View Poll Results: Do you want an MR2 Turbo?
Bring it!
19
79.17%
It died for a reason.
3
12.50%
Bring it back but with a different formula, maybe front engine to be more viable.
2
8.33%
What's an MR2 Turbo?
0
0%
Voters: 24. You may not vote on this poll
How about the rebirth of the MR2 Turbo?
02-12-14, 03:00 AM
#17
Lead Lap
Join Date: Dec 2013
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i would love for Toyota to make a mid engine car. the question i have would be what type of car will it be?
1. $100k+ NSX and R8 competitor
2. $50k-$60k Boxster and Cayman competitor
3. $20kish Honda S660 competitor
1. $100k+ NSX and R8 competitor
2. $50k-$60k Boxster and Cayman competitor
3. $20kish Honda S660 competitor
02-12-14, 06:08 AM
#18
Lexus Champion
No quite because the MR2 is a Mid-engine, Rear-drive, 2 seater. The only thing the FRS has in common with the MR2 is the rear drive. Again, it's a sporty car but not a sports car. The MR2 was in the same category as those cars mentioned because it's a sports car just like an NSX, 911, 458, Supra TT. It's just on a smaller scale but it is non-the-less a sports car.
02-12-14, 06:54 AM
#19
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Nowadays, we've moved on from expensive cars and exotics cars to hyper cars starting with the Veyron, LaFerrari, 918 Spyder, P1, and various hyper limited Lambo models. Even a 6 series BMW now starts just under $100k so I think the world and the economy is in a better position today to accept a $35k-$50k MR2 Turbo. Make it sexy as hell with the performance to back it up and let it be the Toyota alternative to a Boxster/Cayman and I think it will have buyers.
The FRS is not what I had in mind.
02-12-14, 09:31 AM
#20
Lexus Test Driver
Well then, it wouldn't be an MR2 because then it would have to be called something else and so it wouldn't be a rebirth but a brand new car. I say rebirth because I want a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, 2 seater. Toyota wants sporty cars. Well, they have a good history of them. At the time that they were sold, people were moving away from the flashyness of the 80's and moved into recession times of the 90's.
Nowadays, we've moved on from expensive cars and exotics cars to hyper cars starting with the Veyron, LaFerrari, 918 Spyder, P1, and various hyper limited Lambo models. Even a 6 series BMW now starts just under $100k so I think the world and the economy is in a better position today to accept a $35k-$50k MR2 Turbo. Make it sexy as hell with the performance to back it up and let it be the Toyota alternative to a Boxster/Cayman and I think it will have buyers.
The FRS is not what I had in mind.
Nowadays, we've moved on from expensive cars and exotics cars to hyper cars starting with the Veyron, LaFerrari, 918 Spyder, P1, and various hyper limited Lambo models. Even a 6 series BMW now starts just under $100k so I think the world and the economy is in a better position today to accept a $35k-$50k MR2 Turbo. Make it sexy as hell with the performance to back it up and let it be the Toyota alternative to a Boxster/Cayman and I think it will have buyers.
The FRS is not what I had in mind.
02-12-14, 09:38 AM
#21
Lexus Test Driver
No quite because the MR2 is a Mid-engine, Rear-drive, 2 seater. The only thing the FRS has in common with the MR2 is the rear drive. Again, it's a sporty car but not a sports car. The MR2 was in the same category as those cars mentioned because it's a sports car just like an NSX, 911, 458, Supra TT. It's just on a smaller scale but it is non-the-less a sports car.
02-12-14, 12:30 PM
#22
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Isn't that like saying that an IS 250 is in the same category as a Bentley Flying Spur because they are both RWD sedans, but the IS is smaller? How far do you take the argument? It's smaller but none-the-less a luxury car? Wouldn't an MR2 be in the same category as a Ferrari 328 since they are both mid-engine sports cars? I can't really buy into that.
