After three years of its unveil, Toyota has finally introduced the manual transmission to the Supra line-up. Developed in collaboration with BMW, the Gazoo Racing (GR) Supra came only with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Along with the manual gearbox, Toyota has also retuned the suspension.

• Manual transmission Supra is 40kg lighter than the automatic
• 2022 GR Supra's iMT different in application from Hyundai's
• India launch of the GR Supra unlikely anytime soon

2022 GR Supra: finally gets a manual

The new six-speed manual will only be paired to the 387hp, 3.0-litre straight-six, turbo-petrol engine of the Gazoo Racing (GR) Supra, and not with the 257hp, 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine.

Like the smaller Toyota GR Yaris, the gearbox features an Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT) mode, which uses an "intelligent control system" to "prioritise sporty performance". According to Toyota, when upshifting, the gearbox is tuned to optimise engine torque at the moment of clutch engagement and release. The carmaker adds that the IMT is set as the default mode for the gearbox but can be switched off in Sport mode.

It must be noted here that Toyota's iMT has no similarity to Hyundai's Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT), which uses softwares and actuators to control the clutch and the driver is expected to only shift the gear lever.

Additionally, Toyota says that it has engineered the gearbox to avoid a slow take-off, with the final drive ratio shortened from the automatic's 3.46 to 3.15. Toyota claims that it results into response and gearing fitting for sports car performance. The manual transmission also makes the car lighter by almost 40kg.

Moreover, Toyota has also refreshed the rest of the Supra range, and all models get retuned suspension, with more rigid vulcanised rubber in the front and rear, anti-roll bar bushes and retuned shock absorbers.

To fit the new gearshifter, the centre console has been slightly redesigned, with additional space created between the shift lever and the air-con unit.

Toyota GR Supra: will it come to India? 

Launched internationally in 2019, Toyota had plans of bringing the Supra, and the larger GR portfolio to the Indian market by 2020. However, the company has been silent regarding its GR plans after that. The carmaker is currently working on the Creta-rivalling midsize SUV in collaboration with Maruti Suzuki.