Toyota GR Supra manual – now it’s an even better driver’s car!

Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Pro Manual road test review: The automatic version of this GR Supra is brilliant, but the manual version… it’s a driver’s dream. DAVID HOOPER has been testing the latest addition to the range.

SOME say the days of powerful big capacity internal combustion engines are numbered… personally I remain to be convinced, and when you get behind the wheel of something like this GR Supra with its 3.0-litre straight six engine, you are reminded of why you morphed into a petrol head in the first place.
The sound, the power, the acceleration and the pure thrill of driving a powerful rear wheel drive car is difficult to describe, but one thing is for certain, soulless transportation devices powered by electrickery don’t come close to the visceral experience you get from piloting something like this, which howls under hard acceleration, and pops and bangs on the overrun.
The GR Supra has been with us for a while now, and I loved the original version I tested which came with an automatic gearbox, a later addition to the range was this model with a manual gearbox, arguably the preferred choice of proper drivers who appreciate the precision and control of a manual box over the sometimes unpredictable gear changes of an auto.
The Supra is based on a joint project with BMW, and fans of that marque will recognise much of the interior. The aforementioned 3.0-litre straight six engine is also sourced from the German giant, but the gearbox, which is a real peach, is the result of a partnership between ZF and BMW – and it’s a real peach.
The gates between the gears are close, the throw is short, and it slots smoothly and almost seamlessly between the ratios – it’s a delight to use and for those who’ve never quite mastered the art of heal and toeing (braking and blipping the throttle at the same time to smooth out downshifts) the Supra does it for you and the bigger the disparity in speed between the gear you’re in and the one you’re changing to, the more pronounced the blip becomes, and a six-cylinder engine blip sounds simply divine!
With its long bonnet and relatively wide stance, the Supra feels like quite a big car on the road, but is a sheer delight to pilot along your favourite back roads. The suspension set up is compliant and comfortable, yet Toyota has achieved an impressive amount of control and feedback, even on damp and greasy roads, thanks in no small part to the huge tyres fore and aft.
With 335bhp on tap, and a huge 400Nm of torque, the Supra’s acceleration is addictive, but work it through the gears and you quickly reach the speed limits. I’d love to be able to take this round a circuit to fully explore its potential – Cadwell Park would be good, Silverstone would be better still! Adopting a more leisurely pace, the huge amount of torque means the engine is very flexible, and will pull smoothly from low speeds in a high gear, making cruising around effortless, and a lighter right foot than mine tends to be can see a return of around 33mpg if you drive it like a saint. However, “enjoy” the car, and the return per gallon isn’t as favourable, dropping below 20mpg on a cross-country sprint.
The steering rack is quite quick – the car responds instantly to the slightest of inputs from the driver, and has an impressive turning circle at low speeds for what is actually quite a big car. The large disc brakes are equally powerful, reigning in the Supra with precision and control – and if you brake really firmly, it will flash the indicators to warn following vehicles, even before ABS activation, but unlike some, it doesn’t come in too early.
The GR Supra has all the mod cons you need inside, air conditioning, electric everything, cruise control, etc, etc.
So what didn’t I like? Sometime after writing the last five words, the only things I can come up with are a little too much road noise as there is no divider between the passenger compartment and the boot, which means you get some background noise, although the JBL stereo system can drown that out easily – and the fact that I can’t afford one. Oh and the colour of this particular example. I’m not a fan of these “primer” colours which look as though they bypassed the final stage of the paintshop at the factory – I prefer my cars to be painted a nice colour, the yellow looks great, or the red or the even the blue option, but that’s personal preference!
And that’s about it. The GR Supra is a fabulous car. A proper car. A petrolhead’s delight. Oh and the styling, did I mention the styling? Suffice to say, it looks stunning!

Rating:

If you like this, read our review on the automatic version of the GR Supra

THE VITAL STATISTICS
MODEL: Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Pro Manual
ENGINE: 2998cc, 335bhp six-cylinder petrol engine, driving rear wheels through six-speed manual gearbox.
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 155 mph. 0-62mph in 4.6 secs.
ECONOMY: Fuel Consumption (mpg, combined WLTP) 32.1.
Wheel World test average: 27.9mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS: 198g/km.
FUEL TANK: 52 litres.
INSURANCE: Group 36
PRICE: £57,130
WARRANTY: 10 years/100,000 miles
WEBSITE: www.toyota.co.uk
• All data correct at time of publication.