2002 Eight great Rides #7

Even editor Oldham, who calls them chick cars and thinks "Mister Two" is a stupid name, is beginning to like MR2s. Apparently Project MR2 Spyder is helping him fulfill his New Jersey-bound, adolescent fantasies of the automotive good life that awaited him in Los Angeles. Or something. He's been awful reluctant to give up the keys.

Life with an MR2 Spyder is good, as long as it's not your only vehicle. Disciples of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche are fond of recalling his philosophy that a sports car is superior all around transportation. Ninety percent of the time, the Spyder is all the car one person needs. If you add a second person or want to carry a mountain bike, you'll wish you had a Celica. The MR2 Spyder is the perfect first car for people who have a second

Still, it's too good to be just a weekend car. Think about changing lanes and the delicate steering takes you there. It turns into more serious corners like no other current production car. In braking, its weight distribution makes the most of the rubber on the ground. The engine, a bit thrashy as revs rise due to its long stroke, has a cozy burble at idle and pulls strongly from middle rpm. The MR2 Spyder is faster than the unusually slow Celica GT-S we tested this year in every test of acceleration, despite peak numbers indicating each of the Spyder's 138 hp has 2 lb (14.4 percent) more to pull around. It's what an old Porsche would've been if it had been this good, only at the end of the day you have a Toyota to get you home.

If you modify the MR2, your first addition should be a rollbar. Autopower makes a bolt-in bar, which also improves the visual balance of the car with the top down. A basic TRD suspension package and some sticky rubber are good enough to exceed 1.0g. Brake upgrades are still limited.

As with the Celica, the biggest challenge to overcome is the sophisticated engine and its control system. Companies trying to apply forced induction often achieve stunning results right up until the engine blows. The limitation is Toyota's newest ECU, which has yet to be hacked. Many manufacturers of stand-alone systems say their boxes will control the variable cam timing, but none have actually mapped the inputs and outputs.

They say if you don't like the MR2 Spyder stock, you'll never like it. That's probably true. We like them stock, and we like them more and more as they're made better.

Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!