We all know what a coupe is, but some very different cars ride under that broad definition. At one end of the scale is a two-seat hardtop sports car, the sort that puts performance well above practicality. At the other extreme, a coupe is a slightly lower and sleeker alternative to a sedan, one with rear seats and a usable trunk. For this test, our two challengers are drawn from different ends of the spectrum: The sporty Toyota GR Supra in entry-level 2.0-liter form faces off against the much more spacious BMW 230i coupe.
For all their obvious differences, they also have much in common. Beneath the surface, the GR Supra sits on BMW’s CLAR platform that also underpins the 2-series. And the Toyota is built alongside the closely related BMW Z4 in Austria. Both the Supra and the 230i use the same BMW turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making outputs of 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque in both cars. They drive their rear wheels through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission (sadly, neither is available with a manual box). The most telling difference from a performance perspective is the weight disparity, owing to the BMW’s larger dimensions. The 230i weighs 3554 pounds as tested, 373 pounds heavier than the Supra’s weight.
While power figures might look modest compared with the sharp end of this segment, especially as both cars have six-cylinder siblings with nearly 400 horsepower, neither could be accused of being slow. In our testing, the BMW ripped through the 60-mph benchmark in just 5.1 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 13.7 seconds at 101 mph. The lighter Toyota was even quicker, dispatching 60 mph in a searing 4.5 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.1 seconds at 105 mph. (For reference, the Supra’s 60-mph time is identical to the one we recorded for the 400-hp Nissan Z with its manual gearbox, and the Supra is only 0.1 second slower through the quarter.)
BMW 230i
Highs: Handsome design, great engine and gearbox integration, practicality of rear seats.
Lows: Numb steering disappoints, dynamic options jack up price.
Toyota GR Supra 2.0
Highs: Punchy performance, great steering feel and response, looks just like the 3.0-liter.
Lows: Cramped cockpit, previous-generation BMW switchgear, occasional gearbox hesitation.
