East Bay Times

2022 Toyota Supra

- James Raia, a syndicated columnist in Sacramento, publishes a free weekly automotive podcast and electronic newsletter. Sign-ups are available on his website, theweeklyd­river.com. He can be reached via email: james@ jamesraia.com.

the same accelerati­on status as its top rivals, but it has a tighter turning radius and more passenger room.

In the third year of its reincarnat­ion, the Supra is offered with two turbocharg­ed engine options. Introduced for the 2021 model year, the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder produces 255 horsepower and the 3.0-liter, six-cylinder has 382 horsepower. Both models have eight-speed transmissi­ons; a manual transmissi­on is not available.

The 2.0-liter Supra accelerate­s from zero to 60 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds. Its fuel economy is 25 miles per gallon in city driving, 32 mpg on the freeway.

The reviewed 3.0-liter achieves the zero-to-60 mph standard achieved in 4.0 seconds. Fuel mileage is reduced to 22 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway.

Sports car design attractive­ness is subjective, but the Supra turned its share of heads and received lots of smiles of appreciati­on.

Toyota’s hotshot has a long, curvy hood, bulbous fenders, a doublebubb­le roof, an extremely slanted hatchback roofline and a pushed-up decklid spoiler. The latter isn’t the Supra’s best attribute.

The front grille has an angry look, another odd attribute. Combined, however, the sports car is as handsome as any of its rivals. The upscale Supra powers down the road on 19-inch forged alloy wheels, the smaller-engine choice has 18-inch cast aluminum wheels.

Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning with steering assist, and auto high beams. The Safety and Technology package, available on four-cylinder and six-cylinder models, adds fullspeed adaptive cruise control, blindspot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and parking sensors.

An 8.8-inch infotainme­nt screen is standard. Wireless Apple CarPlay, a 12-speaker JBL sound system and a color head-up display are standard on the Premium trim; they’re options on the 2.0-liter trim. Buyers of the 3.0 can opt for the Driver’s Assist Package ($1,195). It’s radar cruise control, blind-spot detection, rear-cross-traffic alert, parking sensors and emergency braking.

By design, sports cars have snug headroom and legroom. The Supra defines the concept. Its occupants are required to squeeze into seats via problemati­c, tight door openings. It’s automotive pretzel logic to enter and exit.

The hatchback lift is heavy, but it opens to a 10.2-square-foot cargo area, enough for a few grocery bags or small carry-on luggage for two.

As driven, the 2022 Toyota Supra 3.0 costs $56,390. Daily driver sports car enthusiast­s rejoice. But it’s not for the rest of us.

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