The new Supra has been a controversial vehicle. From the beginning, its looks divided audiences and its roots as a BMW have been used as a knock against it. So how does it compare to the platonic ideal of a Supra?

Carwow is pitting three different Supras against each other, namely the latest Mk5 in four-cylinder and straight-six turbocharged flavors, and the previous generation Mk4 twin-turbocharged model to find out which is quickest in a straight line. And the results are kind of surprising.

The older Mk4 that has the legendary 2JZ 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six  does a surprisingly good job of keeping up with the newer 3.0-liter Supra and is faster than the 2.0-liter Supra in many cases. Being an automatic, though, it is sometimes let down by the crudeness of its ’90s transmission.

Making around 320 hp, the Mk4 is down on power compared to the modern six-cylinder Supra, which produces around 335 mechanical hp (Europe didn’t get the US powerup). It does outmuscle the 255 hp four-cylinder car, though.

And that should give you a pretty good indication of what happens in these races. In the rolling race especially, the power levels express themselves clearly. The 2020 six-cylinder Supra Mk5 takes off quickly and holds its lead, the Mk4 is a little slower on the uptick but it can hold on once it gets everything figured out, and the little four-pot struggles to keep up.

Also Read: The True Spiritual Successor To The Supra Mk4 Is Actually The BMW M2

In the standing quarter-mile, though, with a slick track, the four-cylinder does quite well. It even wins the first race before everyone’s all set up right. That’s down to some clever strategizing, though.

The standing quarter-mile is also where the Mk4’s age works against it the most. Who knows how a manual would fare, but the driver suggests that the old-school auto just wants to dump its power off the line. It spins up its tires and is put at a disadvantage off the line. If the race were longer or the track dryer, though, it seems likely the older car would beat the 2.0-liter Supra.

Really, it’s a remarkable result for the Mk4 Supra, which even in its apparently stock configuration can hang with cars nearly 30 years younger than it. No wonder it wowed the critics of the day.