Just how quick is today’s new Toyota Supra against a Nissan GT-R?
What we have here today are two JDM legends, at least by name: The 2021 Toyota Supra and the 2021 Nissan GT-R. While “Godzilla” has been around for awhile now, it definitely still has the guts to throw down against almost any modern sports car on the block. This new Supra, on the other hand, resurrects a Japanese icon that last saw production nearly 20 years ago. As such, this generation is still proving itself as a capable, yet remarkably quick coupe given just the actual amount of power it has. Yes, it is almost exactly half the price of the GT-R ($57,000 to $121,000), but some folks in the TFL office would argue it’s definitely on even footing, since the new Supra brings a thoroughly modern powertrain and nearly a 500 pound weight advantage to the fight.
So, can these two actually spar in a head-to-head drag race? Surprisingly — and I had my doubts — yes they can.
On its face, the Toyota Supra 3.0 is far down on power, which doesn’t bode well. It’s no slouch, let’s be clear: The 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six engine makes 382 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque. The Supra also uses an 8-speed automatic transmission to fire all that power strictly to the rear wheels. Finally, the car’s various electronic systems and tuning allow the driver to access all that power pretty much immediately after the word “go”. Then there’s the 3,400-pound curb weight to boot, which makes Toyota’s new sports car fairly light by modern standards.
The Nissan GT-R, for its part, has never had issues in the power department. In its latest iteration, the hand-built 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 puts out 565 horsepower and 467 lb-ft of torque. It sends all that power through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic to all four wheels. Now, if you do launch a GT-R properly — i.e. using the onboard launch control — Nissan’s sports car is nothing short of a bullet in a straight line. Just try to get off the line normally, however, and you’ll have to overcome thirteen years’ worth of turbo lag before it actually gets into the power band and flies. With that in mind, there are some surprising results in the video below: