2022 Toyota Supra (A90) Manual Review

“It’s just a BMW in a suit” is the comment that was bandied around at the new Supra upon launch, and you can see why, given that the current-gen car shares its running gear with the BMW Z4, a car which - on the looks front, at least - pales in comparison to the Supra.

Using the Supra name was always going to cause some controversy, and I’m sure Toyota knew this when they made a decision; after all, controversy still results in product awareness, and as the age-old saying goes, all publicity is good publicity.

But really, it doesn’t matter. Yes, the interior is decidedly BMW-esque, and yes, the auto-equipped cars feature BMWs trademark gear selector, but if this is the cost of keeping the Supra alive - a two-seat, Japanese pseudo-GT/sports car with a name that conjures up images of the glory days of Japanese ‘gentleman’s agreement’ era cars - then I’d be happy to deal with a few BMW features, especially knowing that they’ll likely work as intended for years to come.

The manual A90 Supra, as seen here, is a slightly different kettle of fish. Featuring a bespoke gearbox from ZF, the manual Supra also boasts significant suspension revisions underneath, along with changes to the chassis and steering system. Essentially an unofficial facelift car, Toyota tells me that these upgrades will likely trickle down to the facelift auto cars too, but they’re here and ready to enjoy with the manual car which - lets be honest - is the one to go for here, regardless of the aforementioned suspension and chassis upgrades.

All of this sounds very good, but given that I am yet to drive the ‘normal’ A90, I can’t give any direct comparisons (Toyota, if you’re reading this, let’s change that) so this is a blank slate of first impressions, as it were.

Looks wise, I think the A90 is absolutely stunning. Sadly, this was just a 20-minute run at the SMMT gathering back at the tail end of 2022, but even having just spent a short period of time with the Supra, it’s clear that this is one of the best-looking cars currently available in showrooms, especially at this price point.

Out on the road itself, it’s hard not to use expletives to describe the car. Being a Toyota, it lulls you into a false sense of security, you know it’ll be quick, but not *this* quick. Between the near-instant throttle response, the induction noise, the short-shift ZF transmission and the frankly fantastic chassis, the A90 has all the hallmarks of an excellent sports car, yet ease off a little bit and it would make a wonderfully competent GT car too.

You really do get the feeling that the A90 has a truly split personality. Push it hard, and I imagine you’ll quickly end up backwards in a hedge unless you’re a skilled driver, but drive it at 4 or 5 tenths, and here is a comfortable, refined and frankly stunning everyday or GT car which will turn heads wherever it goes, all whilst providing fantastic driving thrills on-demand.

Sure, it’s not all rosy - in my 20 minutes with the Supra it was clear that the rear visibility is less than great, whilst the pedal setup is noticeably tight - great for heel/toe and spirited driving, perhaps, but it did make it tricky to drive with boots and larger feet.

Overall, it’s hard to see why the Supra isn’t more popular on UK roads. It’s well-proportioned, drives fantastically, strikingly styled and would be more than happy to be used as an everyday car. Maybe it’s brand awareness, perhaps it’s the price, or maybe people are too caught-up on the whole BMW component-sharing drama.

Either way, it looks like the A90 is destined to remain as an enthusiasts car, for better or worse.