UMW Toyota has just unveiled the long-awaited Toyota Supra on Malaysian soil last week. We had the opportunity to take the Toyota Supra for a quick spin on an empty air strip, and here are a few things that we like about the new Supra!
1. Power that can send you to the rear of your seats
The 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six engine at the front churns out a peak power of 340 hp and 500 Nm of torque! With all of that power going to the rear wheels, hooning the new Supra was quite an experience! Not only did it feel like it had more than 340 hp, all of the sound you hear are genuine — Toyota did not add any artificial engine noise through the speakers.
The new A90 Toyota Supra does 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.3 seconds, and the turbo pull from around 3,000 rpm was just relentless – felt like we were glued to the back of the seat – and the engine happily revs on with plenty of grunt all the way up to 6,500 rpm.
2. Controversial styling… until you see it with your own eyes
The new Supra may have looked a little underwhelming when official pictures first surfaced but it looked so much better in the flesh!
The big headlamps reminded us of the previous-generation A80 Supra, but Toyota completely redesigned the rear with new svelte taillights which are integrated into the vertical vents.
We particularly liked the Formula 1-inspired reverse light assembly, as well as the integrated ducktail spoiler. It was hard to not stare at its buttocks as the Supra pulled away!
3. What happens when you combine the master of chassis development with a veteran in making small sports cars?
We are not sure if it’s the BMW effect (yes, the Supra is based on a BMW chassis), but the new Toyota Supra handled very, very well. Most of the time, the car is completely drama-free.
During our drive, we put the Supra through a brake-steer combination test, and the Supra managed to slice through the cones with so much composure – even under extreme weight and direction shifts!
You might assume that all that poise would rob the Supra of its RWD “fun factor” but we’re happy to report that the opposite is true. Give the throttle a little squeeze and the tail of the Supra slides out in a predictable and controllable manner. Just see how the Supra drifts in our video above!
On high-speed runs at speeds in excess of 200 km/h, the A90 Toyota Supra still felt reasonably planted on the tarmac with the suspension soaking in the undulations well. The weighty and steering rack tuning made high speed driving very manageable!
4. Am I in a BMW?
The interior of the Toyota Supra is essentially a BMW, but it’s not a bad thing! The new Supra is well equipped with niceties such as the full-coloured head-up display and 12-speaker JBL audio system. All of the controls on the centre-console are laid-out projected a clean appearance and were easily accesible, and the infotainment system – based on BMW Operating System 7.0 – was a breeze to use.
Seating position in the cabin was also nice and low with plenty of headroom although ingress and egress may require some getting used to with the low roofline. The touring-inspired seats wrapped in leather definitely seemed comfortable enough for long-distance road trips.
Our first impressions of the Toyota Supra were pretty positive, and we can’t wait to tell you more through our videos! In the meantime, here’s a recap of the specifications for the new 2019 Toyota Supra:
| Name | 2019 Toyota Supra GR GTS A90 |
| Engine | 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six |
| Transmission | 8-speed automatic gearbox |
| Max power | 340 hp @ 5,000 – 6,500 rpm |
| Max torque | 500 Nm @ 1,600 – 4,500 rpm |
| 0-100 km/h; top speed | 4.3 seconds; 250 km/h (electronically limited) |
The 2019 Toyota Supra starts at RM568,000 (on-the-road, without insurance) for the Prominence Red colour option, RM573,000 for the Silver Metallic and Lightning Yellow, and RM580,000 for the Matte Storm Gray Metallic.
