It’s no secret that the all-new Toyota Supra is powered by a BMW engine. That’s been well known for at least a year now. However, the Supra is now available with a choice of two BMW engines; the 382 horsepower version of BMW’s B58 3.0 liter turbocharged inline-six and a 255 horsepower version of BMW’s B48 2.0 liter turbo-four. The question that now remains is: which one is better?
At its face, that might sound like a silly question. Of course, the more powerful engine is the better engine. Right? Well, maybe not. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, so there could be an argument made that the smaller engine is actually the better engine for the Toyota Supra. In this new video from Everyday Driver, we get to find out which is best.
While the 2.0 version is down on power, it might actually be the one to get, for one specific reason that seems to have gone under the radar — packaging. Most enthusiasts are praising the new Toyota Supra 2.0T for its lighter weight (it’s about 200 lbs lighter) and the smaller engine is a big part of that. However, it’s not so much the lighter weight of the engine that makes a difference but where the engine is actually located.
Because of its size, Toyota has been able to put the 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder so far back in the engine bay that the entire engine is behind the center line of the front axle. So, effectively, it’s actually a front-mid-engine car. While it’s still listed as a front-engine car, Ferrari claims its cars with the same packaging are front-mid-engine. So, because that’s cooler, that’s what we’re gonna call it.
That new packaging allows the Toyota Supra to have much sharper turn-in, as there’s simply so much less weight ahead of the front wheels. Not only does it turn in better but it seems to rotate a bit better around corners, as the weight is more inboard than in the six-cylinder model, similar to a mid-engine car. Of course, it’s not actually mid-engine but the effects on moving the engine so far inboard are actually similar to sticking the engine in the middle.
So while the Toyota Supra 3.0 is still an incredible car, and its engine is better, the feel of the 2.0 model is actually a bit better. It will be very interesting to test these cars ourselves.
