Used Toyota Supra A90 review

Exterior:

• One of the most common complaints that comes up time and time again across Supra owner groups and forums is the horrendous wind buffeting caused by the side mirrors. What we mean is, once you’re cruising along at anything over about 60km/h with a window or two down, the cabin starts vibrating and pulsing like it’s about to implode, and your inner ears cop an absolute pounding. Thankfully, there are plenty of aftermarket solutions available, and if you check out the online Supra communities, you’ll find loads of info and fixes for this exact issue.
• Next up, and it’s a weird one, but apparently not that uncommon, is the Toyota badge on the nose of the car going all crusty and weird in the Aussie heat. Some owners have reported the emblem fading, bubbling or even peeling over time. Minor, but annoying when you’re dropping this much coin on a sports car.
• Like a growing number of modern cars, the paintwork on the Supra isn’t exactly what you’d call tough. It can chip, scuff and mark surprisingly easily, especially along the flanks and rear quarters. Plenty of owners recommend getting it protected with a decent PPF wrap, or at the very least, fit some mud flaps if you’re planning on driving on anything other than perfect tarmac.
• And then there are just the little things that feel like needless oversights, like the fact there’s no external button to open the boot. You either need to use the key fob or the release button inside the cabin. Really Toyota (and BMW) how hard would it have been to give us a boot release on the outside?

Interior:

• Despite being the higher-spec option, the 12-speaker JBL premium sound system in the GTS model cops a fair bit of flak from owners. Some feel it’s not the speakers themselves but rather the infotainment unit not sending enough signal to really get them working. A few who’ve upgraded to proper high-end audio gear report a massive improvement. And for those in the GT model with the standard 10-speaker setup, well, one owner summed it up beautifully, saying it sounds like sharing Walkman headphones with your mate back in the ’90s. Not exactly live concert quality.
• Electronic gremlins are thankfully still pretty rare, but a handful of owners have reported issues with the air conditioning system, particularly with inconsistent cooling or minor glitches. And while we’re on the air con,  there’s no Sync button. Why? In 2025, surely that should be standard. Also, the wireless phone charging pad has a bit of a reputation for either not charging at all, or heating your phone up to near combustion levels. Far from ideal.

Mechanically:

• Under the bonnet sits BMW’s brilliant 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six, the B58, while it’s a cracking engine known for its buttery smooth delivery and solid performance, it’s not without its quirks. The good news is, internally these engines are tough as nails. They can make huge power when tuned and, in stock form, they’re impressively reliable. But it’s the external plastic bits that tend to let the team down.
• First up is the PCV valve, a fairly common failure across many modern engines. Luckily, you can often just replace the diaphragm rather than the whole unit, which saves a few bucks.
• Then there’s the oil filter housing. This is a big one. Not only can it leak externally, but if it fails internally, it can lead to oil and coolant mixing, and that’s a recipe for a very expensive disaster. This issue tends to show itself from around the 80,000km mark.
• Speaking of oil filter housings, watch out when you’re doing an oil change. The filter can fall apart mid-service, leaving bits stuck in the housing. Not the end of the world, you can usually fish the broken bit out, but screw a new filter on top without realising and you’re risking damage to the fresh filter.
• The cooling system is another weak point. It’s full of plastic, from bypass pipes to the expansion tank, and repeated heat cycles don’t do it any favours. Expect to be replacing parts of it any time after 100,000km.
• Then there’s the heat management module, essentially a fancy overcomplicated thermostat loaded with servos, rotary valves, and a bunch of o-rings that all can potentially start to fail around 150,000km.
• Add to that potential high-pressure fuel pump failures (usually presenting as long cranks, misfires or loss of power), charge pipe cracks under boost, valve cover leaks, and the occasional turbo wastegate rattle, all familiar BMW issues that have crept into the Supra, however none of which we would regard as common issues.

Transmission & Driveline:

• The ZF 8-speed auto is a weapon, tough, smooth, fast, and used in everything from luxury sedans to full-blown supercars. It’s one of the best in the business and suits the Supra’s character beautifully. Few few reasons for concern here.
• The six-speed manual introduced in 2022 has also proven to be a solid unit, with only a few reports of premature clutch or flywheel wear, usually down to hard driving, dodgy mods or driver error.
• Steering, suspension and braking systems are all solid as long as the car’s looked after. But lean on it hard, track it often, or start throwing aftermarket parts at it, and wear rates will increase significantly. And this is where the Supra can start becoming more of a money pit.
• As with so many performance cars, the biggest reliability issues tend to come from poor modifications or questionable tuning. These engines can make huge power, but the further you push them, the more fragile everything else becomes. If you’re considering a modified Supra, make absolutely sure the work’s been done properly by someone who knows what they’re doing, cheap mods almost always end up costing you more in the long run.

Driving:

• One of the more frustrating aspects of daily driving a Supra is just how overbearing the safety systems can be. Many owners reckon the driver aids are so oversensitive, they verge on dangerous. Thankfully, a bit of menu-diving can turn most of them off or tone them down to a more sensible level.
• Visibility is another sore point. You do get used to it over time, but those thick pillars and squat body mean you’ll probably be guessing where the car ends for your first few weeks of ownership. Scraped bumpers on gutters and parking bollards are commonly reported from owners. And then there are the blind spots, they’re not just bad, they’re really bad. Changing lanes on a busy freeway takes serious commitment and a bit of bravery.

Ownership:

• When it comes to maintenance and parts, here’s where things can get a bit annoying. Because the Supra is essentially a Toyota with a Bavarian skeleton, sourcing replacement parts can be a hassle. Some bits are BMW parts, but your Toyota dealer won’t stock them, and when you visit up BMW for the required parts, they’ll tell you they don’t have them either because, well, it’s a Toyota. And if you’re out of warranty, get ready to pay premium BMW pricing for what should be fairly basic components.