The brand-new Toyota Supra is propelled by a BMW engine, which is no secret. That has been widely publicized for at least a year. However, there are currently two BMW engines available for the Supra: a 255 horsepower version of the BMW B48 2.0 liter turbo-four and a 382 horsepower version of the BMW B58 3.0 liter turbocharged inline-six. What needs to be determined is which one is superior.
That question can appear absurd on its face. Of course, the engine with the most power is the best engine. Right? Well, perhaps not. Both have advantages and disadvantages, thus it’s possible to argue that the Toyota Supra is better off with the smaller engine. In this brand-new Everyday Driver video, we get to see which is superior.
Even if the 2.0 version has less power, it might be the one to buy for a particular reason that seems to have slipped the packaging’s notice. The new Toyota Supra 2.0T is often praised by enthusiasts for being lighter (it weighs roughly 200 lbs less), and the smaller engine plays a significant role in that. The location of the engine itself, rather than the engine’s smaller weight, is what makes a difference.
The size of the 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder allows Toyota to position it so far back in the engine compartment that the entire engine is behind the center line of the front axle. In essence, it is a front-mid-engine vehicle. Ferrari asserts that its vehicles with the same package are front-mid engines even if it is still listed as a front-engine vehicle. We’re going to call it that because it’s cooler.
The Toyota Supra can turn in considerably more quickly thanks to the revised packaging since there is simply much less weight in front of the front wheels. The weight is higher inboard than in the six-cylinder variant, making it turn in better and spin slightly better around corners, similar to a mid-engine car. Even while it’s not technically in the middle, the effects of relocating the engine so far inboard are very close to doing so.
So, even though the Toyota Supra 3.0 is still a fantastic car and has a greater engine, the 2.0 model has a slightly better feel. The experience of testing these cars firsthand will be incredibly intriguing.
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Is the engine of the Toyota Supra a BMW?
In case you somehow didn’t know, the new Supra is essentially a BMW Z4 on the inside. It has a BMW drivetrain, interior, and parts. It is propelled by a B58 twin-turbo straight-six engine from BMW.
Why does the Supra’s engine come from BMW?
The incredibly strong emotional bond people have to the Toyota Supra is a key part of what makes it a heritage vehicle.
Fair or not, that attachment comes with expectations, and the expectations for the Supra’s return were, to put it mildly, sky-high for a car that hasn’t been around in almost two decades. This explains why, despite all Toyota did, people would still find something to criticize.
When the new Toyota Supra finally made its long-awaited debut at the 2019 North American International Show, that is exactly what transpired, as was predicted. Fair enough, I was among the group of individuals who immediately discovered something wrong with the Supra. Many people, including myself, were not really thrilled of how skepticism played out aesthetically. Others bemoaned the shortage of available engines, especially in the US market. Some people questioned the location of the manual transmission choice. Some others felt betrayed by Toyota’s $50,000 price tag. The 2017 Supra’s one feature that enthusiasts are still struggling to understand is the proverbial “elephant in the room.”
It’s a difficult question to pose, especially given the complexity of the answer. However, the individual who does know the answer isn’t hesitating to provide it. Tetsuya Tada, head of Toyota’s performance division and chief engineer of the Supra, understood better than anyone the importance of the Supra’s development and the role BMW played in it. Tada, however, is not about such revisionist history way of life. He believed that everything went according to plan because the other options would have produced a completely different vehicle.
Tada claims that the entire purpose of the A90 Supra project was to produce a sports car that was affordable for many people.
Toyota held numerous discussions about how it could achieve this, and as a result of some of those discussions, Toyota and BMW formed a relationship to assist in building the foundations for the Supra and the BMW Z4 Roadster, the vehicle that BMW was developing at the time. Despite the success of that collaboration, Toyota was nonetheless criticized by purists who were outraged that the Japanese automaker would allow another business to participate in the development of its iconic sports car. Even worse, the Supra has started to be referred to as a “BMW parts bin car,” a description that Tada rightfully objects to because, well, it’s not true.
BMW’s involvement, according to Toyota’s performance chief, was compelled by necessity in part because BMW possessed the tools required by Toyota for the Supra, particularly Bimmer’s roaring 3.0-liter inline-six engine.
Toyota could have created one independently, but doing so didn’t make sense given the price of doing so as well as the time and resources needed to complete the task. Even if Toyota had built a modular inline-six engine from scratch, it would have known that there aren’t as many uses for it now as there once were, especially because the industry is already focused on electrification and hybridization. Even if that weren’t a concern, Toyota could have better utilized the time and money by focusing those resources on other parts of the project than on constructing an engine exclusively for the Supra. The fact that BMW already had an inline-six engine that met Toyota’s specifications for the Supra was undoubtedly helpful as well.
Tada also denied claims that the Supra’s development was heavily influenced by BMW. While that is partially accurate, the same can be stated of Toyota’s contribution to the Z4’s development. In the capabilities they agreed to, the two automakers profited from one another, but when it came down to actually create the two cars, Toyota and BMW operated independently of one another.
The idea of the new Toyota Supra being a completely Toyota-built vehicle would have been appealing.
The sentimental part of me enjoys it that way as well. However, there is something positive to be stated about the rise in automotive partnerships between automakers in the sports car industry. The current state of the market does not show a particularly positive picture of the desire for sports cars. The segment still has some of the automakers’ most ardent supporters, so manufacturers must still compete at their best. But there must be some concessions along the road, and the Toyota-BMW alliance is a prime illustration of that. And it’s not just these two. For instance, the Mazda MX-5’s chassis is used in the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth. A similar arrangement gave rise to the Toyota-Subaru alliance that produced the 86 and the BRZ. Automakers must adapt as well as the automotive industry, especially when it comes to the creation of models that don’t take part in the hybrid and electrification revolution. The Toyota-BMW alliance was established as a result. Although it may not be to our convenience, it is for their benefit.
