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2020 Toyota Supra vs. 1994 Toyota Supra

Turbo: Reflections on a Japanese
Performance Icon
The latest Supra is really good, but is it better than its legendary predecessor?

! BY S C O T T O L D H A M DEC 5, 2019

TOYOTA C-HR
SELF-CHARGING HYBRID

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JESSICA LYNN WALKER | CAR AND DRIVER

Dressed up like Lance Armstrong

and pedaling a pricey carbon-8ber
road bicycle for all it's worth, a
cyclist somehow 8nds the breath to
compliment Aron Meystedt's 25-
year-old Toyota Supra. "Beautiful
car," he shouts as he Eies past the
pristine 1994 Supra Turbo. We're a
bit surprised. Over the last few hours, at least a dozen teens and
twenty-somethings have walked right past Meystedt's classic black
sports coupe, giving it no more attention than they would a beige
Camry, to shoot video of our bright red 2020 Toyota GR Supra.
"Wow, the new Supra. This is the 8rst one I've seen."

A day spent driving both of these cars around Southern California is

setting with the sun, which is now dipping below the Paci8c and
painting the two turbocharged coupes with strips of gold. It's been a
rare opportunity to drive the latest version of Toyota's hot rod back to
back with its ancestral inspiration, the Supra's fourth-generation
(code named A80), which was sold in the United States from 1993 to
1996. And although we set out to learn just how different these cars
are from behind the wheel, they turned out to be more alike than we
ever expected.

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JESSICA LYNN WALKER

A Tale of Two Supras

To do this properly we needed to 8nd a stock Mark IV Supra,
speci8cally a Turbo model with a six-speed manual transmission and
zero modi8cations. That's not easy. Yet, we found just that when the
proprietor of MKIV.com connected us with Meystedt, a local 39-year-
old entrepreneur and certi8ed Supra nut. "I was 14 when the car
came out in 1993, and it was a poster-on-the-bedroom-wall dream car
for me," he said. "Years later I 8nally got one, and I had the only
Supra in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where I grew up. I've owned a
dozen modi8ed Supras since. It's hard to 8ght the urge."

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He's owned this particular one for about 12 years after buying it from
the original owner in Pittsburg, Missouri, with 9000 miles on its KONA Electric.
odometer. Now it lives in his Southern California garage, parked next
to a Lexus LFA and his daily driver, a Tesla Model 3. The Supra now
shows 12,800 miles on its odometer and is perfect in every way, from
its unmarked 17-inch 8ve-spoke wheels to the gloss of its original
paint 8nish. It's showroom-ready top to bottom and wears a set of
Falken ZIEX all-season tires that were mounted about 8ve years ago.
"I think it's one of 431 Turbos Toyota built in 1994 with the optional
targa roof," he said while opening the door. "We can remove the roof
panel, but it's a pain. You have to crank out 8ve bolts with the factory
supplied ratchet in the glove compartment."

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JESSICA LYNN WALKER | CAR AND DRIVER

Opening the Supra Turbo's long hood reveals its sequentially-

turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six. The 2JZ-GTE—iron block, aluminum
24-valve cylinder head, 11.6 psi of boost pressure. It is Japan's Chevy
big block. It was rated at 320 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 315 lb-ft
of torque at 4000 rpm. That's 20 ponies more than you got in a
contemporary Nissan 300ZX Turbo, a Chevrolet Corvette C4, or a
Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4, and 65 more than Mazda offered in the
third-gen RX-7. "These were the 8rst things you replaced," he says
pointing to the small factory blow-off valve and the tiny intercooler
under the right headlight. "Larger valves and a big front-mount
(intercooler) make a big difference." Heavily modi8ed Supras
producing in excess of 1000 horsepower weren't hard to 8nd by the
end of the '90s, and the car ultimately achieved legendary status in
the import-car scene, thanks in part to its starring role in the original
The Fast and the Furious 8lm.

