Can the 2021 Toyota Supra Really Hang With the Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche 911?
While it’s not the same as its Mk4 predecessor, the newest Toyota Supra is a genuinely good sports car. And for 2021, it’s gotten a performance upgrade. But how does the Japanese icon compare to the ones from America and Germany, the Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche 911? YouTube team ThrottleHouse wanted to find out.
2021 Toyota Supra vs. Chevrolet C8 Corvette vs. Porsche 911 Carrera S: by the specs
For 2021, the Toyota Supra is available in 2 forms. The new one, the Supra 2.0, has a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Meanwhile, the six-cylinder model continues as the Supra 3.0.
However, while the 2021 Toyota Supra 3.0 still has a 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine, it’s more powerful than the 2020 version. It now makes 382 hp and 368 lb-ft, Car and Driver reports, which is 47 more hp than before. At least, that’s the official rating; on Car and Driver’s dyno, the 2021 Supra 3.0 made 388 hp at the rear wheels. Taking the active differential and 8-speed automatic into account, it may be making 400 hp at the crank. With that, the 3347-lb Toyota Supra 3.0 can go 0-60 in 3.8 seconds.
The 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S is about 50 pounds heavier, Car and Driver reports. However, its 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine makes 443 hp and 390 lb-ft, sent to the rear wheels via an 8-speed automatic. The 7-speed manual 911 saves 80 pounds lighter, Car and Driver reports, but it’s 0.6 seconds slower to 60. Still, a manual Porsche 911 Carrera S’ 0-60 time is 0.2 seconds faster than the Toyota Supra’s time.
However, the 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette out-muscles them both. With the optional performance exhaust, its 6.2-liter V8 makes 495 hp and 470 lb-ft, Motor Trend reports. It is the heaviest of the 3, with a curb weight of 3647 pounds, Car and Driver reports. However, thanks to its mid-engine design, 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, and launch control, it can do 0-60 in 2.8 seconds.
But ThrottleHouse isn’t just testing 0-60 times.
The testing procedures
ThrottleHouse ran 3 tests with the 2021 Toyota Supra, Chevrolet C8 Corvette, and Porsche 911 Carrera S.
The first 2 were ¼-mile drag races, one from a standing start, and one rolling race. Although a standing start isn’t necessarily real-world accurate, it does compare each car’s launch control system. The rolling race, though, is just about engine and transmission tuning.
The final test was a timed lap around a racetrack. And while the Toyota Supra 3.0 is down on power, it’s here where it may truly hold its own.
The cars’ other performance features
For 2021, the Toyota Supra has retuned dampers, new bump stops, and new aluminum strut-tower and radiator braces, Automobile reports. Toyota also tweaked the car’s differential, steering, and stability control programming, MT reports. As a result, compared to the 2020 model, the 2021 Supra has less body roll, Roadshow reports. And as a whole, it simply feels like a better-planted, more composed sports car.
The Chevrolet C8 Corvette, though, has its own set of performance tricks. With the Z51 Package, you get the performance exhaust as well as an electronic limited-slip differential and launch control, Roadshow reports. The base model, though, still gets a mechanical one, The Drive reports.
For 2021, the active magnetorheological dampers are a stand-alone option, Car and Driver reports. Those dampers are one reason why the C8 is a Car and Driver 10Best: it’s sharp on the track and compliant on the road. The C8 Chevrolet Corvette is tuned for understeer at the limit, Motor1 reports, for safety. But the upcoming Z06 model will likely rectify that.
The Porsche 911 Carrera S didn’t win MT’s 2019 Best Driver’s Car competition for nothing, though. The 992-gen car has wider tires than the previous-gen model, Car and Driver reports. It also has brake-based torque vectoring, and an electronic limited-slip differential, Road & Track reports.
And if you get the Sport Chrono Package, the Porsche 911 gets adaptive engine mounts, a steering-wheel-mounted drive mode switch, and a retuned transmission, MT reports. Getting the manual means a mechanical differential, but it also comes with the Sport Chrono Package as standard.
How did the 2021 Toyota Supra do?
It’s important to note that the 2021 Toyota Supra 3.0 is the cheapest car of the 3. It starts at $50,990; the Chevrolet Corvette costs about $8000 more. The Porsche 911 Carrera S, meanwhile, starts at $115,100. And, in the trim ThrottleHouse tested, also featured selectable over-boost for added straight-line acceleration.
ThrottleHouse actually ran the standing-start drag race twice. And both times, the 911 won, followed by the Corvette and then the Supra. The same thing happened with the rolling race. Although the Chevrolet Corvette finished closer to the Porsche 911, it still finished 2nd. And the Toyota Supra came in 3rd.
But what about the lap times? ThrottleHouse host Thomas previously lapped the C8 Corvette and got a time of 1.11:58. And here, despite its overall balance, the Porsche 911 actually lost to the C8, coming in at 1:12.33.
Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the Toyota Supra 3.0’s time wasn’t shown. But we’ll update this post when that becomes available. However, a pre-2021 model did manage a 1:15.06 lap, slightly ahead of a Performance Pack Mustang GT and slightly behind the Civic Type R.
So, is the 2021 Toyota Supra as fast as the Chevrolet Corvette or Porsche 911 Carrera S? Not quite. But it offers much of the fun of the 911 at a fraction of the price. And though it only has 2 seats, like the Corvette, the Supra hasn’t had to worry about its frunk flying open.
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