General Comments:
Comfort: For an averaged size man, I sit very well and tight in these seats. Leg room is plenty enough. I was build to sit there.
Economy: I'm getting around 30 MPG in Highway/City driving using Premium unleaded. (30.00$ fill-up at 2.64$)
Acceleration: Resplendent between 3k-7k RPMs.
Handling: Tight/Crisp. I love it. Steering is much lighter than the same year Camry. The handling in combination with the very responsive acceleration makes this car an absolute blast for weaving.
Braking: Awesome!
Interior: I love it. The girls love it! Although I do miss the arm rest wrist shift from the earlier MR2 models.
Storage: Ah, here is the only major downside for me. Putting my workout gear behind the seats work very nicely in the compartments provided. Anything else, goes into the passenger seat, or on the passengers lap. Also, a 24-can pack of the good stuff won't fit in the little compartments without taking them out of the box. :(
Trans: Very quick, crisp and definite. 5-Speed Manual is a thrill to bounce from gear to gear. I do wish however the fifth gear would run at slightly lower RPMs as it seems to be very similar to it's fourth.
Overall: I've owned an 87 MR2 as my first car and loved it. I've made a point to get another as fast as possible and I do not regret it. I very much enjoy the thumbs up and the gawking stares from other motorists whenever I drive. Compliments never grow old!
Quickly, I would like to add this next part due to a HUGE deciding factor of me buying this car. Information was a little hard to find on it so I thought I'd do my part since I found these reviews so helpful.
:::SNOW AND ICE::: I live in the 49th. Alaska. I bought this car near the end of winter (It's not ended yet) when the roads were extremely slick. It warms up enough during the day to start melting and freezes overnight.
The second day of purchasing my car, we got dumped with ten inches of snow in a single day and several the next. My car came with some pretty nice summer street tires so I hadn't time to buy snow tires (I still haven't). On my way to work (2 mile drive) I saw four vehicle accidents. This car handles extremely well in these conditions compared to most FWD cars. I've made a habit of always starting out extremely slow in second and as a result I never have a problem starting out on sheets of ice. Staying in a slightly higher gear than normal works very well for keeping the back tires from slipping and fish-tailing. With a pair of Blizzaks I'm positive this car would be not problem on ice in the least. The only problem is if you center-out (Belly-deep) the car in snow. Even then you can just pick the car up and put it in your pocket.
20th Nov 2009, 19:18
Update on the MR2... yes it's me. I learned about Spyderchat.com... bought a frame brace, put it on this past summer, along with new tires, Continentals. WOW! What a ride difference! Rides much better for the bad roads here in Wisconsin.
Have 33k on it now... Will soon be storing it. Took the front tire out, and use that space for additional trunk space. Bought the Slime tire repair kit from Walmart, and use that as the safety backup.