The fifth-generation Toyota Supra was one of the most hotly awaited sports cars ahead of its launch in 2019. Time has flown, though, and now the “new” Supra is about to be the old one, with production slated to end next year. Toyota has seen fit to send off its flagship sportscar with a limited run of Final Edition models.
The Toyota Supra is perhaps best known as a JDM legend of the Bubble Era. The world fell in love with the Mk IV generation, with its place in history solidified by its role in The Fast And The Furious (2001). The fifth-generation model never quite made the same splash, but Toyota has stuck by the model, incrementally improving it over the years.
Toyota has seen fit to provide the American market Final Edition with a swathe of upgrades and a devil-may-care aesthetic. It’s a fitting swansong for the performance car that has always had Toyota’s top billing. It’s just not quite as hot as what Europe got.
Handling upgrades are the prime focus for the Final Edition model, with many smaller tweaks adding up to a greater whole. Toyota has also revised camber angles and retuned the electronically controlled dampers for greater stability and grip, while the electric power steering has also been tweaked for better feel and control. Tightening up the body has been achieved with a stronger underbody brace along with tougher rubber mounts in the rear sub-frame, while strengthened rubber bushings in the front control arms also aim to add stiffness and better control.
Toyota has also tweaked the electronic differential tuning for better traction and less understeer. That could have a major impact on the personality of the vehicle in the corners. Meanwhile, larger Brembo brakes should improve the car’s response and controllability under heavy braking.
Visually, most notable is the striking carbon fiber ducktail spoiler at the rear, finished in gloss, which also offers the aerodynamic benefit of some additional downforce. Overall, the aesthetic is defined by matte black touches—note the special 19-inch wheels and gloss carbon fiber mirror caps. Inside, the black interior is complemented with red seatbelts, lashings of red stitching, and an appropriate amount of GR badging to boot.
The Japanese automaker will also offer a GT4-style pack as an option. This will include a GT4-style side graphic, a matte version of the rear spoiler, matte rear emblem, and red mirror caps. Toyota will offer these examples in Burnout or Undercover—matte colors, which appear to be white and black, respectively. While the Final Edition models will hit dealers in Spring 2025, the GT4 style pack won’t arrive until Fall 2025. Manual and automatic models will be available.
The only thing missing from the Final Edition? More power. The engine remains the same 3.0-liter twin turbo six as used in the existing Supra models. It’s good for 382 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque—still exciting, but in no way exceeding what you could already get anyway.
Meanwhile, it pales in comparison to the Final Edition being sold in other markets, which we looked at last year. Overseas, the Final Edition gets 429 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque courtesy of a new tune, intake, and exhaust system. Only, it costs nearly twice as much as a regular Supra. As for America’s Final Edition discussed here, pricing information is not yet available.
The Mk V Supra, much like the later Nissan Z, has ultimately struggled to recapture its old magic. Immediately on launch, it was criticized for lacking a manual transmission, which crowded the zone in the media and led many to overlook its finer attributes. Despite its unique looks and powerful six-cylinder engine, it never quite wowed the world the way it had previously. The Supra name still means something, but it’s more of a whisper from the past than one that holds much currency today.
The end of the Supra has been long on the horizon. Rumors first surfaced in 2024 when it became clear its BMW Z4 twin was going out of production. It’s all the more confusing and sad, given the GR Supra is intended to join the Australian Supercars racing series in 2026, right as the model leaves the market.
However, hope does remain for the future, even if we’ve seen no evidence of a next-generation model. In October last year, a Toyota executive indicated to CarExpert that the Supra nameplate would continue. “BMW is not Toyota. The notion that Supra is stopping is purely speculative,” said Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations. “There is no plan to discontinue the Supra brand in this car company, I know that.”
Toyota’s Final Edition Supras should draw plenty of eyes, particularly the striking matte versions wearing the GT4 style pack. They could serve as excellent rolling billboards, reminding the world of how great the Supra brand is ahead of any next generation that might be coming down the pipeline. For now, though, they’re a nice final flourish on what was a capable, if underappreciated, Japanese sports car.
Image credits: Toyota
That car was never on my list of replacements on my 4-wheel fleet, so, this little bit of obtanium, we in the region essentially North of the Gulf of America can’t get doesn’t bother me that much.
There are a few others that do bug me that we can’t get here in the US of Mexico, or whatever reciprocal BS we’re going to see.
And, hey, if this all of this week’s uh, machinations, works out for the mid-West and the auto-industry, I will be happy to eat crow for every dinner from now until Thanksgiving. (I’ve eaten worse sources of protein.)
But I don’t think it’s going to go that way.
It’s an ugly, overpriced, 2 seat car. What’s not to love? A base Corvette smokes this thing and looks better. Who was actually going to buy this thing?
Sure, enthusiasts asked for a new Supra. But not like this.
