Keyboard warriors, it’s time to put down those pitchforks, and put your money where your mouth is – because Toyota is now, actually, finally offering the GR Supra with a six-speed manual transmission. It took three full years of begging and pleading from the #savethemanuals crowd, but they’ve actually done it now.
The six-speed manual will only be offered on the 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six engine variants, which in Japan is the top-spec RZ trim, and in the United States, the 3.0, 3.0 Premium, plus a new A91-MT special edition model.
That’s not too much of an issue, however, since it’s what the “real enthusiasts” have been asking for anyway: a manual coupe with an inline-six engine; one that they’ve been lusting for since the Z4 M.
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Toyota doesn’t say who makes the GR Supra’s actual transmission itself aside from calling it “newly developed” (despite also saying that it’s based on an “existing transmission housing”), but ramblings on the internet are pointing towards a transmission lifted from the M3 and M4, but with several (Toyota-led) revisions, and Toyota’s own shifter.
The manual transmission will also come with Toyota’s iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission) system – just like the GR Yaris – that offers automatic rev-matching/throttle blipping. The final drive ratio on the manual is also shorter than the eight-speed auto at 3.46 (vs 3.15).
Changes to the cabin include a slightly revised centre console to fit the new shifter, and obviously there’s also an extra pedal in the footwell for the clutch. The gearshift paddles behind the steering wheel are also no more, although the electronic parking brake is retained on the manual GR Supra.
Toyota says that the shift knob is weighs precisely 200 grams, and has been designed specifically to be “easy to grip and operate from any direction”. There’s also a reworked “interior sound”, that’s supposedly tuned specifically for the manual to “generate excitement during acceleration”.
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Aside from the just adding a manual option, Toyota has also updated the rest of the GR Supra with several enhancements to its handling and ride characteristics, including new dampers for the Adaptive Variable Suspension for improved roll balance and ride comfort, alongside new stabiliser bushings for better steering response.
The AVS system, alongside the electric power steering and Vehicle Stability Control, have also been retuned for “improved overall steering feel and controllability” at the car’s limits. Meanwhile, the car’s Track mode has also been specifically reworked to allow for “easy drifting”.
Recognise those wheels? those are new 19-inch items (reserved for the RZ in Japan and A91-MT in US) which takes design inspiration from the GR Yaris and 86. Not only do they look pretty, they’re also 1.2 kg lighter on each corner to reduce unsprung weight.
And if the manual transmission itself is not enough to convince you that Toyota engineers know how to have fun, the A91-MT limited-edition model will also be offered with a colour called “CU Later Gray”, for obvious reasons.
In related news, rumours are suggesting that the much-beloved Toyota GR Yaris will also soon be offered with an automatic gearbox…
GALLERY
