Is This 300BHP Modified Toyota MR2 Turbo A Budget Lotus Elise? (JDM Legends Tour Pt. 15)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 พ.ย. 2018
- I've been trying to get my hands on an MR2 for a review for AGES. Now I've got the chance to drive one and see how it stacks up to my old Lotus Elise - is it a great budget alternative, or just an accident waiting to happen?
Big thanks to Andrew at Purple Monster TV for helping out with this review and supplying his car.
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I had an MR2 Rev 2 Turbo running 260 BHP I had it for 6 years and was my pride and joy! However it became a money pit when garages who were supposed to do a good job, ended up me spending more money as the engine dropped because the engine mounts weren't put in properly. Ended up selling it for £1100 some years ago, when they are worth so so much more. I miss the car even today :(
White scoop is not standard on any MR2. Stock intake is designed to take in air from the side, which then escapes through the slats in the engine lid and is directed over the spoiler.
All aftermarket ‘snorkel’ scoops serve to do is create lots of turbulent air in the engine bay!
Are they not standard on the turbo?
JayEmm on Cars nope, only ever an aftermarket option. Although they get more air to the filter the airflow in an MR2 is specifically designed to go in from the side and out through the top, passing over the top of the engine to help cool it. Adding a scoop disrupts this.
A genuine factory Turbo also has an engine cover with much taller raised louvres to give some cooling and denote from the non turbos.It has the standard n/a cover on this car.
Yes the owner deliberately chose to leave the NA lid
@@JayEmmOnCars the TOM's air intake was actually an aftermarket cold air feed for the N/A MR2 not the turbo. it comprised of the snorkel and a matching air box underneath. Without the air box the additional air entering the engine bay causes turbulance and has been questioned as to whether it could effect the engines cooling, which originally flowed in the low side scoops as well as from underneath and up through the engine bay. But because it questionably looks cool it gained popularity on turbo cars and was reproduced en mass by third parties who didnt include the air box.
Great video thanks for posting. This is one of your best videos for a while and goes right back to what made me a subscriber. Intelligent review of an interesting but attainable car infused with your passion and humour which mixes to create a highly enjoyable review that captures your style and passion and is different to 99% of the other car channels out there.
Thanks, glad you liked it. We do try and keep a balance on the channel but I always enjoy filming "affordable" stuff
Jay!! I'm so glad you got around to this, as an owner myself I've been wanting this video for ages. Good one, got a GT-S myself
Glad I was able to satisfy my audience demand :)
Yes the MR2's do eat the miles up easy and are like go karts with the mid engine and it's toys in there but they do bite hard esp in wet weather as I well know after owning 3 of them
I owned a white na and it aqua planed in bad wether and I lost the back end, ended up in a tree :(
@@Natanorcus rip mr2, glad you are okay!
More like a budget Esprit than Elise?
Great review. I used to have an MR2 GT in the 90s. Great handling. 158 BHP was enough but always wanted a *little* more power. Still had to be careful. Could snap suddenly if REALLY pushing in the wet (esp. trying to brake and steer at once) needing fast reflexes (and not over correcting). Not bad long distance at all, quite comfy. Only issue the engine noise but I liked it humming away there. A point not often mentioned is the engine position and fairly low weight contribute to it changing direction REALLY fast if needed in emergencies. More than you think it will. I once had to swerve sharply to avoid a car reversing off the motorway slip road. Had I not been in the Mr2 I could have been toast. Another time a car pulled out into the road not having seen me. In both cases, it darted very quickly, a little oversteer and it pivoted about the engine assisting the manoeuvre. When I got it in 94 - it had about 40k miles. I did about 50k miles in it taking it up to 90k. As expected with those miles bushings were definitely going which was affecting the handling. But really no issues at all apart from a coolant leak issue that was cheap enough to fix - and may have happened as I delayed changing the anti-freeze. Depreciation was low too.
@Me Innit Mine was sky blue. H reg. Bought from the Manchester area from a guy emigrating (Hong Kong maybe). Bit of a longshot it might be you? But yeah, it could have handled a lot more. I always hankered after a Turbo import. Oddly I enjoyed driving it the most in the wet as the power was not an issue there. Could slide it a little was fun. As long as careful was fine. I have seen some tunned to crazy hp with the same transmission, clutch etc, it's so well made.
I've heard that the last gen MR2 with a 2zz transplant is quiet a nice car 🤔
Superb video and I bet the yokels know when the car comes around the village ,pitch forks ready boys !
Cracking video as ever bud😉
My daily driver is a rev 5 SW20 with the V6 converted at woodsport. Koni adjustables, standard wheels and bodywork. Compared to an Evora just after Christmas and I preferred the drive of the MR2. The V6 makes it the perfect GT car
Sounds like an awesome car. If you wanna get it on the channel let me know
@@JayEmmOnCars Your welcome. Weekend Car is a 250bhp turbo Fiat X1/9 I've had 18 years! In next month's Practical Performance Car. Welcome to feature V6. Look me up on instagram retrokid1983
Love an MR2, would love to drive one at some point!
