FINALLY and for the first time ever, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) brought in its legendary sports car—the all-new Supra.
Last seen in production in 2002, the fifth-generation Supra staged a comeback at the 2019 North American International Auto Show several months ago. Then, TMP also previewed its arrival in the country during the previous circuit race festival in Clark International Speedway. Until recently, the all-new Supra finally made its local debut at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City.
TMP President Satoru Suzuki couldn’t be clearer when he said that the Toyota Supra is a model that needs no introduction. “Today we are making history. The all-new Toyota GR Supra has finally arrived on our shores. To celebrate its return, I’m proud to announce that Toyota Motor Philippines is now bringing the legendary model here in the country,” he added. Now that it’s here, the all-new Supra, codenamed A90, is bound to pick up where its popular predecessor A80 left off.
While Toyota codeveloped this sports car with BMW using the Z4 platform, the exterior design remained faithful to the FT-1 concept car. Some of its notable design elements are the two-seater, long nose and short cabin which intend to elevate the anticipation of driving performance to the racing image. Another is the short wheelbase and large diameter tires ratio along with a lightweight body which bears a 50:50 front/rear weight distribution to enable excellent maneuverability, steering agility and stable corner tackles. As for the powertrain, the predecessor’s straight six, front engine, rear wheel drive configuration was retained. Interestingly, the all-new Supra is built in Austria at the Magna Steyr facility along with the BMW Z4.
Exterior-wise, the unmistakable influence of the FT-1 concept car design is very much evident. Noticeable at the front end is the long bonnet with grille-less extended nose bearing the main air passage in middle bumper area. There are two more vent-like garnishes on the sides. The sharp-looking six-LED headlamps with integrated daytime running lights are just above those. Underneath is an aerodynamic apron attached to the bottom section. The frame’s curvy profiles also extend to the flanks with familiar contours toward the rear wheel arcs.
Also bearing the FT-1 concept car design is the equally striking rear end. Those slim tail lights complement the flowing profiles and contours on the trunk, as well as on the side. At the lower panel, there’s also an aerodynamic apron with air diffusers covering the two exhaust tips. Of course, there’s the iconic Supra nameplate in that familiar font design. Complementing the sleek and sporty design are the 19-inch two-toned alloys wrapped in wide and low series Michelin tires. We couldn’t agree more with Suzuki when he said that the overall design resulted to a modern evolution of the timeless classic.
The two-seater and driver-centric cabin, meantime, possesses absolute sportiness in any sense. Let alone the carbon interior trims all over which complement the dark themed interior blended with piano black finishes. Those Alcantara sports seats have 8-way power adjustments with memory and power lumbar support. The 8.8-inch TFT LCD cluster with tachometer and shift indicator is perfectly visible through the three-spoke leather steering wheel with paddle shifters. As for the heads up display unit, it’s also an 8.8-inch widescreen TFT LCD with USB and Bluetooth remote touch and touchpad. It produces crisp audio quality via a JBL 12-speaker HiFi surround sound system. Moreover, the hand brake is electronic. Remaining faithful to the A80’s powertrain configuration, motivation comes from a 3.0-liter in-line six cylinder with twin-scroll turbocharger. This BMW-sourced straight six turbocharged gasoline engine is capable of generating 335 hp at 5,000 to 6,500 rpm and a massive 500 N-m of maximum torque from 1,600 to 4,500 rpm. This power plant is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. According to Toyota, the all-new Supra can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.3 seconds. Moreover, the vehicle is equipped with an adaptive variable suspension and limited slip differential.
As for safety, the all-new Supra comes with seven SRS airbags, vehicle stability control, anti-lock brake system with electronic brake force distribution and traction control, among others. Stopping power is provided by front ventilated disc brakes with four-piston fixed caliper along with rear ventilated disc brakes with single piston floating caliper.
There are eight radiant body colors to choose from. These are White Metallic, Silver Metallic, Prominence Red, Lightning Yellow, Ice Gray Metallic, Black Metallic, Deep Blue Metallic and Matte Storm Gray. Price starts at P4.99 million (Prominence Red). All the other colors are valued at P5.05 million except for the Matte Storm Gray which is priced at P5.09 million.
Image credits: Randy S. Peregrino