2021 Supra 3.0 Premium

Joined
Jul 21, 2002
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Location
KY
Saturday my wife and I drove to a local Toyota dealer to check out the 2021 Supra. The store was absolutely packed with truck and FWD appliance shoppers. The salesman I’ve been talking with was busy, but fortunately the Supra was sitting at the front of the showroom; I think it was the only car that people weren’t looking at. My bride and I both sat in it and it felt pretty comfortable and familiar, which was no surprise as 99% of the switchgear and telematics are sourced from BMW.

Two complaints I’ve read about are the seats and the limited luggage space. We both thought the seats were fine, and my wife thought the luggage space was more than adequate for a two seater(I thought the subwoofer grills were a bit ricey, but you don’t have to look at them that often). I’ve also heard some gripes about outward visibility; while it’s not great, it’s nowhere near as bad as the newer Camaros I’ve driven.

Two pet peeves are the lack of a heated steering wheel and no external release for the hatch, but neither are deal breakers. Minor annoyances included the downmarket steering wheel controls and the over abundance of fake scoops and vents

My wife liked it a lot, but I really need to take it on an extended test drive(with an ambient temperature of 30F on Saturday I thought that driving a car fitted with PSS tires was rather pointless).

If I could get it for $9k off MSRP like a friend in CO did several months ago I’d likely buy it. For only $4k off I’m not so sure. In any event, I doubt the Supra I’m considering is going anywhere in the near future; not many people like the Nitro Yellow paint(we do) and Supra fanboys feel snubbed and betrayed by Toyota’s decision to build the 5th generation model on a BMW platform. As of yesterday the car has been on the floor 142 days- and the salesman really wants to move it. A far cry from 12 months ago when another dealer wouldn’t let me drive a Supra without a signed purchase order- even though I had set up an appointment to do exactly that.
 
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re: the fake vents... they are all 100% convertable to functioning vents. the plastics blocking them are just held in with screws. this was a design consideration Toyota insisted upon.

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nope... I was wrong... sorry.
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I like the look and the idea of the Supra... I’d even be fine with a 4T powering it. It’s not just about the numbers. I’d be curious about the driving impressions.... I was most surprised by how much then’14 lexus GS felt like early Toyota RWDs such as the 80s celicas, cressidas and 70s Coronas. The dna was unmistakable, but it’s a whole different language than bmws footwork on the pavement. Will the Supra have that same Toyota dna, or will it drive like a bimmer? My GS grows on me weekly. We bought it as a fun weekend car when I didn’t want to drive the truck. However, as much as I like the truck, this GS is a very easy and fun vehicle to live with. It does many things well, and was built with a significant quality in detail. based on that, I think the Supra could be a neat car....
 
I think it's a beautiful car. Do like my gf's dad does. He writes a check for his bottom dollar, hands it to the sales dude, then sits in the waiting room and goes to sleep haha. If they take it, sweet!! If not, he walks.
 
re: the fake vents... they are all 100% convertable to functioning vents. the plastics blocking them are just held in with screws. this was a design consideration Toyota insisted upon.

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nope... I was wrong... sorry.
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That fender vent at 2:04. Wouldn't that throw crap all over the car?
 
My buddy has one he uses as a track car and I've ridden with him at Watkins Glen. Exterior looks are definitely above average, very sporty and unique. When you first get in the car the interior is high quality and surprisingly comfortable. On track, the performance was very impressive, and I already drive a M340i. The B58 + ZF 8HP is exemplary and it sounds even sexier in the Supra (if that's possible). Looks the part, drives the part, and is nice to spend time in, great car.
 
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Was the visibility similar to the first Z4 coupe? I've seen only one in the flesh and I think it looks pretty good, but I agree with the fake vents. Nothing cheapens a vehicle like fake aero/cooling ducts.
I’ve only driven a couple of the Z4 Coupes, I’d say visibility in the Supra is a bit worse.
 
My buddy has one he uses as a track car and I've ridden with him at Watkins Glen. Exterior looks are definitely above average, very sporty and unique. When you first get in the car it's high quality and surprisingly comfortable. On track, the performance was very impressive, and I already drive a M340i. The B58 + ZF 8HP is exemplary and it sounds even sexier in the Supra (if that's possible). Looks the part, drives the part, and is nice to spend time in, great car.
Funny that you mention the M340i; the dealer that sold me my M235i has a CPO M340i. It’s heavily optioned, including the Cooling and HP Tire package . My BMW dealer gave me an M340i xDrive loaner a while ago and I liked it a lot, but while I’ve owned several coupes I haven’t owned a two seat sports car since the 1969 Datsun SPL311 I ran in the ‘70s. I think it’s time- I’m sure not getting any younger.
 
I suspect that a decent ///M heated steering wheel (and maybe clock spring) would be fairly easy to install and code.

The lack of external hatch release should be fairly easy to rectify as well.
 
I really like the new Supra even through the huge amount of "purists" that think it's pointless and just another Z4. I'd totally get one if I wouldn't be in the market for a house in a few years.

I can't remember who did this but somebody/some magazine got a hold of one early after they were released and did a slight change to the alignment to help immensely with the understeer.
 
I really like the new Supra even through the huge amount of "purists" that think it's pointless and just another Z4. I'd totally get one if I wouldn't be in the market for a house in a few years.

I can't remember who did this but somebody/some magazine got a hold of one early after they were released and did a slight change to the alignment to help immensely with the understeer.
The suspension, active diff, and throttle mapping have been recalibrated on the 2021 Supra 3.0.
 
A hardtop Z coupe, with a big discount? What's not to like?

The styling is bold, but isn't that what sport coupes should be? I've seen one on the street and like it, even with the fake vents.

I get a chuckle at writers who still parrot the line that Toyota did much beyond its own styling, and tuning (which to its credit, many seem to prefer over BMW's).

Reminds one of the Taylor/Dr. Zaius exchange in PoTA -- "Doctor, why would a Toyota be fully cataloged in BMW's parts system?" At least before it was removed from the ETK.
 
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