The Toyota GR Supra sports car is finally available with a manual gearbox, three years after its launch.
The new six-speed manual will be offered in combination with the 335bhp 3.0-litre straight-six engine fitted to the top-rung Supra. Toyota said it has been engineered especially for this powertrain. This means, however, that the Supra’s other engine - the 254bhp 2.0-litre inline four, will not be available with the manual ’box.
As with the smaller Toyota GR Yaris, the gearbox is equipped with an Intelligent Manual Transmission (IMT) mode, which uses an “intelligent control system” to “prioritise sporty performance”. It said that, when upshifting, the gearbox has been tuned to optimise engine torque at the moment of clutch engagement and release. Toyota adds that the IMT is set as the default but can be switched off in Sport mode.
As well as this, the firm said it has engineered the gearbox to avoid a sluggish take-off, with the final drive ratio shortened from the 3.15 of the automatic car's to 3.46. Toyota claims the result is “response and gearing appropriate for sports car performance”. The new transmission also reduces the car’s overall weight by almost 40kg.
In addition, Toyota has refreshed the rest of the Supra range and all models get retuned suspension, with more rigid vulcanised rubber in the front and rear anti-roll bar bushes and retuned shock absorbers.
And to accommodate the new gearshifter, the centre console has been slightly redesigned, with additional space created between the shift lever and the air-con unit.
UK pricing and a specific release date will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Currently, the automatic Supra is priced from £47,505 for the 2.0-litre, and £55,880.00 for the 3.0-litre.
Back in 2019, the Supra was launched alongside the BMW Z4, which shares much of the same powertrain and chassis, but has not been confirmed for a manual option by BMW.
“Toyota has listened to sports car fans and customers,” the Japanese firm said as part of the reveal, saying the new manual car has been "engineered to delight drivers who love the control and rewards offered by precisely timed manual shifts”.
This now means that Toyota offers all three of its GR models - the GR Yaris, Toyota GR 86 and GR Supra - with a manual gearbox. However, only two of those are still available to buy, with the limited-run GR 86 selling out within 90 minutes of going online.
Sales of the much anticipated Toyota GT 86 successor opened earlier this month and its £29,995 starting price made it one of the most affordable sports coupés on sale. In less than an hour and a half, the Japanese firm closed down the UK ordering platform as the limit was hit.
