While effectively already seen in full production guise following an accidental video leak last week and spotting in the back of a transporter back in December, the production version of the FT-1 Concept that bowed at the same event five years ago has now become a reality with sales set to start later this year.
Carrying the internal moniker A90 and, as previously reported on a number of occasions, the result of being co-developed with BMW, the newcomer has further been tweaked by Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division and rides on the same platform as the Z4.
In spite of Toyota not revealing actual vehicle dimensions, the exterior has been mildly toned from the FT-1 as previously reported, though the interior carries a number of BMW influences namely the pistol grip gear lever, the freestanding touchscreen infotainment display and iDrive rotary dial, the centre console design and steering wheel.
Equipped as standard with Adaptive Variable Suspension with two settings, Normal and Sport, a 50:50 weight distribution, a five-link MacPherson strut rear suspension, Brembo brake calipers with a four-piston setup at the front and an electronic limited slip differential, the Supra rides as standard on 19-inch forged alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber, and also boasts a performance tuned stability control system and sports programmed variable electric power steering.
For the US, the Supra will be offered in three trim levels; base, Premium and the limited to 1 500 Launch Edition with all coming powered by the same 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six engine as the Z4 M40i, tuned to produce 250kW/500Nm. Mated solely to an eight-speed automatic gearbox with a six-speed manual set to be offered in other markets, the Supra will dispatch the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.3 seconds with the help of Launch Control and despite weighing 1 535kg in its heaviest form, while the top speed is limited to 250km/h.
In terms of spec, the Supra comes as standard with keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, reverse camera, rain sense wipers and electrically folding mirrors, with safety tech coming in the form of Lane Departure Warning with Steering Assist, Forward Collision Warning with Automatic Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Detection, Adaptive Cruise Control Blind Spot Monitor, Auto High Beam Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert with Collision Warning.
On base models, the aforementioned display measures 6.5-inches, while on the Premium and Launch Edition, this expands to 8.8-inches with satellite navigation and Apple CarPlay. Further additions are a 12-speaker JBL sound system and a wireless smartphone charger.
In total, the Supra will be offered in a choice of eight colours; Absolute Zero White, Tungsten Silver, Phantom Matte Grey, Nocturnal Black, Turbulence Grey, Nitro Yellow, Downshift Blue and Renaissance Red 2.0 and carry a price tag of $49 990 (R689 867) for the base, while the Premium will retail from $53 990 (R745 067) and the Launch Edition at $55 250 (R762 455).
Like the Z4, production will take place at Magna Steyr’s plant in Graz, Austria with Toyota South Africa confirming that local availability will commence in mid-2019.
