MR-S

Toyota MR-S was brought to production from 1999 to 2007 as a small but sporty in style and handling sports car. The first time I saw one on the road it strikes me as a a really compact sports car with 2 seats. I remember when my mum said it look so cute and I had to researched about this particular sports car. The MR-S is really a fascinating sports car with many fans worldwide despite its small size. Many would compare this car with its predecessor, the Toyota MR2 and the result was a mixed one.

Layout
What is so special about the MR-S and its predecessor is its layout of MR (mid-engine, rear wheel drive). When a car has a mid engine in the back, the front and back ratio is a key point and the car mechanism is different from regular front engine ones. The overall airflow design is different with shorter exhaust system, usually short because of the distance of engine and the end of the car. Handling would also be different because of the weight in the back making the rear wheels more grippy and better handling and traction than a FR car.

Engine
It is a surprise that there is only one engine available for this car. It uses a 1.8l 1ZZ-FE engine found in normal cars such as Toyota Corolla and in sports car like the Celica ZZT230. It is an inline 4 engine that only churns 140 bhp at the crank. For a sports car, this is a complete letdown and if compared to the MR2 it would be a big disappointment. The MR cars of Toyota was meant to be small but powerful as the 2nd generation MR2 had the 3S-GTE turbo engine that has 245 bhp, which is powerful for a sports car and its size. So, many were not pleased with the engine choice for the MR-S.

Transmissions
The early models of MR-S has a 5 speed manual gearbox with an optional of a 5 speed SMT (Sequential Manual Transmission). Now, many might not be familiar with the SMT and with the lack of a clutch pedal and missing H pattern shifter, it was mistaken as an auto transmission. The SMT is no doubt a manual transmission but allows quick shifting over the conventional manual transmissions, often used in professional races like F1 and Rally races. It behaves like a manual, having to shift from 1st gear when starting and shifts in a pattern of + and - like tiptronic gearbox and on the steering wheel. In 2002, the manual becomes close ratio 6 speed and in 2003, the SMT receives 6 gear too. It is faster and easier to drive but with the fun of a manual transmission. Its all fun but the SMT is hard and expensive to maintain.

Down buttons on the front up buttons on the back

Performance
Many always thinks that the thing that determines the performance is how big and fast the engine and in this case, the MR-S would be terrible. Toyota does not launch a sports car if they know it is weak. What is the specialty of the MR-S is the overall balance. The low weight, small size, low height and great handling negates the effect of the small engine it has. This made the MR-S a super handling machine and gets in and out of turns swiftly out powering bigger cars in mountain passes. It is a perfectly balance car but people do still want more power. Some have turbo the 1ZZ and some have transplanted the more powerful 2ZZ-GE from the Celica.

Convenience
The MR-S only has 2 seats with a soft top convertible roof. I never like soft top convertibles because of the small plastic rear window that is hard to see through especially in the rain and small in size. However, the MR-S has a heated glass rear window. Further to the inconvenience is the lack of storage space because the engine is at the back, there is no boot. The front although emptied of an engine, only provides a small size compartment and has a medium storage space behind the seats. It can fit 2 medium bags as shown on the photo below with the official MR bags from Toyota.

Styling
The interior of MR-S is not an exceptional to the Japanese trend of sports car and is very minimal. It has a normal cluster and regular square shaped aircond vents. The aircond controller is still manual type where you turn the knob. Everything is plastic and design were poor. It serves as a day to day interior enough with functions and no luxury because it would make it too heavy and expensive.

On the outside, it looks nimble and sporty that many would like regardless of gender. There are also many different exterior enhancement that makes each MR-S looks different and have a different feel. There is also an option of a hard top from Toyota that is put over the soft top. Below are some photos of different bodykit, some with hard top on.

I would like to try one MR-S just to get the feel of driving a MR layout car. I have never driven a MR-S nor any MR cars before. So, this review is based on researches.