2020 Supra... first thoughts

ZCanadian

A true sports car shouldn't be very good at being a normal car. Its job is to lure you to drive it to nowhere in particular and back, as often as possible. It need only convert petroleum into smiles.

If someone is evaluating a sports car for the number of cupholders it has, ride comfort, the quality of the audio, or the practicality of the back seats, then they are fooling themselves. So is the manufacturer, for showing the car on a race track.

I guess that trucks are advertised by showing them carrying loads of steel off a jobsite, pulling stumps, and towing a small house. Most are actually sold for taking the family on trips and potentially hauling some toys or a few sheets of drywall. But at least it's true that they CAN do what the adverts show.

Maybe it is me after all. I know it's a big purchase. Having a vehicle that can be all things is a "sensible" approach for both buyer and manufacturer. But that kind of car will never be exceptional at anything (excepting possibly some Porsches). At least not without substantial mods. Most are barely adequate at anything. And the word "sensible" does not belong in the same sentence as "sports car". Except perhaps the way I just used it!

Spartan 1771

I honestly couldn't have said it better myself. I know some daily drive their Z, but for me this is a toy that I take out on nice days, drive on road trips, take to shows and play with occasionally at the track. I will say that I'm at a point in my life where i can afford to have several other cars, one of which is my daily driver. I do understand that not everyone is at the same point in their life. I don't think a sports car should be designed for the masses, but in the end it all comes down to what sells. It will be interesting to see the sales numbers on the new Supra.

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~Rob

-DD Air Guide, Stillen G3 CAIs, 63mm Throttle Bodies, Motordyne M370, Berk HFCs, FI TDX CBE (non-res, CF), Sprint booster v3, Ecutek Dyno Tuned, and the list goes on...

CRiZO

Do you consider the 370Z a sports car then?

ZCanadian

Not as much of a pure sports car as my Alfa 4C.
But more of one than the Supra, from what I've read.

It is quite probable that the compromises that Nissan have made in building the 370Z a little less hard core have been what has kept the car on sale for 10 years practically unchanged. It's loud, low, rough-riding, beautiful, has enough power to be fun (but not enough torque!), beautifully balanced, RWD and set up a bit for oversteer, has crappy audio and minimal storage. Those all tick my boxes for sports car. Overly heavy heated electric seats and an abundance of cupholders don't do it for me (but they do help sales). Comes in a manual (which doesn't make it fast, but definitely plays to the "sports" nature of the car).

My synopsis: the 370Z is quite difficult to get in and out of. But once you get in you don't really care about exiting. Or about anything else but driving. So by my benchmark, it's a proper sports car.