- 3,417
- NJ
- Rave2Grave
To know the roots of a thing is to know its purpose. In the case of the MR2, it was released to the public in 1984, the same year I was born, and was designed to be economical yet sporty with a 1.6L engine weighing 1,070 kg or 1,120 kg depending on trim. In the USA, Pontiac had released its own mid-engined car in 1984 to compete, and it was called the Fiero. Unlike the MR2, the Fiero was plagued with reliability issues and was equipped with a less economical 2.5L 4cyl or an optional 2.8L V6. It was also uglier, but that's just my opinion.
The 2nd generation MR2 took the sporty, economical nature of the original to another level with the introduction of the 2.0L turbo 3S-GTE engine shared with the Celica GT-Four and even the Supra JGTC cars. This is one of the best Toyota engines of all time, right next to the 2JZ 3.0 I-6. The only downside of this generation is that the handling is, well, a handful. Keeping the car composed in the corners takes so much focus that the car sort of becomes a chore, and I began thinking I'd be better off in a traditional front-engined car.
Most people really dislike the 3rd generation MR2, but I would have to put it at #1. It sheds its roof and 300 kg (661 lbs) off the weight of the 2nd gen MR2 GT-S. It's even 100 kg (220 lbs) lighter than the 1st generation MR2 Supercharged! The MR2 Spyder has only 2 fewer horses than that MR2 and nearly as much torque. This makes the MR2 Spyder a very smooth car to drive fast, unlike the snappy 2nd gen car. This is what the MR2 was destined to be. I would prefer a fixed roof, but I wouldn't complain about being able to put the top down on a nice day!
Sport Hard tires, no oil change!
2:26.554 - 434 pp - Toyota MR2 GT-S '97
2:31.176 - 403 pp - Toyota MR2 G-Limited '97
2:32.945 - 376 pp - Toyota MR2 Spyder (6MT) '02
2:33.818 - 377 pp - Toyota MR2 Spyder '99
2:36.915 - 371 pp - Toyota MR2 G-Limited Super Charger '86
2:40.205 - 353 pp - Toyota MR2 1600 G '86
The 2nd generation MR2 took the sporty, economical nature of the original to another level with the introduction of the 2.0L turbo 3S-GTE engine shared with the Celica GT-Four and even the Supra JGTC cars. This is one of the best Toyota engines of all time, right next to the 2JZ 3.0 I-6. The only downside of this generation is that the handling is, well, a handful. Keeping the car composed in the corners takes so much focus that the car sort of becomes a chore, and I began thinking I'd be better off in a traditional front-engined car.
Most people really dislike the 3rd generation MR2, but I would have to put it at #1. It sheds its roof and 300 kg (661 lbs) off the weight of the 2nd gen MR2 GT-S. It's even 100 kg (220 lbs) lighter than the 1st generation MR2 Supercharged! The MR2 Spyder has only 2 fewer horses than that MR2 and nearly as much torque. This makes the MR2 Spyder a very smooth car to drive fast, unlike the snappy 2nd gen car. This is what the MR2 was destined to be. I would prefer a fixed roof, but I wouldn't complain about being able to put the top down on a nice day!
Sport Hard tires, no oil change!
2:26.554 - 434 pp - Toyota MR2 GT-S '97
2:31.176 - 403 pp - Toyota MR2 G-Limited '97
2:32.945 - 376 pp - Toyota MR2 Spyder (6MT) '02
2:33.818 - 377 pp - Toyota MR2 Spyder '99
2:36.915 - 371 pp - Toyota MR2 G-Limited Super Charger '86
2:40.205 - 353 pp - Toyota MR2 1600 G '86
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