Toyota MR2 Spyder 1000km Road Test

Toyota's MR2 Spyder has a classic open top sports car layout - a mid-mounted engine with rear-wheel-drive - but doesn't quite make it against the opposition. 

Value for money

Pricing

Only one model is available, priced at $46,200. Airconditioning is an extra $2,450 - but you can probably get it thrown in if you insist.

Warranty

Three years/100,000 km, the industry average.

Standard features

An in-dash six-stack CD/radio/cassette, power windows and mirrors, two front airbags and pretensioned belts with force limiters.

Retained value

Excellent. The previous MR2 GT coupe retains 67 per cent after three years; this model is also strong in the shorter term. 

Design and function

Ergonomics

The driver sits low to the floor in a snug, firmly bolstered seat with a hard backrest and too little height adjustment - short drivers will have no sight of the front end.

The curious retro-look dash has tacky fake metal highlighting sprinkled around and there's a chromed gear lever (top half of the knob only - every yen counts) close to hand.

The audio system controls are too far away to easily reach.

Innovation

Toyota's VVT-I engines are technically advanced, as is the MR2's clutchless manual transmission.

Safety

No crash test results available.

Security

Alarm/immobiliser security and remote central locking are standard. The two airbags are linked to a fuel cutout, which stops the fuel pump when an airbag is deployed. The brake pedal is designed to retract towards the firewall in a frontal collision.

Comfort

The driver's seat is firm, but well contoured and reasonably comfortable. Take a long test drive to see if it fits you properly.

Space and practicality

Even by the non-utilitarian parameters which apply to sports cars, gear carrying space in the MR2 is tight. Toyota claims the box behind the seats will hold a new style slimline golf bag. If they start making skinny, tubular briefcases you'll have somewhere other than the passenger seat floor to carry work essentials. The small bay under the bonnet is also next to useless, but there is a reasonable sized glove box and a bin on the top of the dash.

The soft-top is manually operated; you have to get out of the car to raise and lower it. It's a neat design though, which clips into the lowered position, requires no tonneau cover, and has a heated glass rear window. With the side glass up and the small windbreak in place, turbulence is minimal and it's no noisier than in roof up mode.

Build and finish quality

The MR2's lightweight body is as rigid as an open top gets, with just a touch of the creaks and shakes on poor surfaces.

On the road

Fuel efficiency

7.5 litres/100 km on the highway and 10.4 litres on the open road is reasonable for a 100 kW-plus engine.

Performance

Squeezed into the engine bay is an extensively modified version of the 1.8 litre, 16-valve four which powers the front-drive Celica.

A much longer stroke enhances midrange torque, which is slightly less than the Celica but occurs at a much more accessible 4400 rpm, compared with the coupe's 6800.

The Celica is significantly more powerful, producing 140 kW compared with the MR2's 103 kW. The MR2's light weight and relatively low gearing give it 0-100 km/h acceleration comparable with the 113 kW MX5.

The MR2's pedal/engine connection is electronic rather than cable actuated.

The 1.8's power delivery is smooth and linear, with a harder, more urgent edge in the upper half of the rev range where it performs best. A conventional six-speed manual is available in Japan, but we get a sequential version with the left pedal replaced by an electronically-operated clutch and shift/selector solenoids.

It defaults to first when you come to a stop, and won't let you destroy the engine by over-revving, but in other respects the driver makes the decisions via downshift buttons on the front of the wheel, upshift buttons on the back, or a lever in the conventional spot which you flick fore/aft.

Smooth upshifts at low to moderate revs are difficult to achieve unless you release then reapply accelerator pressure, as with a normal manual, and at times there is a distinct gap between disengaging the lower gear and hooking up the higher. When the 1.8 is revving hard though, the shifts are much crisper and quicker; a torque sensing limited slip differential helps control wheelspin.

The really clever bit is the way the engine/transmission electronic control units match revs with roadspeed when you change down. You need to be careful when selecting reverse; if you don't wait for a couple of seconds after choosing R before applying the accelerator, reverse doesn't engage properly - you get potentially expensive grinding noises instead.

Ride

The suspension is more compliant than most sports, and ride comfort is acceptable - but it's no limousine.

Handling and steering

Macpherson strut suspension at both ends and Yokohamas - 185/55 front, 205/50 rear, on 15-inch alloy wheels and electrohydraulic power steering are fitted.

On a smooth, twisting road the MR2 is a very agile, entertaining handler with great grip and exceptionally sharp, communicative steering. The tail happy behaviour often found in mid-engine sportsters are apparent only when the car is pushed, but the back heavy MR2 ultimately lacks the sublime controllability of the more evenly balanced front engine/rear drive MX5.

It can also get a bit jumpy on rough roads, while the steering also starts to kick back on choppy bends.

Braking

The ABS-equipped disc brakes are fine - they have only 975 kg to pull up, which they do very effectively.

Smoothness and quietness

The 1.8 is relatively noisy - to the point where conversation requires a slightly raised voice - but this is part of the deal with behind the seat layouts and the noise from the four into two pipe is more inspiring than the usual four-cylinder drone.