The Toyota Supra Thread

The Manual-Transmission 2023 Toyota GR Supra Is Everything You Hoped it Would Be

Engaging on a level it never was before, Toyota's sports car gets a stick-shift, and with it, a renewed sense of purpose.

If you told me a decade ago that Toyota — the company that gave us the “Camry Effect” ad campaign — would reposition itself to be one of the last bastions for accessible performance in the auto industry today, I’d have told you to go ground yourself to the ground.

Here we are though, in 2022, and the world’s biggest manufacturer has found its pulse again with three models that scale the enthusiast ladder. And Toyota is actually listening to enthusiasts! The company went back to the drawing board and found a way to offer the GR Supra with the manual transmission it was missing at launch. Granted, it took them a while, but frankly, I’m just comforted we’re getting a manual Supra at all.

To be fair, the Supra’s standard eight-speed automatic is snappy and does everything right, but a 0-60 time isn’t the only thing. If it was, I assuredly wouldn’t be writing this today. After three years of pleading, I will happily serve as the messenger of good, obvious news: the row-your-own Supra is great, buoyed by a newfound purpose that we all knew the two-door lacked from the beginning, even if we hopelessly tried to ignore that fact.

 
Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Manual 2022 UK review

As such, ride quality remains good, so if do you want an attractive junior GT that you can just get in and go, and that is more involving than ever, the manual Supra is well worth considering. It also has that corker of an engine, which loves to spin out but is also tractable and just polite in daily driving.

Most of all, though, there's really nothing else quite like it in this portion of the market.

 
The Modern Toyota Supra's BMW Engine Is More Than Equal to the Legendary 2JZ

Papadakis Racing's 1,200-hp drift Supra runs a stock engine block and cylinder liners, proving that the Toyota 2JZ isn't the only rock-solid Supra engine.

When the current A90 Toyota Supra came out, many enthusiasts collectively raged over the fact that the engine in the car came from BMW. I mean, how could BMW’s B58 inline-six be as strong and reliable, and offer as much power potential, as the now-venerated-beyond-all-reason Toyota 2JZ?

Early in the A90's life cycle, racing legend Stephan Papadakis decided to shoot a video series where he disassembled a stock B58 inline-six and evaluated its power and reliability potential in a racing application. The prognosis for the Bimmer engine was good. Now, fast forward a few years, Papadakis Racing is still running the B58 in Fredric Aasbo’s super successful drift Supra, pushing out around 1,200 horsepower.


 
Toyota GR Supra 3.0T Manual (2023) Price & Specs

The 6-speed manual version of the updated Toyota GR Supra (now with 285 kW) will arrive in South Africa shortly – and we’ve unearthed local pricing. Here’s how much you’ll pay…

Been hanging on for the 6-speed manual version of the Toyota GR Supra? Well, the wait is almost over – and we’ve uncovered pricing ahead of the local launch.

Yes, after a lengthy delay, the updated A90-generation Supra line-up is expected to debut in South Africa shortly, complete with extra power from its BMW-sourced 6-cylinder heart and a highly anticipated 3-pedal derivative.

As a reminder, the outgoing range comprised a trio of 3.0T variants – the base Track (R1 213 700), the standard model (R1 365 600) and a special Matte Grey version (R1 391 000) – with each featuring a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-6 petrol engine driving the rear axle through a ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic transmission. The 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder version, of course, didn’t ever make it to local shores.

Meanwhile, the updated line-up will incorporate 2 derivatives, though there will now be a choice of transmissions. According to our information, the Toyota GR Supra 3.0T manual model will start at R1 417 500, while specifying the 8-speed automatic transmission will cost you R34 300 more, pushing the starting price to R1 451 800.

From what we understand, the BMW-built B58 engine’s peak power will furthermore rise from the outgoing version’s 250 kW to a healthier 285 kW (finally matching the output of the closely related Z4 M40i roadster, which itself recently benefited from a facelift). Maximum torque, meanwhile, is likely to remain at 500 Nm. Claimed 0-100 kph times and top speeds for the SA-spec models have yet to be announced.

How much does the Toyota GR Supra cost in South Africa?

Toyota GR Supra 3.0T 6MT – R1 417 500

Toyota GR Supra 3.0T 8AT – R1 451 800

The updated Supra is likely to ship standard with a 3-year/100 000 km warranty and a 5-service/100 000 km service plan.

 
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