We wouldn't suggest that a car of the MR2's tidy dimensions and sporting intentions could ever be an ideal grocery-getter, mall-hopper, or transcontinental road-tripper. A handsome removable hard top is available in other markets, but Toyota has yet to make it available here. The manually operated fabric top, with its heated glass rear window, was simple enough to manipulate: Release two header buckles, and heave the structure back until it latches into place with its top side facing up-no need for a fussy soft tonneau cover. We loved the big central tachometer, the fat-rimmed wheel, the drilled pedals, and the handy dash-top compartment. The cockpit's hard plastics and hodgepodge of surface textures drew some flak, but, in true Toyota fashion, durability and functionality were above reproach. Most of us found an appealing minimalism in the roadster's shape that neatly recalled the first-generation MR2, the Porsche 914, and even the Lotus Europa.

The Spyder's chunky looks were regularly endorsed in the logbook. And, despite some admittedly zealous use-including romps around the Waterford Hills race circuit-our car's structure was still acceptably rigid at the end of its year (something we can't always say of outgoing Four Seasons convertibles). Through 28,025 miles, only scheduled maintenance stops and the warranty replacement of a faulty cable for the engine cover's remote-release mechanism interrupted the fun. Something else that may have come as a revelation to those familiar with British sports cars (but not to those familiar with Toyota products) was the MR2's bulletproof reliability unlike its spiritual forebears, our Spyder spent much, much more time in our hands than in our mechanic's. Associate editor Joe DeMatio scrawled: 'Oh my God! What fun this is to drive in the snow!' Gillies added: 'For those of us who learned the joys of winter motoring in British sports cars, the MR2 is a revelation balance and handling in the snow are simply spectacular.' Some credit for the Spyder's subzero surefootedness must be given to a $364 set of Pirelli's exceptional Winter 210 SnowSport tires, which tagged out the standard Bridgestone Potenza RE040s from December through April. And, although the MR2 never seemed to be anyone's first choice during December and January, the little Toyota proved undeniably amusing when the white stuff fell, thanks in no small part to its rearward weight bias. Of course, we continued to drive our Spyder during Michigan's long winter months, something a typical owner is unlikely to do. This car is so light and deft that I suspect Toyota could have done without the power assistance.' One driver noted that an easy way to appease the more hardcore enthusiast would be to offer a power-steering delete option, as Mazda does with the base Miata. Executive editor Mark Gillies, generally smitten with the Spyder's road (and track) manners, wrote: 'It's great when you load it up, but it lacks feel on turn-in. The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, although communicative and quick, was occasionally knocked for being a bit overboosted. Los Angeles bureau chief Michael Jordan enthused: 'Two decades of fascination with autobahn speeds have brought us a generation of 180-mph cars that weigh 3500 pounds, but when it comes to the joy of driving, lightness is everything.' And the MR2's four-wheel vented disc brakes with standard ABS contributed to exceptional stopping distances: We recorded 129 feet from 70 mph. Credit for the MR2's quick reflexes must go as well to its featherweight status: Our car tipped the scales at just 2260 pounds. A 43/57 percent front/rear weight distribution imparts a sense that the Spyder is pivoting around a point a few inches southeast of your right shoulder. The MR2's all-aluminum DOHC in-line four displaces 1.8 liters and, with the aid of Toyota's VVT-i variable valve timing system, produces 138 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque-enough to prod our Four Seasons Spyder to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 15.5 seconds at 89 mph.Ĭommon among racing cars and big-ticket exotics, the MR2's mid-engined layout offers dynamic benefits that are immediately apparent behind the wheel. The MR2 Spyder is the first car in the long history of the Toyota Motor Corporation to be imagined from the start as a two-seat convertible, and truly, it's a sensational effort. (Recall, if you will, that Toyota gave Pontiac and its Fiero a similar wedgie in 1985 with the original MR2.)

In the spring of 2000, however, Toyota set out to give Mazda a mighty wedgie by reviving its MR2 name with a cheerful little mid-engined roadster that was, in size, specification, price, and performance, aimed dead smack at the Miata.

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