Toyota halted exportation of the MR2 to the U.S. in 2004, primarily due to slow sales and fierce competition from other manufacturers (read: Miata/MX-5). However, in the MR2's home country and in the U.K., sales have continued, albeit at a slower rate than when it was introduced in 1999.
Now, the same trend that killed the mid-engine, drop top Stateside, has spread throughout the world and Toyota has decided to end production of the MR2 altogether in early 2007. However, the automaker has decided that one last limited edition version will be manufactured before production ceases, with 1,000 "V-Edition" MR-S' being sold in the U.K. and Japan in mid-January.
The "V-Edition" will come equipped with distinct wheels, new aero bits and a helical limited slip differential, while the driver is greeted with a new three-spoke wheel, instrument panel and titanium accents inside.
It's disheartening to think that when Toyota kills off the MR-S, as it's known outside the U.S., there won't be a single sporting offering from the Japanese automaker for the first time in decades. We know that the LF-A is on its way and that a new Supra is in the pipeline, but both the heritage, and the devout enthusiast community that has formed around the MR2, will be let down if the esteemed coupe doesn't make a return to market soon.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dave in MI @ Nov 21st 2006 9:53AM
Toyota, the car you recommend to your in-laws.
Steve S @ Nov 21st 2006 9:59AM
Not surprising. Toyota hasn’t offered a real performance vehicle since the Supra. They are a manufacturer of volume vehicles that appeal to the non-enthusiast. And the do quite well without them. It just goes to show that you don’t need a dog in every fight, you just need the best dog in the fight you are in.
BLS @ Nov 21st 2006 10:12AM
And by best dog, I assume you mean the recall a week.
jon benson @ Nov 21st 2006 10:29AM
My MK2 MR2 turbo, albeit track based, regularly shows up all sorts of exotia including 911's, RS4's, elises, the odd badly driven exige and once, a couple of 996 gt3rs having a bit of a battle.
Mk2 was one of the best mr2s made (though arguably the mk1 has the better chassis) and can be made into a real track weapon.
Michael Karesh @ Nov 21st 2006 10:39AM
These are fun cars, but used ones I've looked at have often been thrashed and don't appear to hold up well to such treatment. They are very lightly built, tipping the scales a couple hundred pounds below even the Miata, which helps explain both the pros and cons.
I do wish they'd seen fit to offer the MR2 with the 180-horse 1.8 from the Celica GT-S. Seemed like such a perfect pairing, but to my knowledge it never happened.
http://www.epinions.com/content_70911889028
Yatrik @ Nov 21st 2006 10:42AM
Now where will the poor Joe's go to experience a mid-engine car???
Michael Karesh @ Nov 21st 2006 10:45AM
Well, there are many used Boxsters about for under 20.
Owen @ Nov 21st 2006 10:53AM
I don't care how much the toyota haters bash this post. It was all about the light weight, Toyota should be applauded for thier efforts. I had a 2001 MR-2 and it was the most fun I've ever had in a car, and that includes some pretty fun cars. Maybe it wasn't setting the drag strip on fire with a 1/4 mile in 14.9. But with 1.03G with the A043 tires and TRD sportivo, and 39mpg to boot. Handling was out of this world in this price range and it made the Miata seem like a boat. I had no complaints about this car, it was even nice on long road trips.
Owen @ Nov 21st 2006 11:02AM
That being said, now toyota should be kicked in the head for letting the car die like they did. The vehicle was NEVER marketed and after the vehicle was released it was given very limited attention and only minor updates. It's going on 7 years old and never recieved anything more major than new seats, and a limited slip diff in it's last years. The GT-s engine, even if it were detuned would have produced too much "kick" when the changeover occurred, causing drivers to look at the wrong end of the vehicle during handling excercises. That said, more power would have been nice though.
Maybe now that the FJ is done the "genesis" design team can get back to making some more fun, lightweight sporty cars. Assuming they are still exist.
akatsuki @ Nov 21st 2006 11:10AM
It always seemed strange to me that Toyota has never approached the sports market like every other market, i.e. keep trying til they get it right. The MR-S, with its odd juxtaposition of Porsche styling cues (and with Porsche even borrowing the ugly side vents for the current Boxster) and complete lack of storage was never going to do well here.
