2023 Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Manual Review: Sticking by the Stick

A manual gearbox adds a splash of additional engagement to Toyota’s sports car.

2023 toyota supra with manual transmission

Published June 13, 2023

In case you needed another sign the world has gone topsy-turvy in recent years, think about this: here in 2023, the brand leading the way in saving the manuals is … Toyota. While most car companies these days offer between zero and one vehicles with a stick shift, Toyota offers four: the GR Corolla, the GR Supra, the GR 86 and the Tacoma – both the outgoing one and the incoming all-new 2024 Taco.

But is the manual always the best choice for a car? Sure, many enthusiasts will die on that hill, but there’s no disputing the fact that most modern performance cars are quicker with super-sharp dual-clutch or quick-witted conventional automatics linked to their engines. Automatics can be tuned for the powerband and know exactly when to shift for maximum efficiency; they also usually get better mileage nowadays. Manuals have clutches, clutches get abused — and then there’s yet another thing to replace. Manuals can be a bear to operate in heavy traffic; sure, you might say you can handle that when you buy the car, but it’s another thing entirely to be dealing with your thousandth hour of stop-and-go come year three of ownership. Bottom line: there’s a reason manuals aren’t called “standards” anymore — and a reason they’re rarely standard.

So, with all that in mind, I took the 2023 GR Supra 3.0 with the manual gearbox out for a couple days of romping around to see if the stick makes this sports car better … or if it’s ultimately more hassle than it’s worth.

The manual gearbox makes the GR Supra far more engaging

Nobody was really complaining about the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission that came as original fit equipment in the Supra (and remains the only choice for the four-cylinder version, as well as a no-cost option on the six-cylinder one); it’s one of the best slushboxes on the market, equally adept at schlepping smoothly about and cracking off lightning-fast shifts. Still, there’s no substitute for a manual gearbox when it comes to immersing yourself in the driving experience, and this Toyota’s stick makes the car much more pleasurable to drive.

Six speeds is the perfect amount for a sports car you shift yourself; the right cog is always close at hand, and the Supra’s cogs give you a greater intimacy with the engine; you can sample its power more finely, playing with it, building and exploring the connection. There’s so much torque, you can ride the curve from barely above idle if you want, but it’s more fun to rip up and down the gears — especially since the rev-matching function handles the dirty work of heel-and-toe-ing for those folks who have trouble. (I will fully admit to being mediocre, in no small part due to the difficult of pivoting size-13 feet.)

But the GR Supra’s livability issues still dog it

The Supra is a hoot to drive, to be sure, regardless of engine or gearbox preference: it’s incredibly nimble, very well-balanced, and more than peppy enough for a good time. As I learned very well during my first drive with the car, it’s an absolute delight on the track.

Sadly, though, real life doesn’t happen on tracks; it happens on back roads that pass through pristine woods, and on urban and suburban streets that bring you home, and on high-speed highways that connect all of them. And it’s those sorts of places where the Supra’s flaws start to make you itch. Put the windows down to enjoy that fresh air on your pleasure cruise, and the wind buffeting that kicks up north of 45 mph becomes so unpleasant as to force you to decide between air-conditioning and earplugs. (It’s so bad, Car and Driver made ugly wind-blockers for their Supra to fight it.)

If you plan on changing lanes, you better be damn confident your mirrors are pointed right, and / or pony up for the blind spot monitor, because the blind spots are pretty damn large. Which is basically the only time you’ll use the word “large” to describe the interior; the two-seat cabin feels nearly as tight as a motorcycle helmet. (I repeatedly whacked my elbow on the inside of the window because it was so much closer to me than it is in most cars.) And the trunk may claim 10.2 cubic feet of space, but the rakish angle of the rear hatch means the usable volume winds up being a good bit less than that.

And the GR Supra faces some serious competition

Of course, there are plenty of street cars that are specifically designed first and foremost for track driving: the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Lamborghini Huracan STO and Ferrari 812 Competizione all spring to mind. But these all occupy the upper echelons of the market, meant for people with enough disposable income to afford spending six figures on a vehicle that will rarely touch public pavement because they have six other cars for that task. Cars in the Supra’s zone are meant to be daily drivers, or at most, weekend playthings that still need to be able to handle road trips and random errands and so forth.

And those are, I would argue tasks the other cars in its niche do better. Depending on how you option it, the six-cylinder Supra’s price falls between $54,695–$61,735. A Chevy Corvette Stingray starts at $65,895 — just $4,160 extra — and Porsche’s 718 Cayman starts just $4,055 above that, with the latter also offering a stick shift. The all-new 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse starts at $60,865, and it comes with a six-speed manual; alternatively, a basic ’24 Mustang GT with the Performance Package can be yours for just over $49K. And if you don’t mind a constricting cabin —and if you’re considering a Supra, you better not — the Camaro SS with the outstanding 1LE track package starts at $48,250, and yes, it too packs a standard. As many virtues as the Supra delivers — and as wonderful as it is that Toyota is keeping the stick alive — that’s not enough to make it a must-buy in its class.