The new Toyota Supra, which has been revived for the first time in 17 years, is finally on the road to Japan. What kind of car is the 5th generation born from new attempts such as the alliance with BMW? Report the running of all 3 grades.
Discerning “1.55”
The benchmark is Porsche 718 Boxster / Cayman. To that end, both companies have developed a new platform (chassis), and BMW has created a new open model “Z4”. Meanwhile, Toyota has revived a sports car that engraves “in-line 6-cylinder FR” in its DNA for the first time in 17 years. That is the new Supra.
Even though it is a joint development, the vehicle design is BMW. Dynamic parts such as the 3-liter 6-cylinder / 2-liter 4-cylinder powertrain and suspension are also made by BMW. The platform study prototype called “Full Runner” was built on the basis of the “BMW 2 Series”. By subtraction, Toyota’s arms were mainly the external design and vehicle tuning, but for that reason, the point of how far this new sports car is Toyota Supra is an interest before the test drive. It was the point of.
Supra’s development slogan is “I valued the feel more than just the numbers,” but the number I was most particular about was 1.55. It is the value obtained by dividing the wheelbase (2470mm) by the tread (front 1595mm / rear 1590mm). Keep the wheelbase as short as possible and the tread as wide as possible. This wheelbase / tread ratio determines the basis of athletic performance.
While the Cayman, old Z4, old Supra, Lexus LFA, Fairlady Z, Toyota 86, etc. are all 1.6 units, this joint development platform shows outstanding numbers. The Porsche 911 used to be 1.60, but the new model of the freshly made Hoyahoya has packed up to 1.54. “It proved that our aim for this number was correct.” Tetsuya Tada, the development manager, said at the technical briefing before the test drive
Surprisingly comfort
At the first public road test drive event, the first ride was the ” Supra SZ-R” (5.9 million yen). It is an 18-inch medium grade with a 4-cylinder turbo with a maximum output of 258ps. It is a quick test drive of 60 minutes per frame including shooting. Start running immediately and go down the winding road on the hotel grounds.
Immediately after hearing the story of “1.55”, expectations were high. Recently, Alpine A110. I wondered if there was such a “newness” that made me wonder at the lightness and agility of the first roll, but it wasn’t there. The news is that the body has twice the rigidity value of the Toyota 86, but the impression of the first touch is surprisingly comfort.
Ride quality is good. The Toyota Supra SZ-R and above are equipped with an adaptive damper with variable damping force. Of course, it has the hardness of a sports car, but it is not an Anko type. Rather, it is a mellow ride that makes you feel the unsprung lightness.
When I found a road blessed with ups and downs and curves and increased the pace, the goodness of the chassis became even more shining. The front and rear weight distribution is 50:50, which can be said to be BMW’s specialty. The vehicle weight (1450kg) is 70kg lighter than the 3-liter model. Even though it has such a long nose proportion, the nose is certainly light when driving. There is no weight in the buttocks. Therefore, it is a fan-to-drive car without having to lift the manajiri.
It is said that buying a car that you make is all about car designers. After the test drive, we talked to Mr. Y, who was in charge of chassis tuning for the Supra. It is said that it is this Supra SZ-R that Toyota’s test driver Top Gun decided to purchase. It seems to be the most balanced.
