The Toyota Supra is as synonymous with the inline six-cylinder engine as Seth Rogen is to marijuana. Or is it? While the 2020 GR Supra is sold exclusively with a 335-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six in the United States, the two-door sports car also offers a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four under its hood in Japan—and come March, Europe.
That’s right, Toyota is expanding sales of the four-cylinder Supra beyond the motherland, and it’s likely only a matter of time until the BMW-sourced four-cylinder engine makes its way to our shores, as well. After all, the model is already certified for sale in California by the state’s Air Resources Board.
Should Toyota pull the trigger and send the four-cylinder Supra stateside, expect it to follow the blueprint of the recently announced European model, which forgoes the Japanese car’s entry-level 195-hp tune for its available 255-hp setup. The company claims the more powerful four-cylinder helps the Supra sprint to 62 miles per hour in 5.2 seconds, or 0.9 second slower than its 4.3-second zero-to-62-mph claim for the six-cylinder model. Of course, the six-pot car is actually quicker than that; we hit 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds in our testing.
What the four-cylinder engine lacks in outright thrust, it makes up for with a lower curb weight, as the smaller engine shaves 220 pounds of fat from the coupe and, in turn, blesses it with near-perfect, 50/50 weight distribution. Alas, like the six-cylinder Supra, the four-cylinder engine pairs exclusively to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Yes, purists will scoff at the very idea of a Supra with anything but a six-cylinder engine. But if Aston Martin and Lamborghini can sell SUVs, then surely Toyota can push a four-cylinder Supra in the states—especially if it cuts a few grand from the six-cylinder model’s $50,945 base price.
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Source: WORLD NEWS
