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 (it was retuned to 382 hp for 2021). 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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2020 Toyota Supra vs. 2020 BMW Z4 M40i: Stepsibling Rivalry
Yes, we are aware. Underneath the new Toyota Supra is a BMW. You don’t have to keep feigning shock over it. The mere discovery of a BMW emblem on a component under the Supra’s hood does not constitute proof of a plot. The BMW Code is not a book that Dan Brown will pen.
Both BMW and Toyota have been very open about their agreement: Toyota sent a sizable check, while BMW supplied the mechanical components for the most recent Z4 and the Supra. The Supra, though, makes it clear that Toyota has designed its own swoopy hardtop version of these brothers from separate moms. However, do let us know if you discover any Toyota-branded items inside the Z4’s engine. We’ll start a thorough inquiry. Otherwise, let’s determine once and for all which of these two nearly identically sized, nearly identically performing two-seat sports vehicles utilizes the same fundamental components more effectively. Be aware that a coupe and a roadster aren’t typically comparable. But then again, we also wouldn’t typically compare a Toyota to a BMW.
A Toyota badge with BMW bones on the new Supra
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.
Same motor, various results?
While it’s true that both vehicles share a 3.0L inline 6-cylinder powerplant created by BMW, you might be shocked by how different each vehicle’s manufacturer advertised its specifications to be. BMW claims that the Z4 M40i offers 382 horsepower, whereas Toyota claims that the same engine in the Supra only produces 335 horsepower. This discrepancy is reportedly caused by different tune. It isn’t one of the JZ motors that the Supra is famous for, but it isn’t entirely different either. According to Toyota, the BMW motor can handle substantially more horsepower with aftermarket tuning.
Who Produces a Better Supra, Toyota or BMW?
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 (382 horsepower in North America). 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?
Which BMW engine in the Toyota Supra is superior?
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 while the 2.0 version has less power, it might be the one to purchase for one specific reason that has gone unnoticed: packing. 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.
Ah, so it’s just a BMW dressed up in a Japanese suit?
The Supra and the most recent BMW Z4 share a base, running gear, engine, gearbox, and a significant portion of the interior. Aygo/Peugeot 108/Citroen C1 and GT86/Subaru BRZ are two more examples of Toyota collaborating with other brands to make the economics work.
However, this cooperation is unique since the Supra is significant. It’s not your typical hatchback or a brand-new little coupe. The Honda NSX and Nissan GT-R are prominent in Japanese auto culture, while the Supra emblem has a lengthy history.
The company’s president, well-known petrolhead Akio Toyoda, has said that the Supra “holds a special place in my heart” and yet, rather than creating a custom halo vehicle from the ground up, the world’s largest automobile manufacturer has chosen to import substantial portions of a moderately popular German roadster. also construct it in Austria.
Conclusion
Although the Toyota Supra and the BMW Z4 M40i share a base and powerplant, it is difficult to draw comparisons between them because of how dissimilar their interior and external designs are. Our test results demonstrate how similarly these two automobiles handle and drive.
But in light of that, we questioned if the BMW Z4 was worth the approximately $16,000 price difference. Although it comes in an appealing package, the Z4 M40i isn’t really that much superior over the Supra.
What BMW is comparable to the Supra?
Which one would enthusiasts prefer, despite the fact that both cars have excellent handling and amazing sound?
Some Toyota purists were aware that the fifth-generation Supra will effectively be a BMW with a Toyota badge when BMW and Toyota announced their agreement to develop the next-generation Supra a few years ago. Even though this is somewhat true, the automotive press and automobile fans continue to appreciate the fifth-generation Toyota Supra.
It is impossible to avoid comparing the Supra to the best of Bavaria because of the shared components with BMW. All of these comparisons—the Toyota Supra vs a BMW M4, a BMW Z4, or a BMW M2 Competition—are good illustrations of the parallels and discrepancies between the brands.
The BMW M240i is one of BMW’s top rivals to the Toyota GR Supra. After all, they are both 2022 sports cars with the exact same inline 6-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 382 horsepower in each. In a TheStraightPipes YouTube video, Jakub and Yuri compete against a 2022 Toyota GR Supra and a next generation BMW M240i.