TF109B

Did they get cheap and lazy with the BRZ/GT86? No one has a clue what kind of R&D has been done by Toyota on this car. Everyone here just says BMW did the work and Toyota put on their badge Because that's what Toyota does, they leave entire vehicles up to another manufacturer and pray it works. lol Sureee

I bet this thing is a homerun and all the naysayer will either go away or nitpick something they don't like.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Strike a nerve? hah

It'll have a Toyota badge and Toyota body, that's all I can say for sure.

Would love to see the interior be inspired by the FT-1 concept

MattyG

No, no one can say anything definitively but there are enough leaks out there to now confirm who is heading up the chassis work and testing. BMW's next crop of cars is coded as G20 (3 series), G29 (Z4 roadster) and a curious code called J29 which is being speculated as the Supra. All built on BMW's CLAR architecture. The engine and transmission are heavily speculated to be the B58 inline six with a ZF 8 speed auto.

There are lots of pics of the Z4 and Supra testing together. But recent pictures have emerged showing the winter testing of three automobiles: 3 series sedan, Z4 and the Supra all together. That's an awful lot of coincidences going on. BMW is doing the chassis work and testing, how else are you going to stick a BMW six under the hood of a Toyota?

RNM GS3

MattyG

I think that's why this is in fact a joint project as far as the final suspension tuning and outcomes. The Z4 is known for its taut ride and it has been criticized for a harsh ride, but that's exactly its job in life. If the post about Akio not liking the Supra test mule when he drove it is verifiably true, then it had to do with a harsh ride quality.

I can gurantee that nothing seems to get more ire on here than a Lexus or Toyota product riding harshly. Right now the 5LS is being treated as some sort of buckboard wagon because the whisper smooth glide of the old car is not there anymore. Or that they can hear that V6tt revving away doing its thing.

The old Supra wasn't exactly known for a smooth rider, you had to go to the SC for that. So Toyota will basically tune a smoother Z4 for less money.

Slash300zx

Accept the truth, the faster you do it, the faster you'll be at peace. The manual transmission is history and practically dead. All the high end (or almost all) sports cars are just not wasting time with a manual transmission anymore because a DCT is much better (but not as fun). Look at cars like the GTR and Lambos or Ferraris.... we just have to accept it and just enjoy the old sports cars that have a manual transmissions... and look at the bright side, if you have a collectible or older stick shift car, thieves won't steal it because they don't even know how to drive them anymore lol

Diesel350

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/02/15/...nese-magazine/

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Welp if that magazine leak is true, then it has a lot of FT-1 inspiration

RNM GS3

jadu

iTrader: (42)

agreed. I've been watching the prices of the IS-F's and they have been getting cheaper.

i see. well, at least handling may be improved upon with suspension upgrades. it's always been up to the manufacturer to balance the comfort vs performance paradox of the suspension.

jadu

iTrader: (42)

Toyota does have a wide array of engines to choose from, so you'd have to ask, why didnt they want to choose an engine they've invested in such as the TTv6 in the LS500. Was it a mandatory requirement the Supra still have an inline 6 turbo engine? It may have been. As I think about it more, a production turbo inline 6 has not been sold by Toyota in the US since 98, which the R&D and engineering was done in the late 80s, early 90s. Developing a new Toyota inline 6 turbo engine would have cost way too much (hundreds of millions of $$$), significantly more than they are paying BMW. Were they wrong in teaming with BMW to source the I6? As i think about it more, no, they were not. They sought out the best inline 6 turbo manufacturer there is, with decades more of R&D put into an I6 turbo engine. Training, maintenance, and tooling is a whole other story tho.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Can you name another? Pretty much the only one they had a choice on that I can think of. AMG 53 wasn't ready, and even then, Benz doesn't seem as likely to help co-develop something with Toyota. SLC (formely SLK) /Supra? meh

jadu

iTrader: (42)

hmm, from the top of my head, i cannot. lol, it may have been their only choice. an inline 6 has been synonymous with BMW. As you know, they did have their 2JZ design to fall back on, but honestly, that engine was introduced in 1991 and they would have needed to dig up the old engineering archives for that

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Hah neither could I.

True, but too old I presume. 2JZ-GTE while reliable to fault (2JZ cast iron block you could put a bullet in and it would still function), was very thirsty. Today's engines are mostly aluminum and Toyota would want to put direct injection, port injection, VVT-i, and D-4S to name a few technologies into a new one. I haven't heard that many problems with the latest BMW I6's. Ten years ago they had a lot of issues with HPFP, though I think that's mostly revised now. I guess if Miata and 124 Spider can do it, Z4 and Supra can too.

I'm curious how the new 3.5L TT in the LS will hold up over time, and if Toyota would ever consider using it in the future.

MattyG

I would say that Toyota made a conscious brand segmentation decision not to put the 3.5tt V6 in the Supra. The last thing you want the auto press telling people is that the company put its $100K flagship sedan's motor in the $50K Supra. The LS's motor is probably going to be in other Lexus vehicles, so putting it in a Toyota may not in the cards right now.

Now telling people that you have a BMW inline six drivetrain in your Supra is going to get some attention.