Toyota GR Supra – above and beyond

TOYOTA quite clearly had great expectations for its signature sports grand tourer from the day it was christened.

The name Supra is derived from the Latin, meaning above, over or beyond, and the Japanese brand’s aim was to surpass everything in its wake.

And the Supra has certainly stood the test of time, evolving in both design and performance since it became a separate model from the Celica back in 1986.

These days the sharp-looking two-seater is known as the GR Supra as the first global model from Toyota Gazoo Racing – so it is conceived as a pure sports car.

Now into its fifth generation, the GR Supra is powered by a straight-six turbocharged petrol engine driving the rear wheels and coupled to an eight-speed automatic gearbox it produces a hefty 335bhp of power.

That equates to some serious pace – zero to 62mph in a fleeting 4.3 seconds and on to an electronically governed top speed of 155mph.

There’s also now a 2.0-litre four-cylinder version, which arrived in 2021, and for the purists a six-speed manual gearbox, though only for the 3.0-litre model.

With its long bonnet and compact body, the GR Supra is very low to the ground but the seats slide a long way back making space for the longest of legs while the double bubble roof ensures there’s plenty of headroom too.

A useful glovebox, some cup holders and cubbies, door bins and a smartphone slot maximise what’s otherwise a tight but wide cabin and you can just about fit two people’s luggage in the 290-litre boot.

What’s probably the only really irritating aspect of the GR Supra though is that the boot doesn’t have an external release.

The cabin itself is well designed and those opting for the top spec Pro model get a head-up display along with goodies like leather upholstery, a 12-speaker JBL premium sound system and a wireless phone charger.

But all models come with an 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment set-up featuring sat nav, Bluetooth, a DAB radio, paddle shifts, a 3D-effect tachometer, USB ports and smartphone mirroring via Apple CarPlay.

As a driver’s car, and one that’s an icon of Japanese car culture, the GR Supra really has to deliver and it does just that – it’s smooth, feels crisp and responsive through bends, has nicely weighted steering and the engine makes the most fabulous noise.

In fact on motorway journeys it echoes the grand tourer tradition of comfort and relaxation before a touch of a button switches the drive mode from Normal to Sport and the responses are all sharpened.

Its fuel economy is reasonable for a 3.0-litre sports car too, the official average return of 34.8 miles per gallon proving only a couple of miles beyond our own figure of 32.2mpg over 240 miles of mixed motoring.

It all adds up to an extremely desirable performer, one with handsome looks, grown-up manners, plenty of tech and safety systems and heaps of power. It’s a head-turner – and understandably so.