Like its predecessor, the 2020 Supra (code named A90), is rear-wheel
drive and powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six. Developed
in partnership with BMW, it's essentially a mechanical twin to the
latest Z4 roadster and features the German company's B58
aluminum-block engine, which sports a single turbocharger and direct
fuel injection. It's rated at 335 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 365 lb-ft
of torque at just 1600 rpm, but, as we've learned, it is considerably
more powerful than Toyota claims. Unlike the A80, however, which
was available with a standard six-speed manual or an optional four-
speed automatic, the new Supra is only available with two pedals and
a snappy ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission with a
manual shifting mode and paddle shifters.

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JESSICA LYNN WALKER | CAR AND DRIVER

Modern-Day Speed Machines

Although both of these cars are technically hatchbacks, the modern
Supra is now a two-seater for the 8rst time, which has allowed it to
shrink a bit. At 172.5 inches long, it's 5.2 inches shorter than the two-
plus-two Mark IV, and its 97.2-inch wheelbase is 3.2 inches shorter. To
save weight on the previous Supra, Toyota 8tted it with an aluminum
hood, roof, and bumper supports, as well as a plastic fuel tank, hollow
anti-roll bars, and a single exhaust outlet. It even used hollow-8ber
carpet to shave a few grams. But the smaller, modern car, at 3372
pounds, still is more than 100 pounds lighter. More important, it's
better balanced, with just 51.5 percent of its mass resting on its front
tires versus 53.0 percent for the Mark IV.

When it was fresh, we consistently chose the Supra Turbo over its
Japanese rivals in a string of comparison tests, calling it a "world
beater" and a "sensible-shoes supercar". We praised its re8nement,
comfort, and everyday usability and the fact it also delivered more
speed than its rivals. The Crst Supra Turbo we tested back in 1993
hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and covered the quarter-mile in 13.1
seconds at 109 mph. Another we tested a year later, however, was
considerably slower, reaching 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and 8nishing the
quarter in 13.8 seconds at 106 mph. Both cars generated an
impressive 0.95 g of lateral acceleration on the skidpad and stopped
from 70 mph in 160 feet.

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JESSICA LYNN WALKER | CAR AND DRIVER

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Lighter and more powerful, it's no surprise that the new Supra betters
those test results. Using its launch-control system and aided by the
massive grip of its BMW-spec 19-inch Michelin Pilot Super Sport
summer tires, today's Supra hits 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and thunders
through the quarter-mile in 12.2 seconds at 113 mph. By 130 mph the
new car is 2.6 seconds ahead of its ancestor, and at 150 mph it has
stretched that gap to 3.1 seconds. It also generates 1.07 g of stick and
stops from 70 mph in just 148 ft.

Looking Back
In 1993 we called out the Supra for plagiarizing more than few
styling cues from Ferrari's legendary F40, including its trapezoidal
headlamp lenses, its grille shape, and its big brake-duct scoops. Also,
of course, its signature oversized rear spoiler, which we said "appears
to have been unfastened from something manufactured by
Aerospatiale but is, praise the Pharaohs, only an option." It is
functional, however, with Toyota claiming it produces 66 pounds of
downforce at 90 mph. We've been just as critical of the new Supra's
looks, which we've described as "it-came-from-beneath-the-sea
styling." But there isn't much resemblance between the two, aside
from a bit in their voluptuous rear haunches and the upsweep of their
deck lids.

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JESSICA LYNN WALKER | CAR AND DRIVER

It's the same story inside, where both feature center-mounted

tachometers and a similar level of instrumentation. The cabin of the
new GR Supra is 99-percent BMW, including its steering wheel, center
stack, and well-bolstered seats, which are a stark contrast to the old
car's Eat, shapeless buckets and endless expanse of hard black plastic.
Climbing into the old Supra turns back the clock with an in-dash
cigarette lighter, a cassette deck stereo, and a big rectangular button
marked TRAC OFF.

