2021 Toyota Supra Review _ Are four cylinders better than six

A year ago, we took a red Toyota Supra to the track. That was the six-cylinder model. This 2021 Supra has the four-cylinder, costs $8,000 less, and deletes some major hardware like the adaptive dampers and active differential. It also weighs a lot less, which usually means better handling. Now, today, we're going to stay on the road, and I'm very curious if buying a slower Supra is the right move. While the summer's hot and sports car season is here, we've been lucky to review some amazing machines. If you like what you see, hit that subscribe button to watch more videos. Let me answer the elephant in the Supra, or whatever figure of speech can fit inside the Supra, because it's really small. The four-cylinder engine is good, but I've driven the six, and that's great. But the four, it really does grow on you. How do you decide? I mean, this thing's still boogies. 255 horsepower, 295 pound-feet of torque from this small two-liter turbocharged four, eight-speed automatic transmission, paddle shifters, rear-wheel drive, 50-50 weight balance. I mean, it's, all the elements are here. It feels just like a Z4 with this engine, because that's what this car is, as you all know. And any car that this four-cylinder engine is in feels awesome. In the 330i, in the 530, it's like, it's just terrific, because BMW really does make very good engines. Smooth, it's vibration-free, it sounds good. I'd like a little more of the exhaust, like, to really hear the popping and stuff. It's kind of muted. It's not characterful like the six-cylinder is. But you're never going to get annoyed with it, because it just does everything pretty well. It just does it slower. Steering inputs are just so precise. You just move it a little bit. You get great feel. I don't have any complaints there, nor should anybody else. The only issue, really, is with the suspension tune. Without the adaptive dampers, you become the spring. Drive a Supra for more than a dozen miles, and you will feel it. A road like this is pretty smooth, but it just takes a few bumps, or a little crest, or just a small hole in the road to get you to go, poof. I'll see if I can demonstrate that. Oh, there we go, right there. That's only 39 miles an hour. But the point is there, is that you better deal with that type of ride. Never gets out of control. The Supra is always in control. It feels planted. It's not like the wheels are leaving contact with the pavement. They really got all that really well sorted in this car. So the level of confidence is always there. It's just that you better be in the mood to get squeezed. There are just two driving modes. Makes driving the Supra pretty easy. Normal and sport. There's no eco. There's no comfort. Comfort plus. You can set an individual one so you can change the steering effort, the throttle, the transmission. But that's basically it. I tend to leave it in sport because I like to drive like this. Just so much torque and so much power all the time. And you wouldn't think that from an engine this small with the horsepower ratings that it has. But the Supra 2.0 gives you plenty of excitement. The more you drive the 4-cylinder, the more you realize that you don't need the 6. But then you drive the 6 and then you think you want that. So you guys should just tell us in the comments because this is a really tough decision when you're buying a Supra. Thankfully, all of the other chassis dynamics that I was talking about are basically exactly the same. This one rides a little rougher. The 3.0 rides a little smoother with those adaptive dampers. But in terms of fun, man, you're really not missing out that much with this car. The only problem is that also for 2021 model year, the 3.0 has more power. It goes up from 335, which is already a lot to 382. So that leaves a bigger gap between that car and the Supra 2.0. So just keep that in mind when you're shopping. But regardless, this is 200 pounds less weight to start. That's because there's less features on board. There's 18 inch wheels versus 19. I got manual seats. There's no active differential, no adaptive dampers. So those features add considerable weight. Not too much, but you do notice it a little bit in this car. It's on the road. I would say they're both very comparable just because the tuning is just fantastic. Suspension is completely sorted. As you would expect, the short wheelbase, very accurate steering. I mean, it's just super fun. Everyone's been saying that, and I'll be the 56 person to get on the bandwagon. Now, as great as this automatic is, and remember, it's the ZF 8-speed that's in most every really good rear-wheel drive car out there. I think a car like this should have a manual. Now, sports car owners, you tell us. Why would you buy a Supra if you couldn't have the opportunity to have a manual, right? The thing about it is the Supra 2.0 is slow enough that you would enjoy doing this. It'd be more fun. The 3.0 is just so quick that if it's lightning fast shifts on the steering wheel paddles or just left in drive, you kind of don't mind that. But for the car like this, I want to be blipping the throttle. I mean, it's doing it for me right now, but I want to be in control of that. It's such a good engine, and I know that that transmission fits with it. So I really hope that they are planning something for the 2022 model year or beyond, because I think it would really transform this