Worth a drive! It feels good to be a owner of one of these beastys
Loved my GTS Turbo I had in the late 90s. It was all good till chasing a TVR Chimera and we came to a roundabout and he took it like a hero and I had the worst snap oversteer and did a 180 degree spin resulting in a lovely pair of brown underpants. We came out ok though!
Anyone who hasn't binned one has at least spun it!
Similar story to mine. I had been driving for a year and went from a 1.6 Peugeot 306 to a Rev3 Turbo GTS
At 19, I really wasn't ready....
I've spun too in my mr2 turbo but it has so much traction compared to my mustang 5.0 that is always sideways
Finally a proper review of a tubby.
I have a turbo 1994 and I love it!
*modified Bredrin haha!! Brilliant. Looks a real bumpy ride but I do like the mr2*
It was indeed most bumpy
Love it.
Luv and Peace,
If he's spending 4 figures on an Apexi ECU he might as well get a proper Link G4
Thermite paint thank you for the tip. I will look into that.
Or the ECU Master pnp
@@purplemonstertvdid you get a Link ECU?
@@GTFour I haven’t no. Never have the money spare. Having a part engine rebuild atm.
@@purplemonstertv Always the way. forging it?
This is not how a mr2 turbo should be. Own a 38000 mile mr2 turbo white, tin top 1996 rev 4 turbo. Your more than welcome top come to the north east and and have a play for a video. Completely different car sr3 seats fitted as standard plus optional extras from factory. This car does it injustice. Love your videos guys !
Thanks John, drop me a line on talk@jayemm.com about the car
You got a gem!
"Modified brethren!"
Made me chuckle
Great video, makes me want to go to Craigslist and find a project car (a nice V-Tec Prelude, with 167k mile, less that $5k.....if only we had the space).
That means my Mk1 MR2 is a 1/7th price Lotus! Kids keep pointing to it and telling their mums its a Ferrari, I never correct them 😎
Those upturned exhausts on that MR2-Turbo are HIDEOUS. They're like german pipes, only upside down, lol. And HOW did you think that bunny scoop was standard?????????? HOW?!?!
Wow! Have never seen that color before, even here in 🇯🇵
Cosmos Blue I believe.
Correct
The uniqueness of the MR2 Version II is the ability to develop unlimited.
Lovely cars, really hope my new coil overs aren't that hard on mine when I get them. It would ruin the flat out speeds on B roads. it was mostly the stock 15" wheel set up that gave the rep of snap oversteer most mid engine cars inherit but change to 17" wheels and all is good 🤙
Or it could be the polar moment of inertia inherent in mid engine cars combined with a lack of finesse from the driver that causes snap oversteer. Any tyre has a finite amount of grip, and once the rear tyres lose adhesion, physics still applies. Wheels and tyres can only make up for so much incompetence. Spending money on improving driving skills may not impress your mates in the pub, but it will help you get the best from *any* car you drive.
Wow the European impression of a turbo MR2 is very different than the US impression haha. Maybe it's because they can stock as with turbos here. Thanks for the video!!
Really good video. I love my mr2 turbo it would take a lot to make me part with it.
I got a v6 swapped mr2. I'm having a hard time parting with it.
My friend has an mr2 turbo mk2 rev 3, had the engine forged, some other mods that I wont list, are 1.2 bar boost runs 320 at the wheels, and its currently running 1.4bar.
Love the mr2 Jay great review as always I'm still waiting for that vw corrado video my father has a mint example if you would like to challenge us for a review video it would be greatly appreciated?
Definitely - drop me a line on talk@jayemm.com
@@JayEmmOnCars thank you it would be fantastic I live in North Wales hope that wouldn't be a problem there are some fantastic roads down here
If it rains today I'm not coming? Ha ha you sir are a big Jessie
My 2nd car (at 19) was a Rev3 MR2 Turbo GTS... I wasn't ready.
It was raining. 30mph, slight incline with a right hand turn at the top of it. Came on boost as I got to the top of the hill doing the speed limit in heavy rain. Ended up facing the opposite direction, in the oncoming lane. Got rid of the car the next day as I couldn't trust it. Or just my ability to control it. Have had Subaru's (and Honda's) since...
Great car though. But definitely not for a teenager.
L104FNP if anyone out here has it. Miss that car.
F. I still want it as my first car I’m 15 lol
It’s still on the road
usually it's due to lowering without accounting for suspension geometry.
Also, poor state of suspension, including bushes and bad wheel alignment
Cool story we've all experienced similar :)
Remember there's no motor in the front to straighten the MR2. Suspension and wheel alignment must be in perfect offer
Nice review, I like the MR2 but always preferred the GT4.
The GT4 wins my heart too but is much harder to find a good one
Agreed, just checked Autotrader, slim pickings.
Great video again Jay!
Cheers!
Think you need to show more of the car in full and in detail for the viewer.
It's fair to compare an Mk3 to an elise, but not the heavy (relatively) sw20
Someone mentioned it's kinda like a lotus esprit turbo
It does look bumpy in there!
