraint. 

Up front, the 2021 Supra has rounded headlights that recall the 1990s model, with a logo between them and the grille below it. Modernizing the look are the spears that head toward the logo from the bottom of each headlight. Around the side, a curve flows up from the bottom of the car to become a bulging rear fender. A pinched rear trunklid between them has the effect of a built-in spoiler. Slim lights and a black lower bumper give the rear an air of menace. Some critics have found the new Supra to be busy or awkward, but we like it. We also got plenty of positive feedback, from neighbors and strangers alike. Either way, this is a car that boldly goes its own way, never blending into the background or looking anything like the BMWs whose bones it borrows.

Photo by Brady Holt

Introverted Interior

While the Supra’s body is pure Japan, its interior shares more with BMW — everything from the simple, businesslike vibe of its dashboard to its iDrive infotainment system. A horizontal bar incorporating the dashboard vents runs from the gauge cluster to the passenger door, with an infotainment touchscreen above and simple buttons and knobs below.

The iDrive system includes a console-mounted dial in addition to the 8.8-inch infotainment touchscreen. The system is responsive and intuitive, and it’s compatible with wirelessly connected Apple CarPlay (though not the equivalent Android Auto) on all but the base model. The front seats are comfortable, though the lever to manually recline the front seats is small and buried around some sharp-edged plastic. The power-adjustable seat bolsters — thankfully included even on the Supra 2.0 — are a great feature that lets everyone get an optimally snug fit.

Photo by Brady Holt

Not a Cargo Hauler

The Supra is a liftback, which gives it a little more cargo capability than a similarly sized coupe with a small trunklid. But because it’s a two-seater, you don’t get the versatility of a vehicle in which you’d get to fold down a rear seat for more space or use the rear seating area for additional storage.

In total, you get 10.2 cubic feet of cargo room in an unexpectedly narrow hold. And anything that doesn’t fit in that small trunk has to ride in the front passenger seat. You’ll have room for groceries or small suitcases, but with just two seats and a modest trunk, this is a classic example of a sporty vehicle that does make you give up some functionality. Similarly, don’t expect stretch-out space for the driver or front passenger, either — this is a small, intimate vehicle, not a big cruiser.

Photo by Brady Holt

Diverse Competitors

Speaking broadly, the Supra competes against any performance-focused vehicle priced anywhere from $30,000 to $70,000. That covers a diverse range of cars, but nothing is closer than the BMW Z4. Every Z4 is a convertible and every Supra has a fixed roof, but they’re otherwise quite similar under the skin. The Z4 starts at $49,700 to the Supra’s $42,900, but it has more available luxury features and trades some driving zest for a bit more gentility.

Another Bavarian alternative is the BMW 2 Series coupe, which delivers classic BMW driving behavior — and a lower price than the Supra — but not much visual pizzazz. The Chevrolet Corvette isn’t much more money than a 3.0-liter Supra, and it’s an excellent alternative if you prefer monster V8 acceleration over the feel of a smaller, lighter car. The Porsche 718 Cayman is a beautifully executed performance machine that also costs much more than the Supra. The more affordable Nissan 370Z is fun to drive but feels particularly dated and crude in contrast with the Supra’s BMW-sourced cabin. The Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro are capable, agile, more functional, and less expensive than the Supra, but they feel almost bulky in comparison. 

Photo by Brady Holt

Rapid Improvement

The Supra made a splash when it hit the market as a 2020 model. It looked like nothing else on the road, and it had the power and handling to back up the head-turning design.

The 2021 Supra is a rapid improvement on this already compelling sports coupe. Its smaller engine provides all the power most folks could ask for and provides a much more accessible price, while even the carryover 3.0-liter model is more fun to drive with its increased performance and better-sorted steering and handling. Toyota didn’t touch the styling, which will still earn mixed reviews. The car is still for those who desire a small vehicle rather than settle for one. And we wish more luxury features could make their way to the four-cylinder model. But this excellent performance car is now accessible to more buyers than ever.

Photo by Brady Holt