- 2,095
- FL, USA, Earth, Sol, Local Bubble, Milky Way
- TeamACRZARacingo
- GyroxOpex
Oh yes!
I've been hovering in the Readers' Rides section quite a lot recently, and in that time I've seen some pretty epic whips. It's taken a while, but finally, I proudly present, for your delectation, appreciation, and (hopefully not) lactation, my British Racing Green 2003 Toyota ZZW30 MR2 Spyder!
This car is simply a delight to drive. You will smile every time you get into it, guaranteed. The steering has an incredibly quick rack with absolutely no deadzone, the engine is peppy, responsive and fuel-efficient, the sequential transmission keeps the focus on the road, and the suspension is fantastic for everything. It's the rare car that is both an amazing daily driver and stupid, pure fun on a twisty road. Oh -and it's a MAJOR head-turner. I can't go anywhere without someone looking at it like it's a Porsche.
So, enough talk. Shall we take a tour?
As you can see from the side, the ZZW30's wheelbase is fairly long, but not to a point where it hampers the car's handling in tight turns one bit. This makes it perfect for twisty mountain passes, as combined with the extremely good suspension, it makes the car very tossable. (Let's just ignore my neighbor's Sienna in the background there.
)
And here's a shot from the back. I'm not sure what looks better: the back, the front, or the sides!
MR2 SPYDER! *heavy metal music*
OK, so that's enough of the outside. Let's take a step inside!
So the interior is pretty comfortable for such a light car. The seats are firm but supportive, the A/C is fantastic, the center console is laid out in a way that just makes sense, and the stereo... the stereo in this car is mind-blowing. Seriously one of the best I've ever heard. Wait until the sun goes down, put some Crystal Method in, hit the highway, and just sit back and let the music from the extremely good stereo take you. Seriously, it sounds like the band is right frickin' there, in the passenger seat, next to you. The only thing I don't really like too much is that the electrical port is under the fold-out cupholders and therefore a little hard to get to if you're carrying a drink. One of my favorite features is the shifter buttons on the wheel spokes. The two buttons on the face both downshift the car when pressed, and there are two others on the back of the wheel that upshift. Super handy if you can't spare a hand for the shifter.
I'm a particularly big fan of the instrument cluster. You know you're in a sports car when they put the tach and gear indicator right front-and-center! (Oh, and it glows orange at night too. As if everything else about this car wasn't baller enough already.)
Conveniently, the hood and fuel cap releases are located right next to the driver's seat, and they're both protected by a lock that only works with the key. (Yeah, my carpets need a nice vacuuming, but don't worry, I take good care of my car!)
The sequential shifter is simply a joy to use. Push it forward to shift down, pull it back to shift up, push it left to go into reverse, push it right to go into gear - easy-peasy!
The trunk release is located in the glove box. Because logic. And Toyota.
So, here's what's in the trunk! Yeah... not much cargo room up here - just enough space for the full-size(!) spare tire and some car care equipment. If you're wondering, the spare tire compartment is being held open by a latch on a string that you attach to the trunk's frame. Also, yes, one of the latches is broken, but I don't know how to fix it, and besides, it's really only a very, very minor issue.
By the way, I love the MR logo on the spare tire cover. MIDSHIP RUNABOUT!
Now it's time to explore the engine compartment, but first...
...we've gotta jam the keyfob up under the release because the spring that pops the hood up is stuck and I don't know how to get it loose.
Ah, there she is! The beautiful 1ZZ-FED 4-cylinder in all her transversely-mounted glory! I really love the engine compartment in this car. There's nothing fancy - it's all lightweight materials and some seriously clever layout work meant to keep as much weight as possible close to the center of the car. That's why the engine is so far forward. The only issue is that it makes the car dang hard to work on. But hey, this car is SERIOUSLY reliable, so that shouldn't matter too much!
So there it is - my '03 ZZW30! Truly my pride and joy. It's such an irresistibly fun car to just hop in and go for a long drive. And they're pretty rare, too - only 27,941 of this particular generation of MR2 were sold in the US before their discontinuation - so if you're looking for a car and there's one of these in your area, get it because it'll be gone fast.
