It’s fair to say that we’re all pretty impressed with the new GR Supra. It’s got the looks, the power and even the tech to keep us all entertained, but not a manual gearbox, that is until now. Yes my friends, the new ‘beemerfied’ Toyota GR Supra now comes with a 6-speed manual transmission and it’s fantastic.
Over recent years I have had the pleasure of being behind the wheel of the new Supra on several occasions, I’ve even completed a rally stage in one, and the smiles it’s put on my face have been immeasurable. However, being as oldschool as I am, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have a stick to play with too. So when Toyota called to say that they’d added a manual transmission to the offering, and at no extra cost, you can be sure I nagged them for the keys.
Now I won’t harp on about the GR Supra’s style or dimensions as I’m sure you all either know or don’t care, but my review model came in ‘sub-zero’ white paintwork, which is cool as it sounds, with a kind of satin finish while its distinctive alloys covered the sporty Supra’s red brake callipers that had Supra written in silver on them.
Under the bonnet was the same BM 3L straight-six with a twin-scroll turbo, but as I have already said several times, mated to an intelligent 6-speed manual. So although the power (285kW) and torque (500Nm) are the same, the zero to 100kmh is slightly slower at 4.2 seconds, efficiency is worse 9.9L/100km and the same goes for the emissions 225g/km – but you won’t care when you get behind that wheel and drive.
As with the previous GR Supra’s, getting in and out for a guy of my age and girth is not easy, but nor should it be, this is a sports car after all, but once inside, the compact cabin seems to fit like a glove. Everything is within arm’s reach and has a nice tactility about it.
The seats are bucket-style so hug well in the corners and my model came with ‘ignition red’ trim for the extra sporty feel. The technology is the same as the in the auto Supra, which is all fine and dandy, and for those that don’t like to hear the six pot engine yell under high revs, there’s a 12-speaker JBL audio system to play your favourite beats, (whatever they may be), especially since Toyota has kindly added 20GB of memory for you to fill.
As hoped, dropping the clutch had the wheels lighting up as the rev needle raced north, gear changing up is slick yet with a glorious mechanical feel and the ‘intelligent box’ rev matches on the way back down – it’s all very involving, particularly as the clutch is so amenable.
The centre console is slightly wider than the auto, meaning that there’s more space for the likes of driving mode, traction and handbrake buttons. It’s not all roses for me though, the gear stick could do with being a bit shorter and if you are someone with big feet, the pedals are quite close together, almost Italian-like, so you will sometimes scrape the brake pedal when dipping the clutch.
Although the biggest change is obviously the manual gearbox, Toyota has taken it upon themselves to tweak a few other things while they were at it. For example, the suspension has been further refined, the steering ratio has been changed and the traction control has been amended – in all honesty these changes are not overtly apparent, but they just add to this vehicle’s brilliance.
Around town and in rush hour traffic you quickly realise why manual transmissions are becoming rarer and rarer, however, head out to them there hills and the memories of actually ‘driving a car’ come flooding back. The whole left side of your body, arm and leg join in the fun and I found myself changing up and down the gears just because!
I am somewhat certain that the Manual GR Supra is not going to be a massive seller for Toyota (even though you can’t get a ‘23 model now), and that makes me feel somewhat sad. By making it manual it turns the GR Supra into much more of a driver’s car, and in turn a car you really want to drive – just not downtown.
