BMW’s "Ultimate Driving Machine" moniker has been contested by the aficionadi of late. Enthusiasts, brand loyalists, and those in the know have howled into the void as they’ve watched the Bavarian brand produced larger, heavier, and more complex machines over the last 20 years. Gone are the days of simple performance, replaced with a confused luxury identity. Well, take note of the Toyota Supra, internet denizens: It might have a different badge on the hood, but it's what you've been asking BMW to build for decades. Looking back, the media is partly to blame for the vitriol and eye-rolling comments. Whenever there’s a new BMW released, there’s always a disparaging connotation in the headlines: More is less. "New BMW M3 Heavier Than Outgoing Model," and "All-New BMW M5 Longer By Five Inches Than Previous Generation," or our favorite, "Has BMW Lost Its Soul?" The cars are faster, safer, and more capable than previous generations, yet stats are reported with a jaundiced eye. It's an echo chamber of our own making.

Chris Chin

The common theme connecting these complaints is that people just want to see something lightweight, uncomplicated, decently priced, and great to drive from BMW. They want something akin to the car’s BMW built in the late 1980s. Cars like the E30 3 Series or E34 5 Series. Cars that were driver’s cars. Yet, it’s these same people that now won’t stop shit-posting about the new Toyota Supra, even though it’s the answer to literally every single one of their grievances. Those lucky enough to get behind the Supra’s wheel have heaped much praise upon the car. They say it’s dynamic. It’s nimble. The power delivery from BMW’s B58 turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine is superb. And more generally, that it’s a great f-ing sports car. As for the ever-important and often amorphous enthusiast checklist of lightweight, fun to drive, and relatively cheap, the new Supra has every box ticked off. Lightweight? The Supra’s 3,372-pound frame is a considerable 300 pounds lighter than BMW’s own M2, the Ford Mustang EcoBoost, and 100 pounds lighter than Chevrolet’s Camaro Turbo 1LE. Check. Fun to drive? According to Car and Driver, not only is it quicker to 60 mph than the BMW M2 Competition, Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE, and Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang, but based on those who’ve driven it, the Supra is more easily drifted than anything BMW or Toyota has come up with in years. Furthermore, around a track, the Supra is agile and thoroughly capable of smashing apexes and blitzing straights. Check. And as for the want of it being relatively cheap, the Supra is nearly $10,000 cheaper than BMW’s hot M2. It’s also quite a lot cheaper than the hallowed MkIV Supra was when adjusted for inflation. So yeah, that’s a big check.

BMW