With the 2020 Chevy C8 Corvette Starting at Less Than $60,000, is the 2020 Toyota Supra Even Relevant Anymore?

The Chevrolet Corvette just stepped into a new era with the C8 generation. Following seven generations of front-engined cars (spread over more than 60 years), Chevy redesigned the Corvette into a mid-engined supercar. That's arguably the biggest news surrounding the new 2020 C8 Corvette, but it's just as important that it will cost less than $60,000 in base form. That's a mild increase compared to the outgoing 2019 C7 Corvette, which comes in at $55,900. At the same time, it's less than $10,000 more expensive than the 2020 Toyota GR Supra. Could this be bad news for Toyota?

2020 Chevy C8 Pricing vs. Toyota Supra

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When word got out that the eighth-generation Chevy Corvette will have a mid-engined layout, rumors claimed that the iconic sports car would become significantly more expensive than its predecessor. However, we later found out that Chevy is actually planning to offer the C8 Corvette with various drivetrains: a base model with a naturally aspirated engine, a mid-range version with a twin-turbo, and a range-topping hybrid. That's when it became clear that the Corvette might remain affordable in base trim.

Come July 2019, and Chevrolet launched the C8 Corvette. And, confirmation came that it will start under $60,000 as well. That's a mild and normal increase over the outgoing Corvette. The C7 starts form $55,900, so the C8 should boast a premium under $4,000. Given all the changes and the entirely new platform and layout, I'd say it's a small price to pay.

The C8 Corvette isn't massively more expensive than the Toyota GR Supra, The latest Japanese coupe, also launched for the 2020 model year, comes in at $49,990. In theory, it should be less than $10K more affordable than the C8 Corvette. If Chevy keeps the sticker at around $58,000, which is entirely possible, the Supra will cost only $8,000 less in base trim. But go with the 3.0 Premium, priced from $53,900, and the premium drops to around $4,000. And the GR Supra will get expensive once you've added the goodies or dealer markup for "market adjustment," the latter of which as pushed the Supra closer to the $100,000 mark in recent weeks.

The Driver Assist Package with cruise control, blind-spot monitor and other driver assist features costs $1,195. Add a navigation system and the JBL audio system, and it'll set you back $2,460. Carbon-fiber mirror caps? That's another $925. If you also pay for a fancy optional color and you want paint protection film, be prepared to pay in excess of $1,000. Add all these common-sense features for a premium car, and the GR Supra comes in at $54,650. Add similar features to the 3.0 Premium trim, and you'll pay $57,385. The difference toward a base C8 Corvette will be pizza money.

Of course, the C8 Corvette comes with its very own options that will add up to the cost of the base model. Prices are not yet available, but the C8 Corvette will be far more customizable than the Supra. The exterior color palette includes 12 hues, while the interior is available in six themes. You can also pick from six seat belt colors, two stitching packages, and three types of seats. The extra money spent on the C8 Corvette will be worth it, though.

2020 Chevy C8 Corvette Performance vs. 2020 Toyota Supra

Well, this is where things work against the Toyota Supra. While the C8 Corvette is a bit more expensive, it's also significantly more powerful. It also comes with the bigger engine, and it's also faster.

The C8 Corvette continues the iconic V-8 legacy with a brand-new, naturally aspirated, 6.2-liter mill under the hood. The big V-8 cranks out a solid 490 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque in standard guise, but it produces 495 horses and 470 pound-feet with the optional performance exhaust. The Toyota Supra is no match for the 'Vette, as its BMW-sourced, twin-turbo, 3.0-liter, inline-six comes with 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet on tap. That's nothing to sneeze at, but it falls behind the Corvette's V-8 by an impossible-to-ignore 155 horsepower and 96 pound-feet of twist, not including the optional performance exhaust.

Naturally, the C8 Corvette wins the battle to 60 mph. The American coupe will hit the benchmark in less than three seconds, most likely 2.9, while the Supra needs 4.1 clicks to reach the same speed. That's more than a full second slower. The Corvette's top speed is still a mystery, but it will definitely be higher than the Supra's. The Japanese coupe is limited to 155 mph, while the C8 Corvette will be at least as fast as its predecessor, rated at 187 mph. Chevrolet has yet to test the new Corvette's top speed, but it should be faster than the C7. My bet is that it will hit at least 190 mph, so it will be 35-mph faster than the Supra.

Finally, the C8 Corvette will be the better car on the track. Granted, the GR Supra is quite the agile coupe and provides plenty of thrill on the racecourse, but the C8 Corvette's midship layout and more complex suspension system will deliver significantly better performance through the bends.

Does the 2020 Chevy C8 Corvette Really a Better Buy than the 2020 Toyota Supra?

Needless to say, the C8 Corvette is the car that wins on paper. It has the bigger, more powerful engine, the better performance, and the cool mid-engined layout. It also comes in at a surprisingly low price point. Mid-engined cars at this price are scarce. I've always looked at the C8 Corvette like at a $70,000+ car before Chevy released its price estimate and the "sub $60,000" sticker is unexpected. It's because of this somewhat low price that it almost overlaps with the Toyota Supra on the sports car market.

However, there's an important thing to keep in mind here. We don't know yet what kind of options the C8 will have. More importantly, we don't know how much they will cost. We do know that Chevy likes to offer plenty of packages that aren't exactly cheap. So my best guess is that a well-equipped Corvette with goodies like the performance exhaust and the adaptive suspension will cost more than $70,000. At this price point, the C8 Corvette is already at least 20-percent more expensive than the Supra.

Is it still worth it? Definitely. For that premium, you get the bigger V-8 engine, the better chassis, and the more balanced mid-engined layout that delivers better performance at the track. You get the extra power and the faster acceleration. Needless to say, the C8 Corvette will steal quite a few customers from the Toyota Supra.