I hope you enjoyed! Questions? Comments? Leave 'em below!
I've been hovering in the Readers' Rides section quite a lot recently, and in that time I've seen some pretty epic whips. It's taken a while, but finally, I proudly present, for your delectation, appreciation, and (hopefully not) lactation, my British Racing Green 2003 Toyota ZZW30 MR2 Spyder!
This car is simply a delight to drive. You will smile every time you get into it, guaranteed. The steering has an incredibly quick rack with absolutely no deadzone, the engine is peppy, responsive and fuel-efficient, the sequential transmission keeps the focus on the road, and the suspension is fantastic for everything. It's the rare car that is both an amazing daily driver and stupid, pure fun on a twisty road. Oh -and it's a MAJOR head-turner. I can't go anywhere without someone looking at it like it's a Porsche.
So, enough talk. Shall we take a tour?
As you can see from the side, the ZZW30's wheelbase is fairly long, but not to a point where it hampers the car's handling in tight turns one bit. This makes it perfect for twisty mountain passes, as combined with the extremely good suspension, it makes the car very tossable. (Let's just ignore my neighbor's Sienna in the background there.
)And here's a shot from the back. I'm not sure what looks better: the back, the front, or the sides!
MR2 SPYDER! *heavy metal music*
OK, so that's enough of the outside. Let's take a step inside!
So the interior is pretty comfortable for such a light car. The seats are firm but supportive, the A/C is fantastic, the center console is laid out in a way that just makes sense, and the stereo... the stereo in this car is mind-blowing. Seriously one of the best I've ever heard. Wait until the sun goes down, put some Crystal Method in, hit the highway, and just sit back and let the music from the extremely good stereo take you. Seriously, it sounds like the band is right frickin' there, in the passenger seat, next to you. The only thing I don't really like too much is that the electrical port is under the fold-out cupholders and therefore a little hard to get to if you're carrying a drink. One of my favorite features is the shifter buttons on the wheel spokes. The two buttons on the face both downshift the car when pressed, and there are two others on the back of the wheel that upshift. Super handy if you can't spare a hand for the shifter.
I'm a particularly big fan of the instrument cluster. You know you're in a sports car when they put the tach and gear indicator right front-and-center! (Oh, and it glows orange at night too. As if everything else about this car wasn't baller enough already.)
Conveniently, the hood and fuel cap releases are located right next to the driver's seat, and they're both protected by a lock that only works with the key. (Yeah, my carpets need a nice vacuuming, but don't worry, I take good care of my car!)
The sequential shifter is simply a joy to use. Push it forward to shift down, pull it back to shift up, push it left to go into reverse, push it right to go into gear - easy-peasy!
The trunk release is located in the glove box. Because logic. And Toyota.
So, here's what's in the trunk! Yeah... not much cargo room up here - just enough space for the full-size(!) spare tire and some car care equipment. If you're wondering, the spare tire compartment is being held open by a latch on a string that you attach to the trunk's frame. Also, yes, one of the latches is broken, but I don't know how to fix it, and besides, it's really only a very, very minor issue.
By the way, I love the MR logo on the spare tire cover. MIDSHIP RUNABOUT!
Now it's time to explore the engine compartment, but first...
...we've gotta jam the keyfob up under the release because the spring that pops the hood up is stuck and I don't know how to get it loose.
Ah, there she is! The beautiful 1ZZ-FED 4-cylinder in all her transversely-mounted glory! I really love the engine compartment in this car. There's nothing fancy - it's all lightweight materials and some seriously clever layout work meant to keep as much weight as possible close to the center of the car. That's why the engine is so far forward. The only issue is that it makes the car dang hard to work on. But hey, this car is SERIOUSLY reliable, so that shouldn't matter too much!
So there it is - my '03 ZZW30! Truly my pride and joy. It's such an irresistibly fun car to just hop in and go for a long drive. And they're pretty rare, too - only 27,941 of this particular generation of MR2 were sold in the US before their discontinuation - so if you're looking for a car and there's one of these in your area, get it because it'll be gone fast.
I hope you enjoyed! Questions? Comments? Leave 'em below!
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) brother's 2002 Rav4...