car. Still really great as it is, but just to have that feeling. For now, I can only dream. In today's world, car engineers have access to the best computer modeling for aerodynamics. They have the most sophisticated wind tunnels in the world. Cars out of the box are more streamlined and more efficient than ever before. But during testing, I don't think anyone rolled down the windows, because you get a low-frequency buffeting in your ear as if one window was cracked. You know that feeling? Except it's always here with both windows down. And I... God, it's more intense than the subwoofer in this car. Ow. All right, I'm going to put those up again. On the bright side, there's great fuel economy. I've been averaging 28 miles to the gallon. BMW four-cylinders regularly get in the mid to high 30s on the highway. And while there's no EPA rating just yet, believe me, you'll be saving lots of gas compared to the six. The difference is, though, is stopping. Pedal feel doesn't feel as great. Part of that reason, single-piston brakes that are smaller than the Supra 3.0 doesn't give me the same level of confidence. Not terrible, but I think they should have kept the brakes the same size. Despite some downsides, remember, the Supra 2.0 is way more car than the Toyota 86, and that goes for the styling. Not many are on the road right now, but the verdict is in. Everyone, and I mean everyone, thinks this car looks awesome. I'm used to getting looks in sports cars, but the Supra is on another level. And it's not just because this one is red. I drove a silver one, and I got the same response. Just came back from lunch, and a six-year-old woman was loving the car. She came all around to the whole 360. I had a guy at 9-11. The car was worth several times what this car is. Thumbs up. Kids, thumbs up. BWGTI guys on my tail all week. And there's a reason. It just looks really cool. It's a little strange sometimes because these vents are not vents. They're all fake. But everything else in the car is really functional. You have a really cool Formula One-style nose, these really sweeping LED lights, and these 18-inch wheels. For 2021, these are one inch smaller than before. They're standard in the 2.0. On the 3.0, it gets 19s, but they are the same width. Overall, I really do like the car. I wouldn't call it beautiful, but it is really interesting to look at. It sounds cliche, but the Supra really does look fast when it's standing still. Everything about it is just fluid and windswept. And parts like this ducktail spoiler and these big haunches on the side, it's a lot more exotic than your average Toyota. I'm 5'11", and I have to duck every time I enter and exit the Supra. So remember to tell your passenger. But I love how this is a car for just two people and only two people. There's no point putting a useless backseat in here. The Supra's interior is just about driving and having fun all the time. The Supra shares BMW's infotainment system and most of the switchgear. So that means iDrive is standard and a 9-inch touchscreen is now standard. That replaces the 6.5 from before. If you order the optional technology package, you get wireless Apple CarPlay. No wire. Pretty convenient. And you do not have to pay an annual fee like you used to with BMW when they first came out with it. So that's really nice. Other things that come with that package, adaptive cruise, factory nav, live traffic. And also in every Supra, the safety system, Toyota safety system is standard. That means you get emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane departure warning. A lot of good features. Blind spot monitoring is optional. The digital instrument panel doesn't do that much in terms of customization. But in a car like the Supra, that's just fine. It's nice and simple and distills all your driving information right where you want it. It's minimalist and high quality inside the Supra. Real carbon fiber, padded knee protectors for driver and passenger, and micro suede sports seats that on the 2.0 are manual. Can you see out the side or back of the car? Not really. Is there much storage? Hardly. But you can access your cargo behind the seats. And there's 10 cubic feet. Very spacious for a small sports car. And saving is the point of the Supra 2.0. It starts at $42,990, a full $8,000 below the Supra 3.0. Fully loaded with a tech package, this car is $47,470 for destination. You can't find sports cars this focused and this well-tuned at this price. A Porsche 718 Cayman, Jaguar F-Type, four-cylinder versions of those cars are $10,000, $15,000 more to start. The BMW Z4, which we all know is what's really underneath the Supra, is $50,000 and up. Buy a Supra and you're buying a legendary name. The BMW powertrain and the chassis are superb. Plus, Toyota's tuning makes it that much better. Now, everywhere you go with this car, you just feel special. But if it were my money, I think I'd still go with the six-cylinder model because it brings a lot more excitement, but not that much more money. The four-cylinder just doesn't have the sound, and I think it could use a manual transmission. Those are two elements in a sports car that are more important to me anyway than just raw power. But you tell us, Supra 2.0 or 3.0? And would you want a manual in this car? I would. For more details, check out the review at CarGurus.com, and be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel. Thanks for watching, and we will see you next time.