The Toyota GR Supra has had its fair share of detractors since launching a while back. Many have come before me and have said that it does not feel like a continuation of the Supra line, and that it feels “too BMW.” On paper, this is a relatively fair assessment. After all, this car’s twin is the BMW Z4, except that the Supra has a fixed roof in place of being a convertible.
Is that really so bad, though? After all, the GR86, the car that brought Toyota back into the sports-car world, had a twin in the Subaru BRZ. What people don’t realize is the astronomical costs associated with developing an all-new platform on your own. These costs are easily in the billions, so sometimes, the only way a new platform can ever see the light of day is through shared development.
Without such a partnership, the Supra would never have been possible. Yes, Toyota is currently developing its own bespoke GR cars in the upcoming GR GT, as well as the GR hatches. But at that time, when we thought we would never see the Supra nameplate again, we got the pleasant surprise of this very car.
So, the question then becomes this: Did Toyota pick the right partner in BMW? Does this live up to the Supra name? Read on to find out.
Styling
Here’s where some of the detractors in the back get some shouts in. Today’s Supra just doesn’t seem like a direct successor to the previous Supras. Maybe it has to do with the front middle nose that seems like it came off of a mid-2000s Mercedes SLK, but there’s just something about the old Supra’s wide front grille that got lost in translation to this new one.
So you wouldn’t automatically think Supra when it comes to looks—does that mean that it’s not a good-looking car? Well, that’s a bit of a loaded question. When I first set eyes on the car, I didn’t particularly like the way that it looked. It looked a bit too busy, with a bit too many curves and angles that, while lending it an intimidating stance, just didn’t seem to work for me.
That being said, this is one of those cars that grows on you the more you see it. As the weekend happened, I found myself looking back at it in the parking lot more and more, and after it was picked up, I found that the photos I took of it definitely look better than my initial impressions of its looks. So yes, it’s very photogenic. In fact, the longer I stared at it, the more I seemed to like it.
It has a front-end that was tweaked slightly from when it first came out, and it looks a lot more purposeful now, with a complete face that makes for an intimidating view in the rear-view mirror.
It has a very planted stance, with huge haunches for the rear wheels, that make it much more aggressive-looking than others in the same class. The view from the rear is definitely one of its best angles, with a good balance of taillights and broad shoulders that give it significant road presence.
At the end of the day, it is one of those designs that grows on you, and I can see the appeal. I just wish the front-end took more cues from the classic MkIV Supra.
ALSO READ:
Review: The Toyota GR Yaris embodies the spirit of old-school homologation specials
Retro review: What’s all the fuss over the Toyota Corolla AE86 about?
Interior
Close your eyes while settling into the seat of the Supra, and you will feel, smell, and touch a BMW. The telltale sign is the shifter, which comes straight out of the Z4 with BMW’s distinctive push-button release to go into gear. That being said, BMWs of this generation also had some of the best driver-centric interiors of any sporty cars. While Toyota purists might lament the lack of Toyota in the interior, we find that this may be one of the best interiors they could have gone with.
The electrically adjustable sport seats are comfortable yet supportive, and the gauges coupled with the heads-up display are some of the clearest and most legible displays you will see on this side of the Toyota line-up.
With soft-touch materials at all touch points and a smattering of carbon fiber in the center console, interior quality is top-notch. Even with this specific unit having some wear and tear, you can still feel the quality in everything you touch.
Space is generally ok—especially for someone of my height at 6’2”—but there is a slight feeling of claustrophobia, as the viewing aperture out the front windshield is a bit tight and the sharp rake of the pillars makes for a slightly tight feel, even if the car itself has a lot of space. It just seems tight due to the visual illusion of the high sills and narrow angle of the windows.
I do wish that the trunk had a bit more space given the liftback design, as it was a bit tight for camera gear and a small backpack.
Engine performance
Put your foot down in the Supra, and after a slight delay, you get a kick in the gut as the turbocharged 3.0-liter in-line-six dumps 382hp and 500Nm of torque directly to the rear wheels. It’s enough to spin the wheels up to third gear from a dead stop, and it can be scary if you weren’t expecting it.
