On Wheels by Brooks Peterson

Saturday, September 30, 2000

MR2 a little bit of driving bliss

Yes, yes, I know all of you are just full of questions about Toyota's bodacious MR2 Spyder, so what do you say we take it from the top?
   I mean the convertible top. This thing at once bespeaks the imagination and ingenuity that went into this little squirt, and embodies the sacrifices that must occasionally be made in the interest of motoring bliss.
   The news is mostly good, understand. In fact, I can't recall ever being so impressed by a manually-deployed convertible top. Here's the drill: To stow the top, you release a couple of latches, then fling the thing back into the well in which it cunningly fits. So? So this: Once you give the stowed top a good downward push, the thing locks into place, all safe, snug and tidy. No tonneau cover. It is its own tonneau.
   A downpour impends? Simply pull the little release knob, whereupon the top springs out of its little cave and can be secured in a matter of seconds. Note: You can make this happen while you're still in the driver's seat. No need to hop out and hustle back and forth.

2000 Toyota MR2 Two-seat, rear-drive, mid-engine roadster Base price: $23,098 Price as tested: $23,900 Drivetrain: Dual-overhead-cam 16-valve fuel-injected 1.8-liter four, 138 hp; 5-speed manual transmission Brakes: Front and rear discs with standard antilock (ABS) EPA mileage: 25 city/30 highway Web site: www.toyota.com

   Then you'll be all dry and snug and quiet. That a deal, or what?
   But every silver lining has its cloud, right? In this case, it is the fact that your MR2 has . . . actually, I was going to say The Mother of All Blind Spots, but there's nothing out there that will ever wring the title away from the outrageous Plymouth Prowler. So call it, oh, I dunno . . . The Great-Aunt of All Blind Spots. The glass rear window (heating elements included) is indisputably a Good Thing, but the view to the left rear is, uh, problematic. (Nor do the big ol' seat headrests help matters in that regard.)
   Then again, that just gives you more incentive to stow the top in its little hidey-hole. Call it a wash.
   As for the rest: Those who keep up with the car scene will be aware that there were other MR2's before this one.
   Two, to be precise: the original, chunky mid-engine version that won the hearts of car buffs everywhere, and the vastly more svelte, and pricey, second-generation version (also mid-engined) that just never quite seemed to catch on. (Me, I loved it, and not just because it looked like a bargain-basement Ferrari - though that didn't hurt.)
   At any rate, the MR2 went plumb away for a few years, but the formula was too appealing to be shelved permanently.
   Hence, rolling into your Toyota stores even as we speak, The Son of The Son of MR2.
   Back in business
   And definitely worth the wait, munchkins. Like its predecessors, it hews to the mid-engine format - and it represents a return to the affordable, whippet-quick, lightweight, basic-sports-car target the designers of the original MR2 set for themselves.
   It is also the only real competition currently in the field for the well-loved Mazda Miata.
   Both are about the joy of driving; both are about the joy of not having to face monster monthly payments. The Miata slots in closer to a 20 grand base price than does the MR2; on the other hand, the MR2, with its very limited range of options, starts at about 23 thou and maxes out at a whisker under 24.
   The Miata hews to the old sports car verities: Its still-fresh lines harken back to the old Lotus Elan, and it follows the classic front-engine, rear-drive pattern.
   Its own kind of beauty
   The MR2, as already noted, follows the road less traveled: mid-engined (that is, engine placed between the rear axle and the passenger compartment), with the engine very close indeed to the (rear) wheels it's driving.
   The MR2 is obviously not a classic beauty - but its bumptious lines are powerfully appealing in their own right, and should attract the dare-to-be-different crowd.
   Passenger room is at a premium in the Toyota (as it is in the Miata).
   Entry is a bit more challenging in the MR2, since there is a fairly wide door sill you have to negotiate before establishing yourself behind the wheel.
   Leg room (again, as in the Miata) is not generous for those who top the 6-foot mark,
   Merriment is standard
   And that's a shame on a couple of counts: first, because the seats themselves are beautifully shaped and accommodating; second, because this may discourage a few potential MR2 chauffeurs from exploring its possibilities fully.
   That would be worse than unfortunate. It would in fact be a crying shame, for the MR2 is a charmer virtually from the moment you fire up that l.8-liter, 138-horsepower four.
   Propelling only 2,200 pounds, the engine is a gutsy little customer.
   Taking off from a halt doesn't yield a lot of drama, but as the rpms spool up, so does the performance.
   From about 4,500 rpm up, things get a lot more interesting. Zero to 60 mph, Toyota informs us, takes but 6.95 seconds.
   The handling is precise, predictable and endlessly entertaining.
   Wisely, Toyota's engineers have seen to it that the MR2 is largely free of tail-happiness. Still, if you're in the mood for merriment and (IMPORTANT CONSUMER WARNING) if you know what you're doing, you can kick that rear end out a bit with no drama at all.
   Sporting pretentions
   The brakes are impressive, as they darn well ought to be in a vehicle with sporting pretensions. Discs at all four corners and standard four-wheel antilock make themselves felt RIGHT NOW.
   Does the MR2 make sense? Depends: It you see a car as a transportation module, the MR2, with its limited luggage room, its tight quarters and its taut suspension, will not compute for you. At all.
   If, however, there's a bit of poetry in your soul, and if you like to give your inner child a workout now and again, you owe it to yourself to sample the magic.
   Mister Two is in the house, and, brother, is he ever in a mood to party.
  
  

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