Toyota Supra to get more power, but manual gearbox ruled out

The Toyota Supra is in line to get a boost in power, but fans holding on for a manual transmission are out of luck. 

That's the word from the Supra's chief engineer, Tetsuya Tada, who says the outputs for the current vehicle are only the beginning, promising more power for future generations.

The Supra will arrive in Australia next month packing a turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine (borrowed from BMW) which unlocks 250kW and 500Nm. That power is fed to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and will send Toyota's new sports car to 100km/h in an impressive 4.3 seconds, before pushing on to a (limited) top speed of 250km/h.

And while those numbers are already plenty tempting, Tada-san says they're only the start.  

"With a sports car, the promise is to offer more performance with each additional version," Tada-san told US outlet Autoblog.

But while the outputs sound like they'll be getting a boost, rumours of a manual transmission seem off the mark, with Tada-san telling the publication that customers who want to shift gears themselves should "choose the Toyota 86".

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The Supra, which was engineered alongside BMW's new Z4, will land in Australia in an entry-level GT trim level, which is priced from $93,730 drive-away. That money will buy you keyless entry, carbon-look trim elements, a powered and heated driver's seat and paddle-shifters that control the automatic gearbox.

You can then step up to the GTS trim level, which ups the price to $104,379, and adds a head-up display, 19-inch alloys that hide red callipers and better sports brakes, and leather or Alcantara seats. For reference, the BMW Z4 M40i starts at $124,900, plus on-road costs.

But if you do want to secure a Supra, you best think fast: the first two allocations of cars for Australia sold out in minutes. A third allocation is due to go on sale September 25.

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