The reason there is a delay is that the computer takes some time to decide just how much acceleration you want; couple that with the turbo lag, and flooring it in any gear may leave you waiting a good second before the right gear is engaged and power is handed to you with a slap in the face.
This delay can be mitigated or eliminated by switching the drivetrain into sport mode. Do this—or even better, shift through the eight-speed transmission yourself through the paddles—and the engine will be much more responsive and eliminate most of the delay you get in full-automatic mode.
In essence, then, if you choose the right settings, you can make the power delivery so much sharper than what the computer thinks is right, which gives the Supra an almost two-faced personality when it comes to how much power it is willing to give at any given time.
Ride and handling
Taking corners in the Supra feels very planted, thanks to the car’s wide stance at the rear. It builds confidence in the driver, and that’s the hallmark of a well-tuned suspension. In the Supra’s case, this is a double-joint-type MacPherson strut in the front and a multi-link setup in the rear.
The Supra is also equipped with a limited-slip differential, and this helps with putting the power down through and after a corner, which is something that it does particularly well.
Thankfully, despite its good handling chops, the car is also quite comfortable on a long highway cruise. I drove it from Manila to Clark, and while it wasn’t the longest drive, I arrived feeling quite good with no back aches and my spine in one piece.
It is always a plus when a sports car has a suspension that is tuned great for the streets, and I feel that the Supra finds that balance of a sporty ride without being too harsh. This makes it a good option for a sporty daily driver.
Extra features
Having the BMW iDrive knob and infotainment in a Toyota-badged car never gets old. The 8.8-inch screen is large and legible, although if you have been in newer Toyotas and BMWs, this system will probably seem a bit dated. Thankfully, it does have a good amount of physical buttons and a decent 12-speaker JBL sound system.
Unfortunately, despite there being two of us trying to figure it out over a few days of driving, we could not get the Apple CarPlay system to work. It is supposed to have wireless Apple CarPlay, but despite plugging our phones in, using two different iPhones, and even resetting the iDrive, we could not get it to work. This means either the system was not functioning in this specific car, or more likely, it is not intuitive enough for two people to get it to work, even if we were somewhat used to working through BMW’s systems already.
Replacing iDrive with Toyota’s newest infotainment systems would be something that would benefit the user experience greatly, as they seem to have dialed it in quite well in the latest iteration.
Lastly, we wish that Toyota Safety Sense were implemented here. At this price, and with this being the flagship of the GR cars, its omission is something of a red flag, especially when other cars in the Toyota lineup have radar-guided cruise control, and the Supra only has regular cruise control.
Verdict
This brings us to what I feel is the biggest, whitest elephant in the room: the price. There’s no beating around the bush—The Supra, developed in partnership with BMW, also boasts a BMW price tag, with the automatic variant starting at an eye-watering P5,552,000.
Frankly, that’s a lot. The question then becomes, is it worth it? On one hand, the easy answer is yes. It’s Toyota’s flagship sports car, with a legendary straight-six engine and rear-wheel drive. On the other hand, is it really a Toyota, what with all the German engineering that’s gone into it?
For me, the mere fact that we have a Supra in 2026 makes it absolutely worth it. It completes Toyota’s GR lineup, giving the Japanese manufacturer the most complete performance car lineup of any brand out there. Yes, there are some quirks and drawbacks being a co-developed car, but the mere fact that we have a powerful, rear-wheel-drive sports car in this day and age of electrification means that there is still hope for us enthusiasts out there.
Who would have thought that Akio Toyoda’s “fun to drive again” mantra would have resulted in the return of the Supra nameplate? I, for one, thought that the Mk. IV was the swansong of the nameplate, but it seems that Toyota and GR had other plans. We can’t wait for the next iteration of this hallowed name.
SPECS: 2026 Toyota GR Supra 3.0L AT
Price: P5,612,000 (-P60k for Prominence Red, +P40k for matte colors)
Engine: 3.0-liter turbocharged gasoline in-line-six
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic transmission
Power: 382hp @ 5,800-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,800-5,000rpm
Drive Layout: RWD
Seating: 2
Score: 8/10
More photos of the Toyota GR Supra 2026:
