The automotive industry is a lot different today than it was no longer than 5 years ago. Enemies are becoming friends in order to better cope with what the future holds. And also with the ever-tightening regulations regarding emissions. BMW and Toyota have been tightening their bonds over the last several years and that’s how we got the new Supra and Z4, both critically acclaimed cars.
However, the Supra is a rather odd bird because while it may be wearing a Toyota badge, it’s definitely not a full-on Toyota. Engine and gearbox come from the Bavarian car maker as well as a lot more of the underpinnings, some even saying the infotainment system looks very similar to what you’d find on older models. So how would it stack up against a modern-day BMW M440i on the drag strip?
The numbers don’t favor the Supra, that’s for sure. Even though both cars are using the same S58 3-liter straight six engine, the power output is different, the Supra relying on 340 HP while the BMW M440i has 374 HP at its disposal. Both of them have a claimed 500 Nm of torque coming out to the wheels, via an 8-speed automatic gearbox. However, the BMW is an all-wheel drive car, while the Supra remains true to its origins and has rear-wheel drive.
Not looking great for the ‘Japanese’ then, before the flag went down. We wish we could say the Supra did surprisingly well all things considered but it didn’t. The standing start races went to the BMW, despite Mat having three attempts to try his best at putting the power down. The only one where the Supra did rather well was the rolling race with everything set in Sport mode. Even the brake test was won by the BMW, despite being heavier.