In addition, would you be prepared to spend more than $100,000 on a Toyota Supra? Tada predicted that the Supra would cost if Toyota had developed it independently.
Price may not have been the primary driving force behind Toyota’s Supra development plan, but who’s to say it wasn’t a significant consideration in the end?
How about this then? Why don’t we put an end to our quibbling about how the Supra was created? Everyone has their own complaints, but in the end, would you let those grouses stand in the way of genuinely enjoying the Supra? After all, there’s one unavoidable fact about the car that no one can dispute.
There is now a new Toyota Supra. The time has come. Why don’t we take pleasure in it for what it is and not for what we expected it to be?
Does Toyota utilize BMW motors?
The two titans of the automotive industry, BMW and Toyota, have declared a “medium-to-long-term cooperation” in which they would cooperate to create and exchange green technologies.
Toyota will receive 1.6L to 2.0L diesel engines from BMW. In order to expand its market share on a continent where the vast majority of sold vehicles are powered by diesel engines, they will start incorporating them into some European models in 2014.
The two manufacturers will also work together to develop a brand-new line of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and electric cars.
At a time when the race to improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions has peaked, this partnership will enable the two corporations to cut research and development expenses.
This is Toyota’s second announcement of this kind; earlier this summer, Toyota teamed up with Ford to create a hybrid system for SUVs and vans.
Is the 2JZ engine a BMW unit?
In response to widespread demand, BMW has declared that the legendary Toyota 2JZ inline six-cylinder will replace every engine in its lineup. Following substantial public outrage over BMW’s role in the creation of the fifth-generation Toyota Supra, the announcement was made.
What makes the new Supra a BMW?
Working together between various automakers is not uncommon. Cost and production time savings, as well as the utilization of shared technologies and resources, are frequent advantages of collaboration. Ford has already partnered with Mazda, Toyota has done it with Subaru, and BMW is currently collaborating with Jaguar Land Rover on electrification technology. Toyota and BMW have a long-standing cooperation that recently gave rise to the most recent version of the revered Supra, Toyota’s illustrious mid-sized sports car.
The new Supra, which is now in its fifth generation, doesn’t resemble the BMW Z4 with which it shares parts at all. It has fascinating shapes and pointed-looking headlights, whilst the Z4 has a curvier, more rounder style. The Supra’s bold dimensions can look a little off-putting from certain perspectives. It also sports a distinctive front fascia, as opposed to the safer, more traditional BMW look of the Z4’s.
Even though both vehicles are two-door sports cars, the Supra has a hardtop while the Z4 is only available as a convertible.
However, the new Supra contains a sizable amount of components with BMW stamps underneath. For instance, the inline-six engine, which Toyota engineers specifically modified for the Supra, is derived from BMW. The chassis is identical to the Z4’s, and BMW likewise provides the eight-speed automatic transmission. The Magna Steyr facility in Graz, Austria, produces both vehicles.
The cooperation makes sense both economically and culturally. Toyota understood it had to offer the new Supra a straight-six engine in order to maintain the tradition set by earlier iterations of the Supra.
So instead of spending the time and money necessary to design and construct its own new straight-six, Toyota opted to use BMW’s.
According to Motor Trend, BMW decided against building a new version of a low-volume convertible because the costs associated with doing so would have been too high. BMW was able to release the new Z4 and the new Supra last year thanks in part to financial support from Toyota.
Is the 2021 Toyota Supra reliable?
The most recent Toyota Supra generation, which was unveiled for the 2019 model year, is regarded as a very dependable car. Its engine is built on a tried-and-true foundation, so getting them to endure far over 100,000 miles shouldn’t be a problem.
The famed reliability of Toyota products is typically what consumers look for when purchasing them. Directly from BMW is where the Supra’s engine is sourced. Despite not having the same reputation for dependability as Toyota, BMW’s Supra engine is a fantastic one.
The 3.0L straight-six engine that powers the Supra is the newest in a long series of renowned BMW engines. This engine has been manufactured for many years, and it has been refined greatly. Toyota placed the reliable engine in their vehicles because they value it highly.
Who makes the engine for the 2021 Toyota Supra?
Both of the 2021 Supra variants’ respective engines are produced by BMW. The inline 4-cylinder BMW B48B20 engine, which produces 295 pound-feet of torque and 255 horsepower, is standard on the 4 cylinder. The Supra 2.0 model uses this powerplant.
If you upgrade to the Supra 3.0 variant, a BMW 6-cylinder engine is included. The inline-six engine has the BMW B58B30 engine code and produces 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque.
These two engines, which BMW has been working on for a while, are regarded as being quite dependable. Toyota is willing to risk their brand and image when they include them in their flagship sports car because they are so dependable. The engines are excellent at producing high horsepower for their displacement and, with routine maintenance, should easily survive well over 100,000 miles.
How much HP can a 2021 Supra handle?
The 3.0L straight-6 B58 engine in the Toyota Supra is a motor that can be easily modified, and there is a sizable aftermarket industry that works on the motors. You may add a ton of third-party components to your vehicle to boost its horsepower. Intakes, exhausts, turbo improvements, and tunes are a few examples of these.
The most powerful variant of the new Supra as of 2021 has 770 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. This astounding horsepower total was achieved by replacing numerous internal engine parts, installing new turbos, and tuning the car.
Because it could produce a lot of horsepower, the vintage Supra from the 1990s was considered to be a favorite car for people who loved to tune and alter cars. Toyota has continued this philosophy with the Supra’s comeback in 2019, and several shops have already been hard at work making them faster.