You might remember hearing that I picked up a 1991 Toyota MR2 turbo a few months ago. While it isn’t exactly the best example of an MR2, it has been an enlightening experience to own and drive it.
First of all I should note that it hasn’t been a daily driven car. It has only been used as a rallycross and ice course lapping machine, and so this review is based on how it handles those conditions.
MR2s of this generation have a reputation for being widowmakers. The suspension design and centre of mass lead to a vehicle that has a nasty tendency (or a delightful tendency, depending on your taste) to spin around when lifting off the gas pedal in a turn. The handling caused such a complaint that Toyota changed the rear suspension design in 1993 to make it more stable. My 1991 still has the original death-wish suspension, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
On the frozen lake ice, this is very apparent. Lifting off the gas pedal sends the car instantly sideways, and you had better be ready to catch it or you will find yourself facing backwards. The combination of a relatively slow steering rack and large steering wheel requires a comical flurry of hand movement when driving on ice at speed. I liken it to E.Honda from Street Fighter II doing his hundred hand slap. Eventually, you just have to palm the wheel and fling it around as fast as you can in hopes of not spinning.
You might get the picture that it’s a challenging drive on ice, and you’d be right. But it is also very rewarding when you get it right. On those rare moments when I felt like I had tamed the wild MR2, I was able to use that lift-off oversteer to my advantage to effortlessly slide the car around the cones. Speeding up and approaching my own driving limits, it’s more like riding a bucking bronco trying its hardest to throw you off (and spin you around). Without studded tires it would be next to impossible to drive on ice.
Being my first rear-wheel-drive “sports car”, I had expected it to behave a bit more like the front-engined rear-wheel-drive cars I had driven in the past. Driving the MR2 back-to-back with a Nissan 240SX and a Toyota Corolla AE86 is a great way to learn that a mid-engine layout is very different from a front-engine layout. The 240SX and AE86 could slide the rear end out in slow motion to ridiculous drift angles, and they were amazingly easy to control. The MR2, on the other hand, would slide too - but it happened in a flash and was really dancing on a razor’s edge. In short, on loose surfaces the front-engined cars were much slower around the track but much more fun to slide around. The FR cars make you feel like an amazing driver, and the MR2 makes you feel like you’ve only just received your driver’s licence.
Hearing the engine rev up from behind you, rather than in front, is a novel experience that doesn’t easily lose its charm. The 2-liter turbo engine made 200 horsepower when it was fresh from the factory in 1991, and 23 years and 270,000 kilometers later it makes… enough. I’d put it squarely between my Subaru and a Miata in terms of its ability to accelerate. It is adequate, but not exciting.
My time of MR2 ownership has come to an end, however. I sold the car last week in order to further reduce my stock of vehicles. I’m a bit sad I never got the chance to explore its handling on warm, dry tarmac. While it would have made a fun toy to complement a mundane daily driver, current circumstances have favoured the ownership of a single car. For that job, my Subaru makes the best all-round car for daily driving and the occasional autocross, and so it will take up the duties of the MR2 and diesel VW.
I’m happy to have owned it, though. Its challenging handling characteristics have really upped my car control skills. The MR2 on ice is a tough but fair teacher! Also, pop-up headlights will *always* be cool in my book.
First of all I should note that it hasn’t been a daily driven car. It has only been used as a rallycross and ice course lapping machine, and so this review is based on how it handles those conditions.
MR2s of this generation have a reputation for being widowmakers. The suspension design and centre of mass lead to a vehicle that has a nasty tendency (or a delightful tendency, depending on your taste) to spin around when lifting off the gas pedal in a turn. The handling caused such a complaint that Toyota changed the rear suspension design in 1993 to make it more stable. My 1991 still has the original death-wish suspension, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
On the frozen lake ice, this is very apparent. Lifting off the gas pedal sends the car instantly sideways, and you had better be ready to catch it or you will find yourself facing backwards. The combination of a relatively slow steering rack and large steering wheel requires a comical flurry of hand movement when driving on ice at speed. I liken it to E.Honda from Street Fighter II doing his hundred hand slap. Eventually, you just have to palm the wheel and fling it around as fast as you can in hopes of not spinning.
You might get the picture that it’s a challenging drive on ice, and you’d be right. But it is also very rewarding when you get it right. On those rare moments when I felt like I had tamed the wild MR2, I was able to use that lift-off oversteer to my advantage to effortlessly slide the car around the cones. Speeding up and approaching my own driving limits, it’s more like riding a bucking bronco trying its hardest to throw you off (and spin you around). Without studded tires it would be next to impossible to drive on ice.
Being my first rear-wheel-drive “sports car”, I had expected it to behave a bit more like the front-engined rear-wheel-drive cars I had driven in the past. Driving the MR2 back-to-back with a Nissan 240SX and a Toyota Corolla AE86 is a great way to learn that a mid-engine layout is very different from a front-engine layout. The 240SX and AE86 could slide the rear end out in slow motion to ridiculous drift angles, and they were amazingly easy to control. The MR2, on the other hand, would slide too - but it happened in a flash and was really dancing on a razor’s edge. In short, on loose surfaces the front-engined cars were much slower around the track but much more fun to slide around. The FR cars make you feel like an amazing driver, and the MR2 makes you feel like you’ve only just received your driver’s licence.
Hearing the engine rev up from behind you, rather than in front, is a novel experience that doesn’t easily lose its charm. The 2-liter turbo engine made 200 horsepower when it was fresh from the factory in 1991, and 23 years and 270,000 kilometers later it makes… enough. I’d put it squarely between my Subaru and a Miata in terms of its ability to accelerate. It is adequate, but not exciting.
My time of MR2 ownership has come to an end, however. I sold the car last week in order to further reduce my stock of vehicles. I’m a bit sad I never got the chance to explore its handling on warm, dry tarmac. While it would have made a fun toy to complement a mundane daily driver, current circumstances have favoured the ownership of a single car. For that job, my Subaru makes the best all-round car for daily driving and the occasional autocross, and so it will take up the duties of the MR2 and diesel VW.
I’m happy to have owned it, though. Its challenging handling characteristics have really upped my car control skills. The MR2 on ice is a tough but fair teacher! Also, pop-up headlights will *always* be cool in my book.
No comments:
Post a Comment