Photo: Carwow | YouTube
This is arguably the most important drag race of the year: the new Toyota GR Supra versus the new BMW Z4, two sports cars that were developed together, are built in the same place, and that, mechanically, may as well be identical…right?
Performance parity is the expectation, but as this drag race put on by Carwow reveals, it’s not the reality. When put against its sister car, the Supra was the clear winner, winning the quarter mile by half a second. The results were so shocking that Mat Watson decided to have another run, and the Supra still won despite a worse getaway the second time around.
It also out-performed the Z4 in a race with rolling start, and came within a meter of it in the brake test, though that could have easily been down to driver reflex. And back in May, we discovered it was also faster in the 0-60 mph acceleration test.
This is not only surprising because the two cars have the same engine and transmission, but also because the Z4 was supposed to be the more powerful one. At the cost of a little extra weight, its engine produces more horsepower and more torque, so why is it slower?
According to Watson, the Supra seems to have a better launch control system, though this wouldn’t account for its win in the rolling start race. Is it aerodynamics? More likely, it simply has to do with the fact that the Supra is vastly underrated by Toyota. Though the manufacturer says it makes 335 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque, Car and Driver found that it actually makes closer to 339 hp and 427 lb-ft — at the wheels. That’s significantly more torque than even the Z4.
In any case, if brands don’t matter to you and you just want the quickest of the two cars, it’s clear the Supra is the victor.
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