
I have late-breaking news about the 2020 Toyota Supra. It’s back and it’s crazy fun to drive!
Okay, it’s definitely NOT late-breaking news. The 2020 Toyota Supra launched at dealerships about a year ago but as you might imagine, they are a bit on the exclusive side and not that easy to come by for a one week test review.
Plus, I’m a middle aged mom so what business do I have driving a Toyota Supra, let alone a Supra in Renaissance Red? I have absolutely no business, which is what made it so fun.
Mom on the loose in the Toyota Supra
The 2020 Toyota Supra is a sports car through and through. It’s a two seater. That means you won’t be hauling anyone to sport practice or car pool in this vehicle. However, none of us are going anywhere anyway so what better time to rediscover the joy of driving?
My scheduled week in the Toyota Supra was just a random week in July. I had no plans, no road trips, no errands to run. And yet, when it showed up in my driveway, I ran outside, started it up, texted my 13 year old son to come outside and playfully said, wanna go for a ride?
As a blogger’s kid, he’s seen a lot and done a lot. And he’s a teenage boy. Put those two things together and it’s tough to impress him. But this fast, red sports car made his pulse quicken and he hopped in the passenger side. We were planning to take a drive around a long-ish block on nearby roads. I turned a few corners, put it in Sport mode, and hit the accelerator just in time for…
An oncoming car flashed his lights at me.
In modern times with apps like Waze, it’s still nice to know the old school code of the flashing headlights which, of course, means ya better check your speed, mate.
Sure enough, I drove over a hill to find a very nice police officer on the side of the road as I gently roared by at 30 mph. A few minutes later, my son turned to me and said, “Now I see why people get these kinds of cars. You want people to look at you.”
And that would be a theme for the week for me.
Cargo space matters even in a sports car
When my brother-in-law had a stopover at our house on his way home from an out of state business meeting, I told him I’d take him for a ride. I had some work to finish up and within an hour, he playfully asked, “Are you done your homework yet? Can you come out and play?”
So, we did what most in-laws do. We went cruising on the back roads and then made a stop at the local Homegoods (he’s a serious decorating bargain hunter). We picked up a few large wares to take back to his home in Connecticut and planned to come back with his vehicle to pick them up.
Nah, I said. I bet that Supra can fit it!
And it did. The cargo space was surprisingly large for this type of vehicle. He fit a rather large ceramic pot in the back. And on another trip, I fit a full load of groceries in the back. The average driver probably doesn’t have cargo space as a primary concern with a vehicle like this but it’s nice to know that you can pack a few suitcases or go shopping and still take a passenger along for the ride.
Side note: I hate to sound like a girl, but the passthrough to the back from the driver’s seat was the perfect space to put a purse.
Just shut up and drive
The joy of the 2020 Toyota Supra is, hands down, the driving experience. And I knew a few around-town shopping trips wasn’t going to do it.
During this week, my friends Lindsay and Shannon asked if I felt up for a socially distanced, properly masked girls day out. We planned to meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the sweetest place on Earth. More importantly, it was 1 hour, 45 minutes from my house. Prime driving time.
On the road, it’s hard not to accelerate hard and fast every time. You’ve got a 3.0L Turbo, Inline 6 cylinder engine putting our 335 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque. It’s not only fast off of the line (0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds) but it’s zippy and responsive even at higher speeds.
For even more fun, put it in Sport mode to kick it up a notch and listen to the exhaust grumble. It’s an addictive noise. It handles well and stops on a dime.
One thing you won’t find, though, is a manual transmission. You may be a driving purist and think it’s a must but I found the paddle shifters to be a nice substitute. And no clutch to worry about.
Here’s the real kicker. After all that fun – the lead foot, the heavy acceleration – the Toyota Supra is still a fairly fuel efficient car. Trust me, I didn’t pay one bit of attention to that during my week. I was purely focused on the fun. But I was impressed to learn that the fuel economy comes in at 24/31 mpg with an average of 26 mpg. Almost good enough to make it a daily driver. If we had any place to drive on a daily basis anymore.
With a car like the Toyota Supra, I found every excuse to get out of the house and drive LOUDLY. I’m thankful for the time I had with friends in Hershey. We visited the spa and had a quiet lunch together. We walked around and did a little retail therapy to support small business. And then I said goodbye to the sweetest place as I hopped back in my sweetest ride.
Video Review of the 2020 Toyota Supra
Want to learn more about the 2020 Toyota Supra? Join me on a video tour of the interior and exterior (and I let you hear the lovely grumble). And hear my thoughts on whether you should wait for the 2021 Toyota Supra.
Be sure to check out all my other real car reviews for real carbuyers!