MR2 from Toyota; one of '80s sportiest cars

October 26, 2003

BY DAN JEDLICKA AUTO WRITER

The 1985-89 Toyota MR2 sports car was Japan's first mid-engine production auto and had the ingredients to be one of few autos from the 1980s that are classics.

The race-style mid-engine design contributed to the MR2's nimble handling. The little two-seat MR2 put serious heat on other affordable two-seaters. It was one of the best sports cars -- regardless of price.

Road & Track magazine called the fast $16,418 supercharged 145-horsepower version of the 1988 MR2 one of the world's 10 best cars, along with the $100,000-plus Ferrari Testarossa.

The supercharged MR2 hit 60 mph in just 6.8 seconds, but Road & Track also praised the $12,808 nonsupercharged MR2, which had 115 horsepower and reached 60 mph in a respectable 8.5-9 seconds.

The supercharged model arrived for 1988, but Car and Driver magazine had picked the nonsupercharged $12,548 MR2 as one of the "Ten Best'' 1987 cars, saying it "is the essence of sporting fun: quick, agile and always eager for a fling. It has the soul of a Ferrari factored down to four-cylinder affordability.''

Toyota mainly was known for producing economy cars when the MR2 arrived. The automaker offered the Supra coupe, but it mostly was regarded as a sporty four-seat cruiser.

Nobody hesitated to call the MR2 a pure sports car. Autos with a mid-engine design were mainly costly European sports cars with exotic nameplates. General Motors was selling the affordable 1984-88 mid-engine Fiero, but it started out as an economy car and wasn't much fun to drive. Toyota thus figured it also could offer a mid-engine car that was fun to drive.

Toyota used many of its existing components to keep down the price of the MR2, which initially only cost about $11,000. The idea for the car came in the 1970s, when the fairly low-priced Porsche mid-engine 914 and Lotus Europa were offered.

A Toyota project team initially looked at the possibility of making a sports car with parts from the bland Toyota Tercel economy four-seater. The team then considered parts from Toyota's revamped Corolla sedan and came up with a sports car prototype called the "SV-3.''

The SV-3 was displayed about a year before arrival of the first production MR2, which was put on sale in Japan in June 1984. The car reached American showrooms the following February.

While exotic automakers worked hard to come up with mid-engine sports cars, Toyota made that job fairly simple. For instance, it used a sideways-mounted four-cylinder engine and combination transmission and drive axle from the front-drive Corolla and plunked them behind a two-seat interior in a coupe body. The Corolla's strut suspension and disc brakes were put at both ends of the MR2.

The Japanese version got a conventional 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, but the U.S. model had a sophisticated Corolla 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder for more power.

That smooth engine was the most attractive feature of the MR2. It worked well with the quick, precise shifter for the five-speed manual transmission.

The quick rack-and-pinion steering didn't need power assist because most of the car's weight was at the rear, with the 44-56 front/rear weight distribution.

The Fiero looked sleeker than the MR2, which had rather boxy lines and looked virtually the same from 1985 through 1989. But the Fiero was overly heavy, whereas the MR2 was light for better handling and performance.

The MR2 had a short 91.6-inch wheelbase, but it's snug cockpit was airy with a modern design. It provided a comfortable upright driving position in adjustable, supportive sports seats. The transmission shifter and pedals were easily reached.

Toyota knew American sports car buyers liked comfort and convenience, so it gave the MR2 standard items such as dual outside power door mirrors, supportive seats, AM/FM stereo and intermittent wipers. Options soon included air conditioning, leather upholstery, cruise control, tilt/removable glass sunroof, cassette player and power windows and locks.

You could soon make the MR2 look a little racier with an optional aerodynamic body package, which had a color keyed front air dam, side skirts below the doors and a rear spoiler.

The MR2's low-effort controls made the car easy to drive in traffic, and a four-speed automatic transmission was added for 1986. That transmission was out of place in such a nifty sports car, but was unusual because its electronic controls allowed changing the shift points via an instrument panel switch.

The supercharged MR2 arrived in 1988 and was offered only with a "T-bar'' roof with two removable glass panels. The supercharger worked with a beefed-up version of the four-cylinder engine only on demand to minimize fuel-wasting engine drag.

In testing the 1988 supercharged MR2, I wrote that it was a "breakthrough'' car because of its advanced supercharger technology -- but also said a driver didn't have to be "a technical expert to sit back and enjoy the car's driving fun.''

While slower, the nonsupercharged MR2 also was fun because its engine had an eager personality that invited spirited driving. The supercharged MR2 also provided the best performance at high revs. Both engines delivered good fuel economy, in keeping with Toyota's economy image.

There was no 1990 MR2 because the 1989 model lasted until the end of 1989 and the 1991 model arrived in the spring of 1990. The larger, new-generation 1991 MR2 had sleeker styling and a different suspension and interior. It also had up to 200 horsepower, but was hundreds of pounds heavier. It retained a mid-engine layout and still was a bargain, with prices starting at $14,898.

Toyota called the 1991 MR2 an "affordable exotic.'' The same description could have been used for the first-generation model.