Toyota gives the Supra a guide, and skips the much-needed engine

The sun was brighter when it was Toyota The Supra was getting a manual transmission. The lack of a gearshift has disqualified Toyota’s sports car, the Halo, for many enthusiasts, and although it still great machineI always felt like something was missing. That changed Thursday, as Toyota finally confirmed that the manual Supra is real — for some buyers.

Update April 29, 2022 4:20 PM ET: This story has been updated with new information about the origin of the Supra Guide.

First, the good news. Toyota says it went to great lengths to design this transmission and make it play well with a turbocharged 3.0-liter engine. BMW does not provide this engine with a manual, so Toyota had to do a lot of work to get the Supra manual. Here’s what some of that followed, From a Toyota press release:

The engineering team modified the existing transmission housing, driveshaft, and gear train and removed unwanted elements, such as the audio beam, which reduced weight. At the heart of the transmission is a newly designed large-diameter clutch with a reinforced diaphragm spring. With a larger friction area and stronger spring, this new component has high-performance power suitable for use with the high-torque GR Supra engine.

The newly developed six-speed manual gearbox also features a new software programmed Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT) that prioritizes sporty performance. When the gear is raised, the parameters are adjusted to optimize the engine torque at the moment the clutch is engaged and released; In lower gears, the software is tuned for consistent performance. iMT is set as default, but if the driver prefers it, it can be turned off in Sport mode.

To avoid slow take-off and the feeling of low acceleration, the final drive ratio has been shortened from 3.15 (in the automatic GR Supra) to 3.46 (in the GR Supra MT). The result is responsiveness and gears just right for sports car performance.

After the Toyota announcement, CD player It reported separately on Friday that the six-speed is very similar to the Supra itself, out of BMW. It’s a ZF unit “tuned by Toyota”, insofar as the Japanese automaker replaced some parts with others – such as the aforementioned large-diameter clutch, reinforced spring and gear shift knob design:

“The parts used in the gearbox come from a combination manual transmission made with ZF, but the combination of the parts is exclusive to the GR Supra,” a Toyota spokesperson said. CD player. Toyota has partnered with ZF and BMW on the design/layout of the gearshift/pedal lever, final gear ratio decision, and iMT tuning. [rev-matching and upshift smoothing] Function, transform feeling. “

The Supra’s gearbox even gets its own unique transmission code in the BMW parts catalog: GS6L50TZ. For what it’s worth, the guide code on the outside and less powerful BMW Z4 sDrive20i is the GS6L40LZ, according to this SupraMKV forum. According to BMW’s transmission mapping rules, the difference between the “L50T” and the L40L” indicates a deviation in the “type” of the transmission and gear train. The “GS6” and “Z” code bits refer to the six-speed manual and ZF as the manufacturer, on Respectively, and for further reference, the guide on the current M3 and M4 is designated GS6-45BZ.

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Speaking of the shift knob, Toyota says ergonomics were a consideration too. Making space for a manual in a car that wasn’t originally offered with one can be a bit of a bear. Again, from the manufacturer’s release:

Close attention was also paid to how a manual shifter could be accommodated in the driver’s cockpit. The lever ratio was specifically set to minimize the effort required to make shifts and engage reverse gear. While the weight and shape of the 200g gear knob, along with the quality of shift engagement, have all been precisely defined. Ergonomics were also top-of-mind, as the console unit and position of the drive mode selector were adjusted to provide a 1.7-inch clearance between the shift knob and the control panel.

Toyota didn’t announce pricing for the manual Supra. That news will come this fall, shortly before 2023 models hit showrooms.

Here’s the catch: this six-speed will not be offered on the 2.0-liter four-cylinder Supra in any capacity. Honestly, I don’t know if a manual could have saved that car; I don’t know if anything could salvage the lesser Supra when the GR 86 and now The long-awaited Corolla GR Also present in the Toyota lineup. My colleague Steve thinks no one would bother buying a 2.0 Supra with evidence against these options, and he’s probably right.

For me, the 3.0 proof makes the 2.0 Supra a worse proposition than it already was, a car He lives in the shadow of his older brother. It probably only exists as a base for mods, but how many 2.0 owners do 2JZ swaps anyway? I’m all for a cheap entryway to performance—especially for those skilled enough to make up the difference with a wrench—but the 2.0 is only about $8,000 less than the 3.0, which is Toyota’s flagship. It should be a sports car of all kinds.

Toyota will also offer a limited edition Supra with the manual fitted, called the A91-MT. Only 500 of them will be built, with the required gearbox and inside exclusive North American cognac. No matter which model of the Supra you order, if you select your model with the stick shifter, you’ll get a red badge on the back, so everyone knows you’ve bought the best Supra—and maybe twist the knife a bit when someone pulls in an automatic-only previous Supra.