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AutoCar Magazine, December 1994.
Road Test Yearbook: Our verdicts on 1994's top 100 new cars
For: Fantastic handling, economical, brakes
Against: Coarse, noisy engine, ride too stiff, price
Summary: Fun for committed drivers only
When Toyota revised the MR2 GT earlier this year, you'd have been forgiven for not spotting the changes. To the naked eye there are just new rear lights, a mildly tweaked spoiler and some new interior colours to signal what, in reality, has been a massive internal rethink.
The aim has been to re-establish the MR2 on an altogether higher performance plain than before. Unfortunately, Toyota has been only partially successful.
Where the boffins have failed is in their attempt to boost the MR2's performance. Though revised cams for the two-litre, 16-valve engine raise power from 158bhp to 174bhp, torque output remains unchanged and as our track session proves, performance actually takes a turn for the worse. Our admittedly tight test car refused to crack 130mph where its predecessor had done 134mph, nor would it even approach the old car's in-gear figures. Worse, while the previous engine was always vocal, this one is just as loud but considerably more coarse.
So has the MR2 GT gone off the rails? Not by a long way, for if Toyota failed with the engine, it succeeded beyond expectation with the chassis. While its forebear was a car in which liberties were not to be taken increased castor action on the front suspension and, crucially, 2mm less toe-in at the rear have made the revised MR2 one of the best behaved mid-engined cars money can buy. The new car proved it this year at Goodwood when it joined a Bugatti EB110 GT and a Porsche 911 Carrera as one of Britain's best-handling cars.
Elsewhere the MR2 proves odd but entertaining. The ride is too stiff but the cockpit works well enough, while sensible packaging ensures that luggage space is still reasonable.
Less praise can be steeped on Toyota's decision to raise the MR2's price to the levels of V6- engined sporting coupes. When it died earlier this year, the out-going MR2 GT cost 17,689 pounds while its slower successor now retails for 19,274 pounds. The T-bar version is more expensive still, with a sticker price of 20,760 pounds.
For many, these will be enough to price the MR2 beyond its manifest attractions for it's true that while the model has been improved in some areas, it has been similarly spoiled in others.
Verdict ....................... *** (3 out of 5) Capacity (cc) ................. 1998 Max power (bhp) ............... 173 Max turque (lb ft) ............ 137 Top speed (mph) ............... 129 0-60mph (sec) ................. 7.9 30-70mph ...................... 7.7 Standing quarter mile ......... 17.1 30-50mph ...................... 9.3 50-70mph ...................... 13.7 Overall mpg ................... 28.0 Touring mpg ................... 36.2 Mph/l000rpm in top gear ....... 21.2 Weight (kg) ................... 1285 Tested ........................ 13/4/94 Price now ..................... 19,274 pounds