Toyota MR2 Mk2 Review

Overall Rating

performance, style and grace

can be a handfull in the wet, granny in her micra can overtake you going around a roundabout!!

I own a standard 91 turbo and recommend it to everyone. Beware these cars bite back in the wet, as I've found out

Members' Comments onjames.'s Review

• Felix. on 28th Oct 2001

  While I agree with much of the review I totally dispute the reference to poor handling in the wet. I could comfortably drive my 1990 MR2GT Turbo almost as quickly in the wet as in the dry. Indeed in my six years of ownering an MR2 I never experienced any difficulty in this area. Furthermore I observed that cars following me in the wet would immediately fall back once we fall back once some corners approached. I can only suggest that perhaps the writer has the wrong size or style of tyre. Just for the record I initally had Bridgestone 205/60 14"(rear) and 195/60 14" (front) however when it was time to replace the rear tyres I chose Pirrellis. Both brands were equally as good in all condiditions. I hope that this helps. The other point I make is that I sincerely ask if the driver really knows how to drive a mid engined car. No offence intended. If not I urge some professional coaching so the MR2 can be enjoyed in all conditions. Hope that this may help. Regards
  
  

• colby. on 28th Nov 2001

  everybody knows that mr2 turbos swap ends at the drop of a hat. i know a long list of people who have been bit in the bum by um! i suggest if this never happened to u... u drive very slowly!...no offense!

• Martin. on 9th Apr 2002

  I totally disagree with the poster about the behaviour of the MR2 turbo in the wet. Granted I do have a 92 model with newer design rear suspension. I also have very good tyres (the wet weather handling got very dangerous once the tyres went bald). It has also gotten slightly more of a handfull with various modifications including more boost.
  
  I have found that my MR2 is the best handling car in the wet I have ever driven. The amount of traction that you can put down in a strait line is truely amazing. And it will go around corners in the wet at speed far above most other cars. The only trick to remember is that when at 80%+ don't quickly back off the power mid corner, or you end up with the renowned tail swapping effect. Of course at 80% you are already going much faster than is really safe on public roads in the wet.
  
  Martin

• mr2Tguy. on 5th Jun 2002

  Just for the record, I have a 92 turbo and the back ends do swing out if you take a turn in the wet to fast. For the guy with the Pirellis, YOU CANT COMPARE PIRELLIS TO BRIDGESTONE TIRES!!!!!!

• rhaines. on 25th Oct 2002

  The earlier MR2's were known to be a little 'back-happy' this was resolved with the later revisions by altering the suspension and tyre alignment. I have owned and driven a number of MR2's and never had any problems in the wet, admittedly I have totalled 2 and both times were in the dry and due purely to over-eagerness of the driver. If you put proper tyre's on the 2 you should have no problems, I am not driving a modified '91 NA and she handles like a gem, wet or dry. Most people ten to drive the 2 as if it was a standard front wheel drive car which is where a lot of the problems creep in, as stated in a previous comment if you wish to enjoy your 2 get some expert tuition, once you know how to handle the car it's the best car for it's money byy far and the giggle factor is amazing, I still look forward to driving mine wherever I go.

• Blogs. on 3rd Nov 2002

  Hmm. Well I can foot it with anything in the dry. But given that my MR2 GT is a Series II Mark ONE, chassis number 2015 (that early), it does have a back end that bites if, as stated above, you are silly enough to back off mid corner. I've also found that planting the foot mid corner in the wet to be err... 'interesting'. For all that I'd rather have the more aggressive suspension and handling this Mark offers than the slightly toned down/sanitised upgrade offered from Mark II on. Either way what other car could I get for NZD 9k that can beat off an EVO II at the lights and scare the pants off an STI? At 220+kph they just dissappear into the background ... not that I err would ever have wound it that far eh?

• hooty_83. on 18th Dec 2002

  I own a 92 MR2 N/A, granted I don't have the extra power of the turbo I've still found myself battling the wet country roads around where I live. On a few occasions I've found myself in a whirl as I loose traction and find myself over the curve and traveling backwards... I've found that in wet weather the MR2 does handle a bit tricky granted I can't afford the best of tires. That may mean the diffrence... but for pure fun... it seems I get slapped more times in wet weather from my g/f with a greedy smile on my face asking "come on can we please do that again?"

• rhaines. on 19th Dec 2002

  Tyres and suspension make all the difference, it feels like a different car. I had the pleasure of being a passenger in a Mk1 SuperCharge around Donnington Park (UK Race Circuit) just two weeks ago and we had no problems overtaking Lotus Elises and the like, the smiles wer from ear to er all day and the looks of shock were amazing.

• Kim. on 23rd Apr 2003

  I would love to own a mid-80s or late 80's MR2, but where in the world can i find one in good condition for a good price!? Please email me if you have any advice, MoparDuster440@aol.com

• MrTwo. on 15th May 2003

  I own a mr2 gt-i16 n/a. Its a fun car in all weather except in the wet if you push it to tightly the back tends to slip out. I see it as all part of the fun though as it is usually simple to rectify. With an estimated 160bhp it will keep up with a 330 beamer making 60 in 7 seconds. I have dragged at the lights with mg's and mx5's and make a 10-20 metres gap before having to slow again. I love this car to bits! in my opinion it is the best car i've driven in the average persons price range. Does anybody have any ideas on how i could push the horsepower up to around 300? or just enough to make a considerable difference. Any help/ideas would be extremely appreciated!

• rhaines. on 16th May 2003

  300Bhp from an NA (with guess @ 160 I'm guessing your running an NA) you would need to an awful lot of expensive work. 300bhp is easily achieved from a rev3+ Turbo which has 245bhp as standard (Jap Spec).
  
  Best 'cheap' mod's for an NA IMHO would be a de-cat pipe, decent exhaust and a decent induction kit. Doesn't add much in the way of power but makes the engine a lot more repsonsive....

• MotoRex17 on 25th Aug 2003

  I'm a little worried about some of the stories i've heard on the early suspension in the mr2(90-91) since that is by far the most common years i have seen. Is it possible to update to a 92 or 93 rear end suspension or could i also make it more solid with the right aftermarket shock/spring/strut and sway combination. The "problems" were suposedly cleared up in 92' right? Thanks for any help you can give me! -John

• rhaines on 26th Aug 2003

  The suspension on the earlier MR2's is not as bad as people suggest although not as good as the later revisions.
  
  However, there are a number of options available for the SW20 MR2, whether it be Koni Fully Adjustables, Eibach Springs, or KYB's to name a few. All SW20's are very modifiable and with a large following there is not a lot that can't be changed to suit your specific needs. There is also a huge web based following from clubs suchas the Toyota Owners Club or the International MR2 Owners Club for example which can not only offer you advise as to which would be the better option for your locale or requirements but maybe able to advise you where to get the parts required at a discounted price...
  
  For prospective SW20 owners it maybe worthwile browsing some of these clubs as they can offer a lot of advise as I am sure the review centre do not want their review pages tunring into an online discussion about individual parts of the vehicles for twhich they are trying to accumulate the reviews...

• Geoff on 4th Sep 2003

  I remember reading this review before buying my own '94 turbo a year ago. Since then I've done 12,000 miles in all weathers and to be honest I think the car handles fine in the wet. I am now running 1.2 bar boost and 300bhp and it's still OK - you just need to be a bit more careful with the throttle is all! Never come anywhere near having a spin. Decent tyres and suspension alignment help to get the best out of it, but as stated above, I would highly recommend checking out the forums on the drivers' clubs for fuller info. Best car I've ever owned without a doubt. Great looking, reliable, all the performance you could ever want and still average 23mpg. Buy one!