Thus far, we've known Toyota plans to drop a BMW-sourced inline-6 under the hood of the new Supra. However, you should now prepare for a 4-banger as well.
New documents from German transmission maker ZF, first discovered by Road and Track and published Tuesday, shows two separate powertrains for the A90 Supra, the nameplate's fifth iteration.
The first is a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 making 335 horsepower—the engine we've assumed for some time. The second is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4, specifically, BMW's B48B20 mill. According to the document, expect 262 hp from the smaller unit.
2019 BMW Z4 prototype (Z4 M40i)
Both engines will feature a ZF eight-speed automatic identical to the transmission paired with numerous BMWs that also feature the inline-4 and inline-6 engines mentioned in the document. Aside from the transmission and powertrain intel, the documents also confirm the next-generation BMW Z4 (shown above) and new Supra will share a platform, though Toyota will call its version of the platform the J29, and BMW the G29. From the documents, it also appears a manual transmission is not in the cards.
Although a four-cylinder Supra may sound sacrilegious to diehards, there's a silver lining. R&T also reported the four-cylinder model will be the ideal candidate for inevitable 2JZ swaps; the 2JZ is Toyota's famed inline-6 engine found in the previous-gen Supra. The car's chief engineer Tetsuya Tada not only confirmed a four-cylinder Supra at the Goodwood Festival of Speed but encouraged future Supra owners planning on 2JZ swaps to "please buy the four-cylinder. It will be cheaper." The inline-4-powered car will also feature better weight distribution and a sharper turn in, per Tada.
Goodwood played host to the new Supra's dynamic debut where we also saw the car tackle the famed hill climb with Tada behind the wheel. A proper debut, after numerous teasers, is expected at the 2019 Detroit auto show next January.