I think the styling was a big part of the problem. It was just too busy. I was never a fan. I got a ride in one and it moved, but it just wasn’t good looking. That’s what happens when a car is in development for too long.
That being said, I wasn’t going to buy one anyway. 2 elementary school kids means no two seaters for me for a long time.
Why does a tune, intake and exhaust double the price of the car?
When it’s a special edition lol
I am grateful for this car, but it proves that we as enthusiasts are the absolute worst.
Toyota gets begged to bring back the Supra. They figure that BMW makes some of the best straight-6 turbo engines (no, Toyota wasn’t going to design a straight-6 for such a low production car), so they team up with BMW. They eventually add a manual transmission (at incredible cost to them). Still, few of us bought one. iTs A BmW.
Hey, at least they didn’t name the Bz4X (cough cough Ford) or the Rav4 (cough cough Mitsubishi) the Supra.
I am willing to bet that time will look fondly on the Mk5. And the NSX, to be fair. Nostalgia is a bummer.
I would buy this argument, if not for the fact that Mazda went and designed their own straight-6 turbo engine AND transmission for no reason other than “BMW uses it and we want to be luxury” (even though 90% of BMW owners have no idea what layout of engine is in their car). It also cost them nothing to add the manual, because hte manual has existed on that powertrain at BMW forever. Toyota COULD have done it themselves, they certainly have the resources, they’re just lazy and cheap. And the people buying a Toyota don’t want BMW quality…
I think this take is a bit flawed.
Mazda sold over 64,000 combined CX-90 and CX-70’s in the US for 2024, let’s conservatively assume half of these had an Inline-6, that is at least 32,000 of those engines in one year. Toyota sold less than 3000 Supra’s in the US for 2024, some of which were 4-cylinder models.
That makes this a flawed comparison. Mazda is selling their new Inline-6 in a hot market segment and will probably manufacture hundreds of thousands of them over their lifespan. Toyota is selling a speciality car that they knew would be low-volume making it a poor business decision to design a new engine.
Don’t get me wrong, I would LOVE for it to have a Toyota powertrain as I am normally a Japanese car loyalist.
Mostly I want this because I have a 2024 Supra (manual) in my garage. For the first time in my life I purchased an extended warranty (a Toyota VSA Platinum warranty for 10-years) because I am worried about expensive repairs and hope to keep this car for quite some time.
However given the option of not being able to have a Supra, and having a Supra with BMW guts, I’d rather have the Supra…
Everyone assumes the small numbers the Supra sold was some big problem. I guarantee Toyota is fine with the actual sales figures. There will be 25-30,000 of these things floating around for the next 30 years and all will be well.
And speaking of Mazda’s straight 6… my speculation is the MkVI being a Mazda collaboration!
Not that I’m market for sports car, but my main gripe with it is that it looks like dogs breakfast. This genre of cars should be sexy. This is just weird. I know looks are subjective, but if you find this sexy, I think you need to get your head examined. It looks like some sort of angry fish.
It’s such a shame that Japanese cannot seem to make a car that looks good. I like Land Cruisers and LC500 is not too shabby looking. But rest not so much. Also make the bloody AWD Avensis wagon already.
I think the view is that Toyota should have designed a straight 6 that very well could’ve been used in multiple RWD/4WD applications (Lexus LC/GS/LX, Toyota Land Cruiser). They could’ve designed the Tacoma to fit it and make a X-Runner performance version as well.
Dont worry, ours will cost $150k as well because reasons.
So, this seems to be how it goes:
Am I missing anything?
The part where it’s a BMW with a Toyota badge rather than a Toyota?
The hermetically sealed cars become undrivable paperweights as their BMW plastics age.
Well that’s what you get for storing the car in 78% nitrogen and not 100% nitrogen like some kind of Poor Person.
Oh I’m sure BMW figured out how to make plastics that turn to dust under any atmosphere.
The devil may care, but I don’t. What is it with the new Supra? It has been a fumble since day 1.
I don’t get this – they’re good cars.
I see them from time to time and have no beef with them at all, but I do agree that they should have done much better. I think consumers have shifted too much toward practical and efficient these days. Well, except the C8 Vette which is selling like hotcakes. I’d take a Supra, all else equal.
“I think consumers have shifted too much toward practical and efficient these days”
Practical and efficient at what? Practically spilling out of parking spaces and efficiently crushing pedestrians?
They’re good, not great. In my original comment I was actually going to lump the new NSX in with it as an underwhelming return of an iconic nameplate.
It’s a Toyota that is actually a BMW. It was only available with an automatic to start. It is expensive relative to its class. Just a whole bunch of airballs on what should’ve been an easy slam dunk.
The fumbled when they decided to make it a BMW.
The fumble was not putting in a Toyota powertrain. I’m not buying something if it’s only going to last as long as the warranty period.
They tried to fit the FT-1 concept car body onto a BMW platform.
Then they started by not offering a manual option.
Well, Europe does have a long history of getting almost all of the slightly better BMW models.