The sporty Supra from Toyota is stylish, fast and practical

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Sharing a platform with the BMW Z4, the 2022 GR Supra 3.0 Premium is an extrovert car that draws young gazers galore. It looks like it’ll go fast when standing still, and that’s the point.

The styling is definitely part of the appeal – with its curves and angles, it’s very boy racer. Think of it as a shortened (Miata-sized) version of Toyota’s impressive and influential 2000 GT (1967 to 1970).

Every aspect of the Supra’s development with BMW has been covered extensively in the automotive press and, in this high-performance version, its specifications are what it takes Fast and Furious Dreams — a BMW-sourced three-liter twin-scroll turbocharged straight-six producing 382 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters — and launch control.

The base engine is a 255 hp turbocharged four-cylinder, very nice in its own way. This version, which starts at $45,000, remains automatic only, but a six-speed manual transmission is available for the 2023 3.0. Another variant of the Supra is the A91-MT, manual only and limited to 500 units for the US. It’s primarily an appearance package, which includes an exclusive brown leather interior, Alcantara gear knob, red trim and brake calipers, and 19-inch wheels. The price will be around US$65,000.

Quite simply, the Supra is a blast to drive, accelerating from zero to 60mph in 3.7 seconds (compared to nearly five seconds for the four-cylinder version). Many sports cars handle beautifully, but at the expense of a rock-hard, jerky ride and lots of jostling. But this is a Toyota, so inside it’s very good-natured, despite the wild noises coming out of the tailpipe. The seat lacks reversing and adjustment, but is extremely comfortable on longer rides. The headroom is sufficient for a six foot.

One of the benefits of all-electric vehicles is improved storage through a front frunk, flat floor, and under-car components. With the engine in the front, the Supra only offers a fairly small amount of storage space under the tailgate. There are storage compartments in the doors. The total loading area is only 10 square meters.

Even if you lack spots where you can really flex, the Supra rewards you with creamy, powerful waves from traffic light to traffic light. On the freeway, the car stays well-behaved, and while it’s noisy to passers-by, it’s fairly quiet inside the cozy cabin. The steering is razor sharp and the brakes extremely reassuring. The nitro yellow test car had few options and needed none — just the $425 paint job and a worthwhile $1,195 driver assistance package with multiple safety apps, including adaptive speed.

For a sports car of this caliber, the 25 miles per gallon overall (30 on the highway, 22 in the city) isn’t terrible. And the foursome isn’t much better, at 25mpg in the city and 32 on the highway.

Apple CarPlay is available, but was uncooperative in the test car. There is a heads-up display and an 8.8-inch central display adapted by BMW. This means that choosing your objects with a dial is not always an ideal solution.

An alternative to the Supra is the aforementioned BMW Z4, an attractive roadster starting at $50,895 in its 2022 incarnation. There’s no manual option, just an eight-speed automatic with Sport mode. To get the performance equivalent of the Supra 3.0 Premium (zero to 60 under four seconds) you have to upgrade to the M40i version, which is priced at $64,695.

The Supra is a light, agile sports car weighing just 3,347 pounds. The pleasure of using it is out of all proportion to its cost.