2023 Toyota Supra Review: A Proper (Manual) Sports Car

The 2023 Toyota Supra is agile and powerful with both of its turbo engines. The Supra, a two-passenger sports coupe, is the faster and more expensive of Toyota’s current pair of sports cars. Other cars in this segment include the co-developed BMW Z4, Jaguar F-Type, Porsche 718, Chevy Corvette, and Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 duo. The 2023 Supra delivers the goods you expect from a sports car, with spry moves and a choice of powerful engines. It has a firm ride and a snug cabin, but it’s a blast to drive.

What’s new for the 2023 Toyota Supra?In its fourth year, the Supra is now available with a manual transmission for the Supra 3.0, 3.0 Premium, and A91 models (the latter, the A91-MT Edition, is limited to a production run of 500 for the United States). Furthermore, the A91-MT is available with two exclusive exterior colors, Burnout and CU Later Gray, both of which pair with an exclusive hazelnut leather interior. All Supra models get new steering and suspension tuning for improved cornering, and 3.0 and A91 models get a new feature called Hairpin+ for more exciting handling. Supra 3.0 Premium and A91-MT models get a premium JBL Audio system.

The 2023 Toyota Supra faces bystanders with lines, scoops, and curves, balanced by a mature interior. It’s striking, though not as elegant as the Toyota FT-1 concept that inspired the design. It’s sculpted with scoops and undulations and arrives on the scene with authority. The Supra’s prominent haunches lend the look of a predator stalking its prey. The traditional sports car proportions, the classic short deck and long hood, take on a lot of design elements over a small surface area. For 2023, the A91-MT limited edition is available in two exclusive colors, Matte White, and CU Later Gray, both finished off with forged 19-inch wheels in Frozen Gunmetal Gray, plus red strut tower braces and red Supra badging.

Powerful, athletic, and tossable, the 2023 Toyota Supra is a skilled auto-crosser. The Supra has the proper configuration for a sports car, with power directed to the rear wheels. Of Toyota’s two current sports cars, the Supra is more powerful than the 86, with a shorter wheelbase, better acceleration, and more traction. It’s athletic through an autocross course and a thrill on a track.The base Supra 2.0 boasts 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of twist from its 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder. It’s good for a 5.0-second run to 60 mph and manages power through a slick 8-speed auto transmission, with a pleasant though not obnoxious engine note. The turbo-4 Supra delivers quick acceleration, but the turbo-6 powertrain supplies power in a sudden wave. The 3.0 Supra is rated for 382 hp and 386 lb-ft of torque, which launches the car to 60 mph from a stop in 3.9 seconds, achieving peak torque at 1,600 rpm. The 8-speed automatic works well here, too, but enthusiasts will be elated by the arrival of the new 6-speed manual option.

A stout structure, double-jointed struts up front and five-link components in rear, and wide rubber provide agile moves and tenacious grip. The Supra’s athleticism shines most during autocross, and it’s good on the track too. This issue occurs only at track speeds and scenarios that no driver should experience during street driving. Ride quality is busy and stiff without being too harsh. The turbo-4 models absorb rough pavement better, with smaller wheels and tires, though the adaptive dampers and electronic rear differential aren’t available.

The Toyota Supra is powerful, yet its petite stature yields decent gas mileage. Though the Toyota Supra doesn’t dwell on fuel economy, it is still reasonably efficient. The entry-level turbo-4 version gets EPA ratings of 25 mpg city, 32 highway, 28 combined. The 3.0 Supra with the turbo-6 gets EPA ratings of 22/30/25 mpg with the automatic transmission and just 19/27/21 with the new manual transmission. We averaged in the 20.6 for our week of mostly city driving.

The 2023 Toyota Supra doesn’t have crash-test scores, but does offer important safety tech. As is common with a sports car sold in low volume, the Toyota Supra hasn’t been tested for crashworthiness by the IIHS and the NHTSA. Active lane control and automatic emergency braking come standard, and blind-spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, and parking sensors are available.

The cabin in most Supra models come dressed in simple black, though red upholstery is available, and metallic trim and digital displays keep the vibe from feeling too much like a BMW. The 8.8-inch standard touchscreen display is mounted like a tablet on the horizontal dash. The cabin of A91-MT models gets elevated with cognac and hazelnut leather notes.

The Supra fits two occupants and a scant amount of cargo. Leather upholstery is standard, accented with synthetic suede inserts. Higher trims get full leather. Soft-touch surfaces are found throughout, lending a good look and feel. Two supportive and comfortable bucket seats take up the Supra’s cabin, though there’s no back seat and just a tiny trunk. With the Supra’s hatchback body without the typical generous cargo space; there’s just 10.2 cubic feet of capacity below the hatch, which can hold less than an average subcompact car.It’s a chore to get in and out of the low-slung car, with an above-average risk of smacking a forehead on a door frame, and you’re unlikely to achieve a graceful exit from the low seats unless you have the core strength of a Pilates instructor. The seats and the wide transmission tunnel force a legs-out driving position, though the bolsters are supportive and the seats themselves offer 8-way or 14-way adjustments.The 2023 Toyota Supra is offered in a carefully curated lineup, though all versions present a value. The Supra lineup is small, with just turbo-4 and turbo-6 powertrains and few options. Toyota builds the 2023 Supra in 2.0, 3.0 and 3.0 Premium trim levels, plus an A91-MT Edition. Standard features for the base 2.0, at $44,635, include seats with manual adjustment, leather and Alcantara surfaces, carbon-fiber trim throughout the cockpit, an 8.8-inch gauge cluster, an 8.8-inch center display, keyless start, a trunk spoiler, and 18-inch wheels.We would be satisfied with the base Supra, considering the fun it offers at a fair price. However, the 3.0 Premium is also worth consideration, with sport pedals, heated sport seats with driver seat memory and 14-way power adjustment, leather upholstery, a head-up display, wireless smartphone charging, a 12-speaker premium JBL audio system, upgraded brakes, and the new Hairpin+ feature. A 6-speed manual transmission is a new no-cost option on 3.0 models for 2023.

The $59,745 A91-MT Edition is a limited run of 500 examples, available exclusively with the manual transmission. This model gets the choice of two exclusive exterior colors to pair with an exclusive interior color, plus exclusive forged 19-inch wheels, red brake calipers, and red badging. The Driver Assist Package costs $1,195 with either transmission and adds cruise control, blind-spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert, and parking sensors. The Safety & Technology Package, available on 2.0 and base 3.0 models, varies in price and adds the features of the Driver Assist Package plus upgrades such as wireless Apple CarPlay.

The 2023 Toyota Supra is a rare beast even more rare now with the available manual transmission. Blending in BMW bits has only helped to improve the Supra’s impressive pedigree. Razor-ready track performance is the forte of every Supra including strong power with either engine, predictable teeth-gritting handling, and technology nannies that actually let you have some fun. In the end, the BMW Toyota marriage is the best of both brands and we are all the wonderful beneficiaries.