My point is an FRS is not a sports car. That would be like saying the an E63 is a sports car just because it can do 0-60 in like 3 seconds or an M6 is a sports car. The E63 is a sports sedan stuffed with a way over the top engine. The M6 is a large GT cruiser with another way over the top engine but neither are sports cars. An AMG SLS is a sports car. A GT3 is a sports car. A Panamera Turbo S is not a sports car but again a GT with a very capable engine. The FRS is just a sporty car.
So regarding the MR2 and Ferrari example, yes the MR2 and the 458 are both sports cars and they both would fall into the same category but someone buying a 458 would not be cross shopping an MR2 (even if it were still produced today) because they're at different price points and directed towards different clientele. Some buying a 458 would cross shop the MP4-12C. Remember, I'm talking category and not target market. Flip a magazine open and the MR2 would be in the same category as the 458.
02-12-14, 05:51 PM
#23
The pursuit of F
If I don't vote for bringing back the MR2, who will? 
I miss my '91 and a re-incarnation of a similar "baby-Ferrari 348/Porsche 959" formula reincarnated for the 21st century, under 40K, I'm in!
I miss my '91 and a re-incarnation of a similar "baby-Ferrari 348/Porsche 959" formula reincarnated for the 21st century, under 40K, I'm in!
02-12-14, 09:47 PM
#24
I like the FRS/BRZ. However, a mid engine drives so much different than a front engine car it really is no comparison. There is no question that if they brought out a new MR2, even if it were similar in shape, power, and handling numbers as the FRS, I would pay extra for the Mid Engine MR2. Without the mid engine though I agree it would just be another FRS/BRZ and not worth it.
02-12-14, 10:00 PM
#25
I'm willing to bet that the Toyota marketing team does not view the sanctity of the MR2 nameplate as you do. Automakers have taken classic name plates and put them on cars that don't deserve it plenty of times (although, admittedly, mostly American makes): Thunderbird and Cougar; Mustang II; way too many "SS" Chevys in recent years; many would argue that a sedan shouldn't be named "Challenger".
02-12-14, 10:45 PM
#26
Driver
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My experience with small mid-engine cars (particularly with the MR2, more so than some others such as the Pontiac Fiero and Fiat X1-9), is that the same characteristics that give them such fun, snappy handling on tight curves also tend to make them somewhat twitchy and unstable on long straight roads such as Interstates. The generally rear-weight bias, with the weight of the engine/transmission back behind the driver, takes a lot of stabilizing weight off of the front wheels, so they don't have a lot of bite/traction the gyro-stabilizing effect to stay in a straight line. It often takes a lot of very small but constant steering corrections to keep the front end going perfectly straight...the front end tends to want to drift right or left, even apart from any crown in the road. This can be annoying on a long Interstate trip. MR2s, particularly with heat-producing turbos, I've noticed, also tend to run hot because the built-in grilles/cooling air slots built into the body panels don't necessarily let in as much air to flow around the engine and help pick up excess heat as a conventional front-engine design with a grille or underbody airflow right in front of the engine up front. The cooling radiator in a mid-engined car, of course, is also usually much further away from the engine (up front) with long hoses running underneath the cabin.
(my vote, BTW, was to bring the MR2 back with a front-engine to alleviate these problems......or the Celica, which was front-engine to start with).
(my vote, BTW, was to bring the MR2 back with a front-engine to alleviate these problems......or the Celica, which was front-engine to start with).
I will respectfully disagree. Mine is stable at any speed I choose, it has razor sharp steering and suspension, and has zero cooling issues. I also own two Supras Turbo so I should know about engine radiant heat, and I love my MR2. Sure, it takes some extra care not to do something dumb, but it'd be a stretch to call it twitchy. On the contrary, it feels glued to the ground, while tossable when provoked, and a total blast to drive hard. To Toyota, I say bring back the MR2, in its original configuration. But I won't hold my breath...
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