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 came from BMW, but Toyota’s engineers tweaked it especially for the Supra. 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.
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Is the new Supra a BMW product?
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. The M440i xDrive also has the same straight-six engine. In a drag race, even though both cars have the same engine, they are not very evenly matched.
To see which car would be faster, the Carwow Youtube channel recently decided to drag race the two vehicles on a closed runway. Given that it’s a 2020 model, the Supra only has 340 horsepower. On the other hand, the M440i is producing all 382 horsepower. It also has all-wheel drive, giving it tremendous starting grip.
Although the Supra may have less torque and traction, it does have one advantage: weight. It is significantly lighter than the 4-Series because it just has two seats and does not require an AWD system. Unfortunately, in a straight-up drag race, that wouldn’t be enough to win. The Supra falls short in each of the three races. The only time it can compete is in a roll race, where it finishes neck and neck with the M440i.
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BMW produces the 2021 Supra, right?
In Austria, Magna Steyr constructed both. Both have the same construction, as well as the identical powertrains, suspension, and underbody hardpoints. What about the variations, though? Yes, many of the components and specs between the 2020, 2021, and 2022 Supras and the BMW M-Series are similar.
What model of BMW is the Supra?
By this point, everyone is pretty much in agreement that the new Toyota Supra is really a BMW Z4 dressed up in very chic Japanese garb. Some enthusiasts despise such fact, believing that BMW killed the Supra. Others are awed by its performance and realize that BMW’s assistance was essential to its creation. Could BMW, however, have made the Supra any better than it already was? Is thinking about such things even blasphemous? Top Gear’s newest video aims to answer that question.
In this new video, Becky Evans of Top Gear compares the A90 Toyota Supra, often known as the “Zupra,” to the venerable A80 “Mk4” Toyota Supra. The latter was always adored among Supra enthusiasts, but the Fast and Furious movie series helped it become legendary. Is it really as renown as many claim, or has everyone’s perception been tainted by nostalgia? Evans tests both vehicles side-by-side on Top Gear’s test track to find out before giving them to The Stig to record lap times.
The automobiles scarcely resemble one another underneath, however they do have a similar engine type. Both cars use 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engines, despite having a 20-year gap between them and being produced by separate firms. Naturally, the newer A80 uses a BMW B58 engine, which is likewise very adjustable and amazing in its own right, while the older A80 employs a Toyota 2JZ engine, the venerable, incredibly customizable straight-six.
In this video, the older Supra’s engine is tweaked and produces a very healthy 520 horsepower, which is far higher than the 374 horsepower of the BMW-Supra. But unlike the outdated four-speed auto featured in the earlier Supra, the new Supra has an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, which is far better. Let’s face it, despite having less power, the new Supra was undoubtedly faster on the track. It was far more capable due to its better grip and speedier gearbox. But the real query is, which would you like to own?
What BMW’s engine is the same as the Supra’s?
It’s no secret that the powertrain and infotainment system of the contemporary Toyota Supra are largely made by BMW. This video compares this Japanese sports coupe to a BMW M140i that has the exact same engine.
Both of these cars are not stock. The Supra has a re-mapped ECU, a turbo-back Inconel exhaust, and a cold-air intake. In comparison to the typical 335 horsepower (250 kW) for the model in the UK, the owner estimates that the car is making roughly 460 horsepower (343 kilowatts).
Toyota Supra vs. BMW Z4: Which is superior?
Duncan Brady, an online associate editor, drove the Supra through a winding loop while a windmill farm outside Tehachapi, California, kept watch over them. Although he acknowledged that “most of the time” it’s not that noticeable, he believed it seemed “marginally less powerful than the Z4 at full throttle.” The Supra’s sound, in his opinion, was distinctive for a Toyota. You may immediately hear loud pops and snaps coming from the exhaust when Sport mode is activated. When Sport mode is engaged, the booming sound is audible even inside the Supra’s interior.
The Supra is noisy over rough pavement despite having a hard top, with a lot of tire noise entering the cabin. The infotainment screen and the dashboard of the Toyota were both prone to creaking during our test rides. Brady observed, “Pretty horrible rattle with the music up and the bass slamming hard.”
If you can get past it, driving a Supra is enjoyable. The two-seater exhibits decent engine push and is equally at home on a winding route as it is on the interstate. Sport mode makes the transmission’s tune sportier, ensuring that it shifts swiftly and at the appropriate times, much like it does with the exhaust. Once you’re moving, acceleration is powerful despite some turbo lag. Press the gas when traveling at a high speed, and the Supra will downshift fast and deliver; the torque doesn’t appear to end.
The steering of the Supra is balanced and offers superb road feel. Although it feels secure and has superb traction, there were a few times when its tail slipped to produce a lively drive.
Both vehicles reached 60 mph in 3.9 seconds during our testing, despite the Z4 having a somewhat stronger feel than the Supra. Even while accelerating to its top speed, the Z4 manages to cover the quarter mile in 12.4 seconds at 112.0 mph as opposed to the Supra’s 12.5 seconds at 111.2 mph. In practice, both times seem the same.
Despite having more power, the Bavarian is not much faster than the Japanese since it is 259 pounds heavier. With its top down, the Z4 M40i offers a different experience in the real world. With a little more push and more responsive steering, the Z4 handles better than the Supra. When using Sport Plus mode, the ride is also sportier—possibly too sporty. However, the Z4 feels more balanced in Sport mode.
Brady praised the Z4’s engine, saying it “feels exceptional.” Better than the metallic rash I usually associate with BMW inline-sixes, the throttle response is excellent. The Z4 doesn’t have the same snaps and pops as the Toyota, despite the engine’s pleasant sound. The Z4 distinguished itself from the Supra by stopping from 60 mph in 101 feet as opposed to the latter’s 106 feet. The BMW demonstrated a better brake pedal feel than its Japanese rival even on our test loop. Despite the BMW’s soft top, we didn’t hear as much tire noise as we did in the Supra, which makes us wonder why Toyota didn’t put more money into NVH.