Now with a manual gearbox, Toyota’s GR Supra takes on BMW’s M240i xDrive: two compact coupes with much in common, but which delivers the biggest thrills?
has a higher starting price – £53,495 to the M240i’s £47,515 – but that seems fitting for a tough-looking, focused sports car with an iconic badge that promises greater engagement and sharper dynamics.
The thing is, nobody seems to have told the M240i xDrive that it’s the fall guy. This is a complex, at times infuriating car and it requires patience, lots of playing with various settings and modes and an open mind to fully understand. However, once you start to gel with the way it operates, the M240i is astoundingly capable, impressively poised and genuinely exciting. Fast, too. Despite weighing 1690kg this four-seater coupé is a rocketship. BMW claims 0-62mph in 4.
Counter-intuitively, the BMW gets better in the even stiffer, more aggressive Sport Plus mode. Partly this is due to the excellent body control it brings. The M240i feels extremely stiff at low speeds in Sport Plus but then finds a happy groove as you break free from traffic and small towns or villages. The ride remains sharp-edged but it’s decisive at dealing with whatever is thrown at it and there’s plenty of suspension travel, too.
The Supra is unquestionably a more special object. I’ve really grown to love the looks over time and, despite being familiar, it still seems audacious. The double-bubble roof is killer, the complex, crazy rear end is creative and feels daringly Japanese and the proportions really do call to mind the gorgeous old 2000 GT. Much may be shared with the Z4, but there’s no question that the Supra has its own visual identity and one that pays homage to Toyota’s heritage.
First impressions are the exact opposite of the BMW. The ride isn’t busy or inconsistent, rather it’s smooth and considered. The steering is heavier but also slower in its rate of response. In fact, the Supra feels altogether calmer. The longer gear ratios take away some of the zip that’s ever-present in the M240i, too. There’s certainly more maturity and the very act of changing gear brings immediate involvement, but I can’t help feeling it’s all a bit too measured.