Fox News Autos Test Drive: 2021 Toyota Supra
The Toyota Supra is back for the first time in over two decades, but it's a very different car than the one you remember, says Fox News Autos Editor Gary Gastelu.
Toyota is starting to look really shifty.
(Toyota)
Toyota has confirmed that the model, which is officially called the GR Supra, will be getting a manual transmission in the U.S. soon, bucking the recent trend toward automatic-only sports cars, not to mention single-speed electric vehicles. The latest Supra debuted for the 2020 model year on a platform shared with the BMW Z4, both only available with an 8-speed automatic transmission.
The Toyota GR Supra is currently available with either a turbocharged four-cylinder or turbocharged six-cylinder engine, both matched to an 8-speed automatic transmission. (Toyota)
The automaker confirmed the news with teaser images of the car's three pedals and the red Supra badge that will identify the enthusiast-oriented models. It will join the GR 86 and recently unveiled GR Corolla in Toyota's growing do-it-yourself performance car lineup.
Details on the transmission, like how many speeds it has and what engine it will be matched to, have not been revealed, but Toyota describes it as "all new, tailor-made," suggesting it won't be shared with the Z4.
The Toyota GR Corolla is only available with a six-speed manual transmission. (Toyota)
Today's automatics are typically better than manuals in terms of performance and fuel economy. Some drivers find the engagement provided by manuals to be more entertaining, however, and a number of brands have kept them alive to cater to this audience, which includes Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, who has been trying to inject more excitement into the mainstream brand.
Even Cadillac has found success with its CT5-V Blackwing super sedan, which has been seeing an even take rate between manuals and automatics.
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Toyota said it will release more details on the manual Supra in the coming weeks.