ERDA, Utah – Back in May 2019 when we got our first chance to drive the reincarnated car Toyota Suprasome car reviewer of great wisdom and humility noted the following:” SupraThe mandatory eight-speed automatic transmission is excellent in most situations, shifting smart and smooth. Sport mode quickly produces a deceleration that matches the engine rpm brake, but there was a time when dropping an extra gear beyond what the car chose was ultimately necessary, and we ended up using the paddle. A more aggressive Sport+ setting would make it even better. Adding a manual transmission option would make it…well, slower, but also more appealing to purists. “
Yes, purists, prepare to get engaged. Toyota Supra 2023 can now be equipped with a six-speed manual transmission. Admittedly, with a 3.0-liter inline-six rather than a base four, you don’t want that anyway. Fireworks, call you sellerprepare to write angry comments that Toyota hasn’t used one of its own manuals since a Corolla or something.
No, the new six-speed manual is a product of ZF, the same German gearbox supplier is responsible for, you guessed it, BMW car gearboxes of all shapes and sizes (along with many other car manufacturers’ gearboxes). Toyota Motor Europe worked with ZF to adapt existing gearboxes for higher torque engines (almost certainly the manual is available in the four-cylinder Z4 in the European market), designed a larger clutch and reinforced diaphragm springs. The final gear ratio is shortened (3.46 vs 3.15) and Toyota says it also set the gearshift ratio to minimize the effort required to shift gears.
The end result is a transmission that certainly has a German feel, but with shorter throws, more precisely what we’ve come to expect from BMW’s rubbery and historically-recorded manuals. It moves through proportions with gentle guidance from your thumb or forefinger, but has enough lift and slots into gears with enough resistance to feel suitable for a sport carof the manual transmission. Probably the best way to describe it is midway between a BMW and a GR86 gear. It’s pretty good.
The transmission may be German, but the lever that operates it is pure Supra. Toyota says it has worked hard to refine the precise bridge shape of the gear lever. And welcome, because the small leather-wrapped cue ball fits in your hand above its thin metal body. It looks like something that should be in a car that starts at $53,595, destination included, or the same price as a comparable automatic.
If there’s one thing, dear Toyota purists, for which you should be grateful the Supra inherited from the Bavarians is its pedal placement. The brake and accelerator are close enough to simply roll the ball of your foot from left to right to recover when shifting gears. In a Corolla, you have to do a literal, old-fashioned, ankle-healing maneuver thanks to the pedals being spaced as far apart as one. Tundra‘S. Of course, the Supra is equipped with iMT as standard, which Toyota says about the ability to automatically reduce the amount in accordance with the engine rpm. Put the clutch under the brake and the car will automatically step on the gas in case you downshift. It works great, especially on the track, to eliminate the chance of user error, or when wanting to impress the girls with your “you” amazing spin-matching throttle (right before make an impressive turn on the handbrake, which is admittedly difficult as the Supra still has an electronic brake button). Disabling iMT requires the use of the Sport Individual driving mode setting.
In addition to the welcome new transmission, Toyota has tweaked the traction control system to deal with the possibility of wheel roll due to a combination of manual and human transmission. We didn’t get a chance to test it, but there’s also a new “Hairpin+” function that allows for more revs “when taking sharp turns on uphill slopes 5% more with high-traffic pavement.” “. Supra also hit well with the men in scoring position after the eighth inning while playing in Baltimore with a pitcher named Stanley.
Every 2023, the Supra receives a revised stability control system to reduce the risk of a cross-border collision, which has been a crusade for the engineering team since its inception. The car was originally developed. Engineers also tweaked the electric power steering and modified the suspension, which Toyota says improves roll balance and ride comfort. We actually got a chance to drive a 2022 Supra during the hour-long journey to the Utah Motorsports Campus, but not on the track. Meanwhile, we only had to drive the new hand-sewn Supra on the track and therefore not on the actual road. So if there’s a difference for 2023, we wouldn’t have noticed but barely put in place arrive notice.
Along those lines, the track is perfectly acceptable, but arguably not the ideal location for this Supra as the manual transmission makes it…well, slower. If you really want to get into the lap faster, an automatic is still the way to go even without the Sport+ mode. Acceleration is quicker, as the 382-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter turbo does a good 0-60 in 3.9 seconds compared to the 4.2 version of the new manual.
And again, there’s the issue of user error. You don’t have to worry about the computer bouncing off the rev limiter, messing up the gearshift, or doing something stupid with the clutch. Instead of worrying about all that, drivers can focus more easily on the steering and chassis. Put it all together, and there’s a reason race cars don’t have a six-speed manual clutch.
However, away from the track and in the real world, does anything really matter? No one is timing you while you’re driving on a mountain road, and shifting gears at the wrong time will lead to nothing but temporary frustration for you. If a certain guy sucks you in Tesla, any man. You’ll get the sensory guidebook, and for those of us who crave more sensations from the Supra, mission accomplished. Even as we just drove the new 2023 Supra 6MT on track, adding the manual for this particular two-seater sports car practically made it feel just right. “Ah, much better,” was immediately uttered.
Toyota says customer demand for the manual was so high that when the Supra hit the market it immediately started reviewing it back in 2019. But what about really? ? Did they not see it coming? Honestly, it would be more surprising if there was no demand for it, be it from real customers or people just typing on the internet. Anyway. Maybe the Supra’s manual isn’t “better” the way an engineer or spreadsheet enthusiast would define it, but for weekend drives or quick outings, sports cars and three pedal is the right combination. Look no further than Toyota’s own GR86, Mazda Miata, Porsche 718 or Nissan Z. Now there’s another one. And it is good.
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