THE decade plus worth of foreplay for die hard SUPRA lovers finally reached a climax on Monday, when the fifth generation Toyota Supra was unveiled.
This Supra marks the end of a 17-year break since the end of production of the previous generation in 2002.
Ever since the Supra's beginning in 1978, all generations have been front-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles powered by an inline six-cylinder engine and the latest rendition is no exception.
The most infamous 2JZ-GTE is an inline-layout, six-cylinder dual overhead camshaft, twin-turbocharged engine that was manufactured by Toyota was produced from 1991 until 2002.
This is the engine that most tuners love for its durability and reliability and most of all the perfect tuners base platform – to date, the 2JZ-GTE is still used for most engine swaps.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda, who is also a master driver, said: "Back in the day, I spent countless
hours driving an old Supra at Nurburgring to become a master driver. Supra is like an old friend that holds a special place in my heart.”
“While other manufacturers were putting their beautiful new prototypes which they were going to introduce through the paces, I was driving an old Supra that was no longer in production.
So even though Toyota had no plans to make a new Supra, just like a lot of other die hard Supra fans around the world, I secretly wanted to make it happen. The new GR Supra was born through testing at Nurburgring, and I can honestly say that it is a car that is fun to drive and better than ever."
The new Supra provides a high-rigidity body for a higher state of driving performance, with a skeletal structure that employs both aluminium and steel.
This provides an increased bonding strength among materials of differing composition, body rigidity up to 2.5 times higher than that of the 86 was achieved.
According to the engineers its rigidity is even higher than that of the Lexus LFA, which features a cabin constructed of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics.
ENGINE
The tradition of an inline, six-cylinder engine found in successive generations of the Supra is
carried on in the form of a 6.3-liter, inline-6, twin-scroll turbocharged engine.
Its maximum torque of 500 Nm is produced at a low engine revolution of 1,600 rpm, allowing excitement from acceleration that perfectly matches expectations in line with accelerator-pedal operation.
There are two differently tuned 2.0-liter, inline-4, twin-scroll turbocharged engines.
One with a high-performance maximum output of 190 kW ideal for light, sporty driving,
while the other, which gathers 145 kW and allows for a sharp driving sensation from in-town to highway.
SUSPENSION
The suspension is newly designed with a front double-joint spring strut, and in the rear it features a multi-link suspension characterized by reduced unsprung weight and high-rigidity assembly.
Certain grades feature the Adaptive Variable Suspension system, which provides a high level
of both drivability and riding comfort by optimally controlling such elements as the selected
driving mode and the damping force of each wheel's shock absorber depending on the
conditions of the road surface.
It also features an active differential for heightened turning performance and stability, while coordinating with the Vehicle Stability Control system, an active differential optimally controls the locking ratio between the rear left and right wheels in a stepless range of zero to 100 by way of an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch.