The Mark IV Supra's interior was much more spacious than the cabins
of the Mazda RX-7 and Nissan 300ZX, and it's a wedding ballroom
compared to the snug con8nes of the new car. Its outward visibility
also is far superior, thanks to a low cowl, slim A-pillars, and a larger
greenhouse, but the classic doesn't feel supersized once underway. On
the road it drives smaller and lighter than it is, and it's fast. Not this-
thing-is-trying-to-kill-me fast, but it is quick, and its inline-six pulls
hard up to its 7250-rpm rev limiter. The BMW engine in the new
Supra is limited to 7000 rpm.

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JESSICA LYNN WALKER | CAR AND DRIVER

On the Street
Toyota's storied 2JZ engine lives up to its hype. It's silky smooth and
extremely re8ned, but rather quiet. It's no wonder so many of these
cars wear aftermarket exhaust systems. Run it hard through the gears,
and there's more turbo whistle than exhaust note. In contrast, the
new Supra is much more vocal, especially in its Sport driving mode,
with its boosted six popping and banging during gear changes and on
overruns.

We didn't complain about turbo lag when the Mark IV Supra was new,
and it still isn't worth griping about. The new car's BMW engine hits
harder and at a lower rpm, but the 2JZ's turbos work sequentially,
with the 8rst beginning to build boost at just over 2000 rpm. It comes
on strong around 2500 rpm, giving you a solid push until its second
turbo joins the party at 4000 rpm. "At 4500 rpm, the big mother
clobbers your body like a bungee jump gone wrong," we said of the
engine's second power surge back in 1994. Today, it doesn't feel quite
that impressive, but the 2JZ is undeniably strong, and its upper-rpm
pull lasts for nearly 3000 rpm.

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JESSICA LYNN WALKER | CAR AND DRIVER

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The 1994 Supra's clutch pedal and shifter are heavy by today's
standards, and its clutch pickup is a bit abrupt, but the pedal
placement is nice and tight. The brake pedal also is soft at 8rst but
8rms up once the pressure builds. Its hydraulically assisted steering is
a bit dead on center and slower than the new car's sharply responsive
electric unit. But settle into the old Toyota and start driving it with a
heavy hand, and it wants to get it on. Its controls come alive, from the
tight action of its shifter to the satisfying feedback of its steering. Its
transmission ratios make it easy to keep the 2JZ boiling, and its
suspension soaks up the road with Lexus-like compliance. It doesn't
feel mushy, however, even by today's standards, and body roll is kept
in check. It all feels a bit slow to respond after a hard run in the more
immediate and athletic GR Supra, but the Mark IV's dynamics and
overall performance hold up. Its chassis rigidity, however, is a true
sign of its age. Even with its roof panel tightly bolted in place, the
A80's structure is Eaccid compared to the milled-from-billet solidity of
the modern machine.

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JESSICA LYNN WALKER | CAR AND DRIVER

Same as the Old Boss

Surprisingly, the Mark IV Supra never claimed a spot on our 10Best
Cars list, an honor we just bestowed on the new GR Supra for its
combination of speed, re8nement, and value. "Its ride over large
bumps is as supple as taffy; its steering offers rewarding heft; and its
engine is re8ned, melliEuous, and ripped." That sentence sums up the
A90 well. It also perfectly describes the dynamics of its predecessor.
Although quite different and separated by three decades of
engineering, these two performance machines have many of the same
mannerisms. They clearly share some of the same DNA.

However, with a base price of $50,945, the new Supra is a much

better value, especially if you adjust for inEation. The base price for
the Supra back in 1994 was $40,250. The prices of fourth-gen Supras,
especially stock low-mileage Turbos like this one, have been
skyrocketing over the past two years. One sold on Bringatrailer.com
earlier this year for $121,000, and two have sold at auction for more
than $175K. But Meystedt isn't quite ready to part with his. "I still like
driving it," he said. "I enjoy the whistle of the turbos, and the
transmission still feels good. But its appeal is mostly nostalgia."

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