THE MAIN REASON THE NEXT-GEN TOYOTA GR SUPRA SHOULD NOT GO ELECTRIC

There is no denying that one of the most famous and most successful tuner cars the world has ever seen has got to be the Toyota Supra. Everything from its engine to its transmission and differentials was so well engineered that it could easily handle double or even triple the factory horsepower. This made the Supra an instant hit amongst drag racing and even track racing.

The current model, although controversial, is also a great tuner’s car. One of the few engines that can match the 2JZ in terms of tunability is BMW’s own straight six 3.0 liter and that is the exact engine found in the current model. Sadly, speculations state that there is a chance of the upcoming model going electric. In our opinion, this would be a bad move for Toyota and in this article, we are going over why that is the case.

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The Legend Of The Supra Entails Tunability

The Supra is synonymous with tunability. Upon release, it was a great sports car, but it wasn’t the best handling or fastest car out there. However, it was a blank canvas on which owners could drastically improve upon. With a few relatively simple modifications the Supra could easily touch the 600-horsepower mark. Couple that with a few suspension upgrades and you have a car that was immensely capable and fun to drive. Every journey was filled with Turbo whistle and turbo stutters. It really puts a smile on your face.

Now, the new Supra, as we all know, is mostly a BMW Z4 underneath. However, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You see, BMW might have made some catastrophically unreliable vehicles, but they have also made some of the strongest six-cylinder engines in the world. The B58 which is currently found in the Supra is BMWs newer and improved generation of six-cylinder engines and it features forged internals and a very strong design. This means that just like its father, the new Supra is also a great tuner’s car. And just like the old one, it may not be the best handling or fastest car out there, but with a few inexpensive modifications that can easily change.

The same can be said for even older Supras with the smaller 2.5 liter 1JZ engine (the predecessor to the 2JZ) which were also a great mill to tune and improve. It is obvious then, that the lifeblood of the Supra entails tunability. This is a car for people to tinker with and in order to stay true to its name and heritage, it needs to remain that way.

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The Supra Should Remain ICE

There is no doubt that electric motors can produce crazy amounts of power. The instant torque leads to performance figures that are hard to match; however, there is no room to play with after the car has been produced. Tuning and modifying the electric motors may be possible but is extremely difficult. This means that if the Supra switched to electric, its main character trait which is tunability will die. The world will have a Supra that is only as good as you receive from the factory and that is no fun.

The lack of tunability, however, isn’t the only problem with the Supra going electric. This vehicle was never an all-out supercar. It is a sports car to have fun in but also to use as a daily driver. As we all know, electric cars might be fast, but they are nowhere near as fun as conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. This is the case due to their lack of gears and noise. There will be no turbo whistle, no engine noise, and no flames out of the exhausts! The Supra will just be another fast electric car and that isn’t what car guys want.

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There Is Still Hope For The Supra

The speculations regarding the new model being electric might be true. However, there are further rumors coming from Japanese Magazine “Best Car” that the new model won’t be electric. In the past, speculations from this publication have been accurate; therefore, there is a good chance that the new model will keep its internal combustion engine. In fact, it is expected that the new Supra will once again be a collaboration between BMW and Toyota featuring a plug In hybrid 3.0 liter straight six and a normal ICE-only powertrain. This, of course, will be a far more appealing option than having an all-electric powertrain.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that Toyota is playing around with Hydrogen technology. You might be aware of the little Yaris GR that the company has converted to run on hydrogen. In fact, “convert” might be the wrong word here. The only difference in the engine is the fuel injection system. The unit is otherwise stock and produces very similar amounts of power and identical noise with the difference that the only emissions coming out of the exhaust is water.

The limitation of this technology is the fact that a big tank that can hold a lot of pressure is needed to store the hydrogen and Toyota is still trying to find a workaround for that. That being said, as soon as that workaround has been found there is a high possibility that this Hydrogen technology will find its way in the Supra as well. This would be a game changer as Toyota’s hydrogen research efforts have the power to save the internal combustion engine and with it, the sports car.

2023-05-26T22:35:18Z dg43tfdfdgfd