The MK5 Toyota Supra has been one of the most debated new cars in recent history.
We all have our opinions at this point. And just like politics, we can disagree & still be friends at the end of the day. At least before social media gets involved lol. The point is: That’s why there’s chocolate & vanilla… something for everyone.
This is the 2nd Supra we’ve had to review. And this time, we got to live with it longer… take it on a road trip, and spend more time in it. After all that, here’s what I can say: For me, the Mk5 Supra 3.0 feels like a good car, but not a great one.
I really want it to be great. But it’s just… not. At least not for me. And I’m sorry.
Yes – the Mk5 Supra goes fast…
It looks sharp, and it feels sharp. It’s a very capable point-n-shoot performance car if that’s what you’re looking for.
But behind that… there’s just not much there. It lacks charisma. I know the aftermarket has jumped all over this car, and that’s great. But charisma… soul… pedigree… I’m afraid that’s something that needed to be conceptualized from the factory into the Supra’s DNA. And it just wasn’t.
We’re all tired of beating the dead ‘Supra is a BMW’ horse…
But really though – this car doesn’t feel like an authentic Supra. It feels like a Z4 afterthought.
- There’s no manual transmission where there absolutely needs to be one.
- It has a roof & hatch stitched in where there wasn’t intended to be one.
And because of that, you can’t roll the windows down without intense buffering. I don’t care if there’s an easy fix for it in the aftermarket… the fact that Toyota & BMW both missed that glaring problem, tells me everything I need to know about where their head’s at. They’re so fixated on computer-driven specs & nerd data, they forgot to roll down the windows & just take it in.
…If that’s not a sign of the times.
I don’t know why it bothers me so much…
Maybe I’m just not the right buyer for the Supra, and that’s fine. Honestly it is. But I think what it boils down to is: My frustrations just hit me harder with the Supra, because I really wanted to want it. I hoped the MK5 Supra was going to be a savior from the dull sports cars of this era. And I feel like Toyota missed a big opportunity to throw down the gauntlet on the automotive world & resurrect an icon. Ahh well – fingers crossed for a new X5 or X6 Toyota FJ to compete with the Jeep/Bronco. jkjk
