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The new Toyota Supra might be one of the most polarizing cars to come out this year. While fans were happy to see the car return, others were disgruntled at the fact the 2020 Supra shares a large amount of technology and parts with the BMW Z4, or the fact that Toyota decided to throttle back the car’s potential performance versus the six-cylinder Z4 sold here. Well, now Toyota is starting to remedy that — sort of. The carmaker has announced a handful of TRD upgrades that improve aerodynamic performance.
They’re not the engine upgrades we were all hoping for, but according to Toyota, the carbon fiber TRD add-ons clean up the airflow around the car, reducing lift and increasing downforce. The massive front splitter kicks things off up front; the rocker panels get matching carbon fiber sharkfin-like strakes, and the door vent receives a cover to tidy up the airflow further. At the back of the car, there’s a massive diffuser and a modest rear spoiler to round things out. (Well, modest for a Supra.)
Toyota left a lot of room improvement with the 2020 Supra, performance-wise, and this upgrade might be the first baby steps to rectify that — but to be fair, it dit seems like too little for too much cash Right now the TRD upgrades are only available in Japan, where the package adds upwards of $20,000 to the car’s price tag. Tack that cash on the Supra’s $50,000 MSRP, and you’ve got a sports car in a price range entirely out of its depth.
It’s understandable that Toyota wanted to make the Supra a tunable and customizable sports car; that’s the car’s legacy. But this seems more like a disservice to the Supra’s following. If simple aerodynamic upgrades and an appearance package costs this much, how much might under-the-hood upgrades run?
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