Just one model year into its exciting return to the scene, Toyota’s GR Supra is seeing a raft of welcome upgrades, from a new entry-level four-cylinder engine to a big power boost for the now optional turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six. The 2021 Supra sports car isn’t expected to go on sale until mid-summer, but already the EPA has released official fuel-economy estimates for the six-cylinder model. (Four-cylinder details are forthcoming.)
Predictably, the 2021 Supra 3.0’s fuel efficiency is lower than that of the equivalent 2020 model. The 2020 Supra earned estimates of 24 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, and 26 mpg combined on the EPA’s test cycle. The 2021 Supra’s figures drop to 22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined. That’s not a huge difference, and, frankly, it’s completely worth it.
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The upgraded six-cylinder Supra will be rated for 382 horsepower, a 47-hp jump over last year’s 335-hp model. Torque also rises, albeit by a less impressive amount, from 365 lb-ft at 1,600 rpm to 368 lb-ft at a slightly higher 1,800 rpm. As you could probably tell from the minimal torque gain (and the torque peak’s subtle shift higher in the rev range), it’s likely that a higher redline is behind the 3.0-liter straight-six’s elevated horsepower figure. (Engine speeds factor into horsepower ratings, and Toyota says the freshened engine indeed revs higher than before.) A new exhaust manifold also helps pump up the Supra’s six, along with a new piston design and a lower compression ratio.
While you’re totally not thinking of those 1 or 2 mpg that went missing from the 2021 Supra 3.0’s window sticker, Toyota suggests enjoying the 0.2-second-quicker zero-to-60-mph performance. The Supra’s acceleration to 60 mph is now factory-estimated to take 3.9 seconds, and given how we saw that figure in our test of the 2020 Supra, the real-world figure could be even quicker. Also, you may enjoy exercising the ’21 Supra’s revised chassis more than dwelling on some lame mpg figures. Unfortunately, we can’t discuss fuel economy for the Supra’s new 2.0-liter turbo four (that model is dubbed Supra 2.0) because the EPA data on that model isn’t out yet. We suspect it’ll deliver higher mpg than the six, for those who just can’t take their mind off the Supra’s fuel-economy estimates.
