Some marriages are made in heaven, and after five years, this particular union between Toyota and BMW—known as the GR Supra—is still rockin’. Especially when this sleek two-seater is fitted with the six-speed manual transmission that was introduced for 2023. This is one slick, fine-driving sports coupe, and from behind the wheel it feels as though the Japanese and German automakers are still in their honeymoon phase.
It was Toyota that made the romantic overtures here. To resurrect its legendary Supra nameplate—extinct since 2002 with the heralded A80—Toyota looked to BMW for a sporty rear-drive, inline-six platform. As such, the 2020 Supra shared the BMW Z4’s platform, suspension, 3.0L twin-scroll turbo straight-six, ZF eight-speed auto, and electronically controlled rear limited-slip differential.
As might be expected, the Supra faithful had their fireproof knickers in a knot over this. Why would Toyota, one of the largest car companies in the world, look to another manufacturer to bring back one of their own iconic high-performance sports cars? Cost, convenience and time, that’s why. Developing an all-new rear-drive, front-engine turbo straight-six sports car would have cost billions and taken forever. BMW has mastery over this, so why not go along for the ride?
And it’s not like Toyota hasn’t done this before. The Toyota 86 two-door sports coupe is essentially a Subaru BRZ with different badging. When it comes to sports cars, Toyota is not above a bit of promiscuity—and they do know how to pick their partners.
The Toyota Supra GR 6MT, however, is much more than a BMW Z4 with swoopy coupe sheet metal.
Powertrain: Under the Supra’s long hood resides BMW’s B58 twin-scroll turbocharged straight-six engine making 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of silken torque. This is a spectacular engine, and according to Toyota insiders, was the entire motivation for the project. The B58 is smooth, makes fantastic noises, and delivers a bountiful low- and mid-range torque punch along with a ferocious charge to its redline. It pairs beautifully with the six-speed ZF manual gearbox that sports a delightfully short-throw, mechanically satisfying shifter.
Stomp on the throttle when exiting a corner in Sport mode and the Supra’s back end squirms as the tires scramble for grip. The 100 km/h mark arrives in the low four-second range, and the Toyota engineers have added a bit of aural fireworks that enhance the experience.
Exterior: Some say the Supra might be a bit over styled, and indeed this coupe has more fake scoops than a counterfeit Baskin and Robbins store. Nonetheless, the Supra is a real head-turner—squat, sinfully curvaceous, with rear haunches to die for. The front echoes the classic last-gen Supra, with the back giving a few hints of Ferrari. The twin-bubble roof is super cool and functional if you need to wear a helmet, and I’ve never, ever been excited about reverse lights—until I saw this F1-inspired cluster. The Supra’s accoutrements might be a bit over-the-top for some tastes, but the shape is coherent from any angle and sends an unfiltered message as to the car’s mission. It looks especially fetching in this $460 Stratosphere Blue.
Interior: As with any low-slung sports coupe, getting into the Supra can be a challenge for the less agile, but once ensconced in the wonderfully comfortable and supportive 14-way leather seats, it’s all business in here. The driving position is excellent, and the stubby shifter is right where it should be. The seats are heated but not ventilated. There’s not much in the way of useful cabin storage, and cargo room under the Supra’s rear hatch is a modest 290 litres. But with a pass-through to the passenger compartment, I fit a bass guitar and small amplifier in there. Nice.
One well-documented annoyance—the Supra suffers from wicked buffeting when driving with the windows down above 70 km/h.
Infotainment: This is a BMW cabin through and through, and as this sports car came on the market five years ago, the Supra uses an older-gen architecture. Yet in many ways it is better for it. Yes, the 8.8-inch touchscreen jutting from the dashtop is pretty puny by modern standards, but the cabin is blessed with a plethora of physical buttons and controls, including the familiar BMW iDrive interface with rotary controller that, in our books, continues to be an ergonomic triumph of intuitive tactility over the industry’s recent obsession with turning a car’s interior into a glorified smartphone—wherein we furtively poke away at featureless screens while heading for the ditch.
The 2025 GR Supra 3.0T MT Premium also gets standard wireless Apple CarPlay, adaptive cruise, a fine 12-speaker JBL audio system, embedded navigation, and a head-up display.
Drive: The GR Supra 3.0T MT is all sports car, all the time. Along with the creamy turbo straight-six and snickety six-speed manual, it features adaptive damping, an active rear sport differential and powerful 4-piston Brembo brakes. All these bits gel into a dynamic whole that delivers a swift, holistic, and thoroughly engaging driving experience.
Yes, I would wish for more tactility in the steering, but that said, the helm is quick and accurate, and the Supra’s pointy snout hunts down apexes with laser-like precision. Press the Sport button and things get racier—the suspension firms up, throttle and steering response quicken, stability control slackens, the rear differential wakes up, and the exhaust gets nasty. The auto rev-matching works a treat, but for those who like a little heel-and-toe action, it can be disabled.
The GR Supra 3.0T MT is one of the best sports cars on the market. Balanced, pointy, poised, grippy and fast, it possesses a dynamic harmony that few cars can brag. Nothing twitchy, mysterious or scary here—just joyous fun.
The Supra has a wide bandwidth, as it also functions well as a calm GT cruiser thanks to recent finessing of the adaptive damping to improve ride quality.
Conclusion: So how far did Toyota run with BMW’s ball? Touchdown, I’d say. And adding the six-speed manual transmission for 2023 has made this highly competent sports coupe that much more special. Drive the Toyota Supra and BMW Z4 back-to-back, and you’ll see the Toyota has its own distinct dynamic fingerprint. It is arguably the best-driving Toyota sports coupe to date. The legend continues.
Quick Specs: 2025 Toyota GR Supra 3.0T MT Premium
Price as tested: $72,136.58 (CAD)
Freight: $1,860.00
Configuration: Front engine / Rear-wheel drive
Engine / Transmission: 3.0-litre turbocharged inline six-cylinder / 6-speed manual
Power / Torque: 382 horsepower / 369 lb-ft of torque
Fuel (Capacity): Premium gasoline (54 L)
Fuel Economy (L/100 km): 12.7 city / 8.8 highway / 10.9 combined
Observed Fuel Economy (L/100 km): 11.5
Warranties: 3 years / 60,000 km
Main Competitors: BMW Z4, Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, Porsche 718 Cayman
Website: Toyota Canada