The 2021 Toyota GR Supra two-seat sports car is available in six-cylinder and four-cylinder versions. (Manufacturer photo)

The 2021 Toyota GR Supra two-seat sports car is available in six-cylinder and four-cylinder versions. (Manufacturer photo)

Toyota makes significant changes to GR Supra for 2021

The six-cylinder model gets even more horsepower, and there’s a new turbo four-cylinder version.

Toyota’s GR Supra two-seat sports car has significant changes for 2021, just one year after coming back from an 18-year pause. The existing turbocharged six-cylinder engine gets a big horsepower boost, going from 335 to 382, and its chassis has been retuned accordingly. Toward the other end of the spectrum, a milder yet still burly turbocharged four-cylinder model has been added, producing 255 horsepower and giving buyers a more affordable choice.

The GR in the name stands for Gazoo Racing, a subdivision of Toyota that produces modified racing versions of vehicles. Gazoo means “garage” in Japanese. The GR initials distinguish the current Supra from the earlier Supra, but for simplicity’s sake they are usually left off in everyday language.

Supra has rear-wheel drive, and both versions (four-cylinder 2.0 and six-cylinder 3.0) come with the same eight-speed automatic transmission. No manual transmission is available at this time, but rumors indicate one will materialize before too long.

My test car was the new GR Supra 2.0, ablaze with Nitro Yellow paint visible for miles. It’s priced at $43,985 including a $995 destination charge.

Standard features for this model include 18-inch wheels, LED headlights with automatic high beams, paddle shifters, Alcantara sport seats, four-speaker audio system, 8.8-inch TFT LCD gauge cluster, satellite radio, smart key and push button start, dual zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, lane departure warning, pre-collision safety system with pedestrian detection, and an 8.8-inch display screen with satellite radio, USB and Bluetooth.

The 2021 Toyota GR Supra’s handsome interior is snug, but seats are supremely comfortable. (Manufacturer photo)

The 2021 Toyota GR Supra’s handsome interior is snug, but seats are supremely comfortable. (Manufacturer photo)

An optional Safety and Technology package increased the tester’s bottom line by $3,485 and provided an upgraded 12-speaker JBL audio system, navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay, Supra Connected Services, dynamic radar cruise control, blind spot monitor, parking sensors with emergency braking, and rear cross-traffic alert.

Toyota developed the Supra jointly with BMW, and its chassis, powertrains and other parts are BMW-sourced, specifically from the Z4.

Supra’s powerful turbo four-cylinder engine with its 295 pound-feet of torque has a 0-to-60 mph time of 5 seconds and a fun-to-drive quotient that’s through the roof, figuratively speaking. Fuel economy ratings are 25 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, and 28 mpg combined.

Supra’s cabin is snug and not easy to get in to or out of. It won’t please a driver whose height or weight is quite a bit above average, or whose back tends to act up. There’s a big blind spot on the passenger side, more like a region than a spot. Blind spot monitoring, always good to have, takes on a whole new importance in the Supra.

The driver’s seat is terrific, offering first-class comfort. It has manual adjustment, including for height, but with power lumbar and bolstering adjustment. I drove from Snohomish County down to Vancouver and back in the same day, stopping only briefly for the inevitable text messages and to use facilities at Washington’s wonderful rest areas, and I was completely uncrabby when I got home. The Supra’s nice smooth ride made a major contribution, too.

The 2021 Toyota GR Supra’s hatchback opens to a 10.2 cubic-feet cargo area. (Manufacturer photo)

The 2021 Toyota GR Supra’s hatchback opens to a 10.2 cubic-feet cargo area. (Manufacturer photo)

2021 TOYOTA GR SUPRA 2.0

Base price, including destination charge: $43,985

Price as driven: $48,040

Mary Lowry is an independent automotive writer who lives in Snohomish County. She is a member of the Motor Press Guild, and a member and past president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association. Vehicles are provided by the manufacturers as a one-week loan for review purposes only. In no way do the manufacturers control the content of the reviews.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.