BRZ/86 vs. MKV Supra: An Owner's Perspective
 

A couple months ago I recently replaced my 2018 BRZ tS (which replaced a 2016 BRZ Series.HyperBlue) with a 2020 Toyota Supra and wanted to share my insight comparing the two cars. They are both vastly different cars, and although the Supra costs almost twice as much, the BRZ/86 still has characteristics that the Supra isn’t better at or can’t offer. Although both cars offer a unique experience based on their design and purpose, I can confidently say that they’re both fun-to-drive sports cars if you are a driving enthusiast.



Disclaimer: If you’re here looking for driving impressions in a track-setting then unfortunately I cannot provide that kind of insight, but if you’re looking for an impression just in general or spirited day-to-day driving then read on!




Driving Impressions



The BRZ/86 was praised for connecting the driver to the car through a pure driving experience, and this experience was clear to me after owning a couple of them, and it was the first thing I noticed when getting used to the Supra. So if there’s any clear difference between the Supra and the BRZ/86, it’s that the Supra gives up some of that pure and raw element of the BRZ/86 for refinement and better performance.



I immediately noticed how I missed the quick-ratio steering of the BRZ/86 as soon as I drove the 2020 Supra out of the parking lot. Although the Supra’s steering is actually nicely weighted even in NORMAL setting, it doesn’t have the communication that the BRZ/86 has because of a more noticeable dead spot in the center. Once I hit the twisties with the Supra, that’s when I noticed that the steering still has the precision you’d expect from a sports car--but unlike the BRZ/86 it has less of a “point-and-shoot” feeling.



With that in mind, it doesn’t take long to realize that comparing the two cars is essentially like a shootout between driving experience and driving performance. Well, it’s a given that most of the performance differences come from the powertrain. The Supra manages daily driving situations like passing, merging, and cruising with effortless ease and confidence. 65 MPH feels slow in the Supra. 90 MPH feels like normal, conservative highway driving. In spirited driving, the Supra provides more thrills especially since it can exit corners quickly and push you back in your seat in a straight line.



However, there is also something fun about wringing out the engine of the BRZ/86 to make up for that lack of torque. It kind of reminds me of driving cars at wide open throttle in video games. And, although the Supra downshifts beautifully with a pop, you can’t really beat nailing a perfect rev-matched downshift yourself with a manual transmission. Yes, in a timed competition the transmission would matter but if you’re just out there enjoying the machine on a weekend, the manual transmission would add to the experience.



Cruising along, the Supra rides very smoothly. If the road is decently paved the car almost has a sporty-luxurious ride, and I can see myself being more than comfortable in it during a cross country road trip. But something about the harsher and stiffer ride of the BRZ/86 compliments every other raw quirk that the twins have to offer...it makes it feel...old school. If you close your eyes and remove factors like acceleration and engine noise, the ride of BRZ/86 actually feels more like a sports car than the Supra.



Final Thoughts



The Supra is my new weekend car which was previously held by both of the BRZ’s I owned. For me I want my weekend car to be a nice toy to have around that’s special to me and that feels vastly different than my daily driver (a GTI). The Supra and the BRZ/86 are great cars to own because they feel different from a lot of other cars out there.



But what most people want to know is if the Supra is significantly a better car than the BRZ/86, or if it is really worth 2x the price. Although I can’t answer that because we all have different tastes, I can say that the Supra does a lot of things better than the BRZ/86. It’s fun to have a fast car that still responds well to you. The Supra is more fun than the BRZ/86 if you strongly agree with that statement. At the same time, there are things that the BRZ/86 does that the Supra either does worse or doesn’t do at all. Ultimately, the BRZ/86 engages the driver more so than the Supra.



With that said, I believe that the MKV Supra can’t completely replace a BRZ/86. Doing so may make you miss its raw and pure character that you got used to, and that most likely cannot be satisfied with the more refined Supra. My plan is to keep the Supra as a weekend car and once my lease on the VW GTI is up, to replace that with the 2nd-gen BRZ if it is indeed a better version than what we have today...otherwise I’ll go pre-owned because I now know for sure that the BRZ/86 is the car I want to drive every day.



The MKV Supra feels modern and refined. The BRZ/86 feels nostalgic and raw as if it was from the 90’s. That’s why I can’t express how important it is to appreciate the BRZ/86 for what it is. If anything, the MKV Supra just cemented the purpose and charm of the BRZ/86. It’s truly a unique car designed to give drivers an old-school, well-connected, pure driving experience in a world of modern cars.

Great perspective and excellent points, thank you for sharing.

I’ve been waiting for a review/comparison like this, especially from someone who appreciates the twins, thanks so much for sharing and well written.

Awesome review and congrats on the new whip.

My driving impressions were quite scary when I closed my eyes.

That goes away after you fall asleep.

Poopra!

as far as steering feel and feedback goes I would look to see if anyone offers a steering flash, the BMW racks are vastly improved when you do a performance tune

Is it weird to hear flash a performance tune for steering? Not adding the conversation just weird to say outloud.

I had the opportunity to go for a quick test-drive of a gen. 5 supra around a track near Paris (thanks Toyota!), so maybe that'll complement what's already been said.

I didn't get to use it on the road at all, only around the track. The main points of interest to me were:
-That engine PULLS. From 1 500 to 5 000-ish, the car shoves you in the seat with constant power. The engine doesn't enjoy going much above 5 500rpm, but I don't doubt it makes more than 340hp.
-The gearbox does its job perfectly. I'm not sure I'd get a manual were it available
-You can really feel the short wheelbase. It's got that same twitchiness on braking that makes the 86 so much fun. It feels like the car is eager to pivot around itself, even more than the twins
-The interior is cramped. Without a helmet, my 6'2" frame barely fit in, but with a track helmet I felt rather miserable and was hitting the roof for the whole drive. The clamshell shape of the roof doesn't help lateral visibility
-(not track related) It lacks practicality. The boot shape is complicated, it's got that strut bar and no rear seat, etc. I can easily fit a bicycle in my 86, good luck doing that in a Supra

My friend (who also has a twin) and I both came out of the drives with a similar impression that while the 86 is an easy everyday car, both though its relative practicality and the fact that you can wring it out without reaching unreasonable speeds, the Supra felt more like an expensive weekend toy. It's too cramped and unpractical to be an only car, and it's too quick to be able to stretch its legs on the open road.

It's great if you have high 5-figures to spend on a weekend car, and I have no doubt it's competitive, but I I'd get an Alpine or a used 981 over it.

PS: I almost forgot - the yellow and frozen silver look awesome!

Sounds like the Supra is a perfect successor to the earlier Supra's. A little heavy, a little luxurious, a little underpowered, but man that thing can handle.

Nice read and spot on about the MKV being more refined and in the process it lost the playfulness that I absolutely enjoy in my BRZ. Only other car that suffered that fate was when I tried to to see if I’d like a EvoX back when I had a Evo IX.

I’ve been a Supra owner for about 19yrs.. MKV is in no form a Supra.. it’s a great sports car and I really like it but it’s a terrible Supra.

This is a good thing. The only thing the 4th gen Supra can do is go fast in a straight line. One dimensional. It was the Japanese Grand National.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NosG...ature=youtu.be

:iono: :burnrubber:

And going fast in a straight line chasing a Radical SR3:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGqOG0V7-Yk[/ame]


I know it's modified...but it can't be that bad :P