Overview

Toyota's two-seat MR2 Spyder is a modern sports car with back-to-the-roots feel. Like some Ferraris, its engine is mounted just behind the passenger compartment and ahead of the rear wheels, providing great balance and handling.

Redesigned for the 2000 model year, the big story for 2002 is the SMT model, with its new five-speed sequential manual transmission, which uses no clutch.

Model Lineup

The MR2 hasn't changed much since its rebirth after a five-year hiatus; in 2001 leather was added as an option ($660), but virtually everything else is standard, including an AM/FM/cassette/CD sound system, air conditioning, power windows and door locks, alloy wheels, tilt steering wheel, wind deflector, leather steering wheel, and glass rear window with defroster.

Cruise control is standard with the SMT model and its sequential manual transmission, but unavailable with the manual transmission. The Spyder comes in seven colors, with either black or red cloth seats, or tan leather interior.

All MR2s come with the same engine as used in the Celica GT, a 1.8-liter, 16-valve four-cylinder, with variable valve timing and electronic management technology like that in its family-member Lexus.

Walkaround

Like all mid-engine cars, the MR2 has a very short hood and a slightly stretched tail. Its lines are very square, and they take some getting used to. This makes the MR2 distinctive and draws looks from curious bystanders who often look twice, and ask what it is.

MR2's wheelbase is seven inches longer than the Mazda Miata's and about an inch longer than the Porsche Boxster's and Honda S2000's. The MR2's newness and novelty are unassailable image advantages over the Miata; since relatively few MR2s are planned, owners won't see another car like theirs on every street corner, as it can seem with the Miata on a warm summer evening.

On those evenings, the manual convertible top works easily, and can be lowered from the driver's seat, although the owners manual is required reading first. The roof folds nicely into the boot as a parallelogram, instead of the usual setup that flips over and collapses. Like the much more expensive Boxster, the folded top lies low, so no boot is needed, although dealers offer them for a handsome look. Unlike the Boxster and the S2000, the MR2 features a glass rear window with a very useful defroster, although the window vibrates a lot, making images in the rearview mirror jiggle. You can't always tell if that's a cop behind you or not.

Storage space is very minimal; there are compartments behind the seats and under the front hood, but you could hardly call it a trunk up there.

An unusual aspect of the MR2 Spyder is the space frame with bolt-on fenders. The design is similar to that of the long-gone Pontiac Fiero in that damaged components are easily and thus more cheaply replaced. It also lends itself to fairly easy customization by the youthful customers Toyota covets, though it's difficult to imagine this being done to an MR2.

Interior Features

The interior is roomy and comfortable for a two-seat roadster. Controls fall readily to hand and provide positive feedback. The three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel has perforations in the areas most likely to be used. The leather-wrapped shift knob for manual transmissions feels neat in your hands, while the sequential gearbox uses a round chrome knob.

White-faced instruments set the MR2 apart from most of its competitors. The gauges are reminiscent of those in the Mercedes SLK, down to the use of unattractive large dots to shade the redline zone. They begin at 6800 rpm and run to 8000, but because the rev limiter also strikes at 6800, they're kind of meaningless, as is the no-man's zone from 7000 to 8000 rpm.

The pedals have a brushed metal look, peppered with black rubber nubs for grip, and there is a solid dead pedal for the left foot. We drove MR2s with both the five-speed manual gearbox and the new sequential manual; with the five speed, heel-and-toe downshifting was sometimes difficult, and with the sequential transmission (no clutch pedal), left-foot braking was impossible because the brake pedal is small and so close to the gas pedal that your heels are on top of each other if you try to brake with your left foot. This is no small flaw, as one of the significant advantages of a clutchless gearbox is to enable quicker footwork. Watch the footcam during a TV broadcast of a road race some time, especially NASCAR driver Ricky Rudd's gentle dancing feet, and you'll see what it's all about.

The tan leather upholstery looks nice, as does the black cloth. The CD/cassette produces good sound, although as with any small convertible, the sound tends to stay in the footwell area. The MR2 uses a traditional metal mast for a radio antenna, rather than a more durable rubber antenna or an antenna within the windshield.