If it is a toss up with the Miata which is fiercely competent, has some storage space, and has an established name, you need something that is truly competitive. Despite the mid-engined nature of the car, the performance never really exceeded the Miata and the storage made it impractical to the extreme, even for a weekend trip.
I think they would be better off stripping the IS platform to the essentials and trying again, but I somehow doubt they will.
XJ @ Nov 21st 2006 11:18AM
MR-Who? All kidding aside, the 1989-99 MR2 turbos were nice. I remember getting beat by one (barely) with my '95 Eclipse GS-T. I really didn't care for the latest version though.
Paulette Hatfield @ Oct 6th 2007 11:00PM
Ha! That might have been my 1989 MR2! "She" has 123,484miles, drives 102miles each day on the tollway at 70mph and has TWO trunks unlike those teeny tiny uncomfortable Miatas with little to no room. I watched as she was driven off the ship from Japan back in 1988 and have no regrets. And oh, she was a gift from my husband for my 45th birthday!!!
Howard Kerr @ Nov 21st 2006 11:28AM
This isn't meant to bash Toyota, but here is proof that not every market they enter, do they dominate.
It is a shame that neither Toyota nor Nissan currently have a SMALL sporty car to offer us here. Hell, aside from the 350Z, neither Toyota nor Nissan has a two door car to offer. The closest thing from Toyota is the sedan with 2 doors, Scion tc. And it's an ever bigger shame, if not a downright embarrassment, that many buyers in this country would prefer an SUV or CUV to a small sporty car.
rwdmtparkingonly @ Nov 21st 2006 11:33AM
#7, if you have a used Boxter you still need to go to the Porsche dealer and get Porsche parts (or you could go to an independent dealer then have the Porsche dealer fix his work). My Toyota dealer changes the oil on my MR2 Spyder for 19.95 and does $99 alignments, call your local Porsche dealer about those services. Added pluses to having an MR2 instead of a Boxter are that people don’t think I have a small penis and my rear window is made of glass, not the plastic.
I would have to own a Miata instead of an MR2 if I only had one car, but even that only has two seats, and a Miata can't handle a Costco run either. My duffle bag and a girl's will fit in the storage space behind the seats of my MR2, if that's not enough for your trip get a RV. Also, even though the Miata is well balanced and rwd, there is something bad ass about having the engine in the back.
MC @ Nov 21st 2006 12:01PM
6 SUVs and now zero sports cars...sigh. Good thing I'm not really into Toyotas :)
Steve S @ Nov 21st 2006 1:44PM
The best chance for a small sporty coupe is probably going to come from Mazda (Kabura) or perhaps BMW with the 1 series. Are there even any small RWD coupes (not roadsters) on the market around 20k?
GM would do good making a sportback variant to the Solstice/Sky (like the Z4 coupe). Then you have a two seater, RWD with some luggage space.
Andy @ Nov 21st 2006 2:18PM
The old MR2 was a sore sport for GM after the Fiero fiasco. The late MR2 Spyder was a nice-looking roadster, but underpowered. I find it sad Toyota has dropped the Celica, Supra, and MR2. The SC430 doesn't do it for me.
Mike @ Nov 21st 2006 3:00PM
Good riddence underpowered ugly turd.
Dustin @ Nov 21st 2006 6:04PM
"...and that a new Supra is in the pipeline..."
No, there's not. Toyota will NOT build a new Supra.
Michael Karesh @ Nov 21st 2006 6:11PM
#14 -- there's a reason that Boxsters of a certain age aren't very expensive to buy -- people know how much maintenance is going to cost them : )
Funny you should mention a CostCo run. The last time I test drove an MR2 I actually made a CostCo run in it. I don't remember what I bought, but since I had my son in the passenger seat (you can turn the airbag off in the MR2) it must not have been much.