As motoring enthusiasts, we have to admit we are living in an excellent time for driver's cars. Ironically, it's thanks to the imminent disappearance of large capacity engines and the raw sensation of the manual transmission that automakers are pushing out the greatest models ever seen. The 2022 sports car market is therefore surely in a greater position than it has ever been.

With so many brilliant models available to those that enjoy the sound of an engine revving its little heart out and those that get a thrill from banging in and out of gears on a gear shift, it's tricky to know where to look when pondering what model to throw all your money at.

From mid-engine racers to front-engine cruisers, large rumbling V8 engines and turbo four-pots, the sports car category features a wide array of models. Though, two cars that one might say are more similar than their manufacturers would care to admit are the BMW M2 and the Toyota Supra. In fact, both models come from the same team of BMW engineers, while they both feature 3-liter turbocharged straight-six engines. Both are front-engine cars and have power going to the rear wheels exclusively and have the same eight-speed auto or six-speed manual transmission options.

With so many similarities, it may seem like choosing between them would be like splitting hairs. But there are a few reasons why we'd rather buy an M2 over the Toyota Supra.

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Toyota Supra: A Good Choice Of Sports Car That Falls Behind A BMW M2

Yellow 2022 Toyota Supra parked
Toyota

Despite all the bad press, the Supra is far from a bad car. Journalists claim the model drives well in manual form and is perfectly useable on a day-to-day basis. In fact, the compliant chassis of the Z4 supposedly makes the A90 Supra a soft car to drive on the road.

It's thanks to this same chassis that you'll often see images of the Japanese sports car sideways on a racetrack. BMW's engine has torque a-plenty, while the rear-wheel drive format and the aforementioned soft chassis make for an excellent drifting base.

Elsewhere, it's no secret that the new Supra is a looker. The design is essentially identical to the FT-1 concept car that many fell in love with at the Detroit Motor Show in 2014. According to the Californian design team behind the FT-1, the shape follows that of the memorable 2000 GT sports car from the late-1960s. The gorgeous shape ties in with some harsh, futuristic details, such as the many fake vents and curvaceous front and rear lights.

Ever since the car released, journalists and consumers alike had reservations about the Toyota Supra's development. Early on in the car's life, Toyota told the world it had come together with BMW who, at the time, was in the process of making a new Z4.

This alone was far from a good sign. The Z4 has traditionally not been much of a sports car in the way it drives; a flexible open-top chassis and a client base more used to enjoying early retirement by the beach rather than bombing through Tokyo à la Midnight Club don't help the BMW Z4's sporty credentials.

It's this simple rebadging of the Z4 into the new Supra that disappoints many fans of the legendary JDM nameplate. The previous and popular A80 model was famous thanks to its engine that could easily cope with heavy tuning, be it from fitting turbos, superchargers, remapping the entire ECU or all of the above. The modern Supra's power plant features a BMW badge, just to sadden the enthusiasts even further.

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BMW M2: Already A Legendary Sports Car

If the Toyota Supra is a forward-thinking design which simultaneously keeps an eye on its predecessors, the BMW M2 is yet another sports sedan from the Bavarian company. Seeing as BMW has been churning sedans out for the past several decades, one might think it would be boring by now. Though with this model throwing back to the days of smaller floor plans, the M2 is one of the few modern BMW cars that excites us visually.

With the 1M Coupe's overall size and shape, the M2 in Competition form adds a sense of aggression that the model's spiritual predecessor didn't have. As such, it represents a brilliant blend of the 2000s ethos of BMW chassis design with today's design language. This is a combination that not only stands out within the BMW range, but also on the road. These cars feel special whenever you spot one on the daily commute.

Aside from the looks, the BMW M2 certainly outdoes the Toyota Supra in several aspects. The team behind the car had track days and Sunday drives in mind when creating it, meaning it is an out-and-out track weapon. After giving the German coupe a go when it first released, motoring legend Chris Harris fell so deeply in love with the car that he had to buy one for himself. If that's not enough of an advert, we don't know what is.

Under the bonnet sits the same S58 3-liter straight-six engine that powers the M3 and M4 Competition models, tuned to 453 hp. It comes with a choice of manual or automatic paddle shift transmissions, though for the true driving experience, the manual is the one to go for. We struggle to think of anything better than the short wheelbase M2 with a manual transmission gunning through canyon roads in perfect weather.

Ultimately, the Toyota Supra is a very good car. But exceeding the $50,000 mark for grandpa's roadster rebranded as a JDM sports car doesn't quite cut it for us, especially in the heavily competitive sports car market. As such, the BMW M2 most definitely cleans up when it comes to this head-to-head battle.

Sources: BMW USA, Toyota, Collecting Cars