Toyota MR2 (W30; 1999–2007)
Perfectly balanced Toyota
Model: Toyota MR2 0–100 km/h: 8,29 seconds Top speed: 201 km/h Fuel consumption: 10,1 L/100 km (index) Price: R230 460 CAR test: August 2001
The first MR2 arrived on local shores in 1986, the second in ’91 and the third in 2001, to coincide with Toyota South Africa’s 40th birthday. A solid complement of 500 thirdgen MR2S were allocated to SA.
PACKAGING
As with its predecessors, the MR2 was built with no compromises: no front engine, nor front- or rearwheel drive. Rather, it had to have the classic mid-engined layout driving the rear wheels to attain motoring’s holy grail of a perfect front/rear weight balance. The decision was also made to go for an open-top configuration with a fabric soft top. A removable hard top was optional and, with no tonneau cover available, the hood has to be raised when parked to prevent sun, rain or dust from entering the cabin. The canopy’s simple manual operation means there are no complex motorised components that can fail.
Luggage space was not seen as a priority, so there is a lot of plastic covering the under-bonnet area, with a space-saver spare tyre that takes up most of the remaining capacity. This leaves just enough room for a picnic lunch, provided you don’t overdo the sandwiches. A pair of lockable storage bins lurk behind the seats, but that is about it. The total space measured by CAR totalled only 49 litres.
While cloth upholstery came standard, most examples should have the optional leather seats. Instrumentation style is blackon-white dials, with matching circular controls for setting the air-conditioning and heating. The fold-up windscreen behind the seats really works to reduce wind buffeting.
POWERTRAIN
What Toyota does best is build engines that will run seemingly forever. In the case of this MR2, it is the long-stroke, 1,8-litre 1ZZFED with variable valve timing for its 16 valves. Both head and block are cast aluminium, with cast-iron cylinder sleeves. It develops a functional if not earth-shattering
103 kw and 170 N.m. No turbo means revs must be chased to release its full potential. The fivespeed gearbox is slick and the short stick falls perfectly to hand. Fortunately, there is no need to worry about tricky cambelt swaps as there is a timing belt to drive the valves. The sequential fuel injection (12 holes per injector) is supplied by Denso.
SUSPENSION AND STEERING
Macpherson struts do duty all round, and the rack-and-pinion steering uses electro-hydraulic assistance. Stopping ability is enhanced by ABS and the wheels are 15 inches in diameter, which keeps rubber-replacement costs on the manageable side.
WHICH ONE TO GET
This third generation is best and will only increase in value. Red is the most popular colour, then yellow. As always, familiarity with the service history is a must before purchase. As the sump holds only 3,7 litres, regular oil changes (and required top-ups) will be essential to maintain the expected reliability of these engines. These cars are a lot rarer than the popular Mazda MX-5.
AVAILABILITY AND PRICES
Although over 20 years in age, this is not an issue for Toyota. Sports cars rack up much lower mileages than daily drivers and as a result, these should have long lifespans. The main challenge with mid-engined cars remains the difficulty of engine access should repairs become necessary. An analogy could be made with EVS: When it’s time to replace the battery, the maintenance costs involved for the next 10 or more years are immediately amortised. With the MR2, it may be necessary to remove the engine, fully overhaul it and split the cost over the same period of a decade or more. When viewed this way, the cost can be justified.
Expect to pay reasonable prices of around R100 000.