Test drove one of these back in the late 00's from a shady back st garage in Bristol - i dont think the turbo / it was mapped correctly as it was a bit jerky. A bit of a looker like the rx7's though arent they?
An MR2 Spyder would be closer to an Elise as it's closer in weight. It really needs a 2ZZ swap to really get a tiny bit more power. Also, there's no getting around McPherson suspension versus the Lotus suspension. Though when I was working on Elise suspension it was really interesting looking at these various shim bits I hadn't seen before. Working on them, I found the Elise not what I'd imagined. It felt like a really well put together kit car. I guess I should have expected to feel the low volume production. Real-world though I preferred the Spyder. It's nothing like the Lotus experience, but for a car, it works way better.
I'm glad its not just my BC coilovers then if they all seem to ride like this, mine are turned down to half way between firm and soft and its still a harsh ride. I suppose its what you get for buying cheap unfortunately.
Hi there. Just bought an MR2 and was thinking of getting coilovers. What spring rates did you had on yours? The ride on this one seems unbearably stiff
The Alpha Romeo 4C is perfection on wheels.
Don't you mean alfa 😂
Terry Jones indeed
Lol no
I Hated the BC Coilovers when I had them on the 350z. Only bought quality from then on. KW V3 were night and day comparatively
my favorite part of it is the absence of the obligatory hideous black rims.
A Link ECU would be a better purchase!
I've owned 4 mr2s and currently own a rev 3 turbo with bolt ons so should be around 300hp too. I'm on coilovers now too but an mr2 on factory suspension is a much fiber thing to drive on the road. The coilovers change the character completely. Mid range punch is not something his car should be lacking so he should look into that. Could be a boost leak. And an alignment and wheel balance should sort the wheel shake. There really is nothing else comparable for similar money. Last year I drove mine around Europe for a week including stints from London to Annecy, Mont Cenis to Bled and Stuttgart to London. Not many cars from 1994 I'd trust to do that.
I don't think the lack of midrange shove is an issue, just the fact that it's not going to give the huge punch in the ribs a modern 2L turbo will.
@@JayEmmOnCars I have to disagree. The MR2 turbo is well known for digging in when you put your foot down and shoving you back in to the seat. My rev 3 turbo is savage for it, as were my previous rev 2's, maybe even more so with the older CT26 turbocharger. Maybe the purple dudes one isn't working quite right...Either way its a nice little review, well done.
Maybe you can take me out in yours sometime?
GRPLiningServices I hope you never watch any car content ever again as you're liable to suffer some sort of heart attack from stress. And absolutely never, ever watch anything from Living Life Fast.
@@JayEmmOnCars haha weird!
I think it is more of a budget Lotus Esprit Turbo S4 than an Elise.
I agree!
I've got a mk3 variant if you ever want to film one? Probably a little closer to the Elise in it's ethos
Absolutely, I think they're great looking little cars
How are the differences between the MR2 and your old Lotus Evora in terms of driving feel, daily driving, and grand touring?
The MR2 is less refined than the Evora, much less room in the cabin. The Evora delivers more feel and was a much faster car but of course it was a lot more money
@@JayEmmOnCars Thank you for your insight and your videos. I was considering going the project MR2 route vs an evora. The feel the car gives may be worth the extra cost. Thanks again!
Forgot to mention the real similarities between the mr2 and lotus. Mr2 suspension is lotus design, and lotus uses toyota motors.
Yes I would gladly have it sat on my drive the Tbar was in my opinion the last of the Mohicans as far as Mr2 s went a no nonsense purposeful native warrior that still has respect and admiration. The following offerings were not desirable in any way they became the perceived belief of what the world wanted( and they were very very wrong )
I could have had one of these back in the day for $13,500 CDN instead I bought a Carolla GTS $1,000 cheaper. I wish I wasn't married or I would have had the MR2. What can you do?
"Stock ecu gives you no room" i dsily a 94 mr2 gt-s...i disagree.
Bolt on a good turbo and intercooler, you can make around 330whp with good intercooling and enuff boost on stock ecu and fuel injectors.
Cletus, it's somewhat unkind of you to mention Kid Clovis' cross country jaunt in his MR2. After all, it only resulted in a couple of minor scratches on the car's pristine bodywork. I'm a lot more concerned with the return of your exhaust and tarmac fetish, you really should get help with your obsession. All in all, a very enjoyable video of an esoteric car. By the way, why did people keep shooting at you⁉️
Had an MR2 for nearly 10 years, miss it but couldn't go back to another as the handling of modern cars are so much better. Not helped that it's a narrow car and it's engine actually sits quite high. I'd consider the mk2 pretty heavy for its size, around 120kg heavier than the Celica of the same era.
I loved my Mr2 and how it handled. Cars today are heavier and over-assisted. Tiff reviewed the MR2 and Celica GT4 alongside each other. He rated the MR2's handling highly. My boss had a GT4 at the time and another boss a Mitsubishi 3000GT. Another college had an MR2 GT. See Tiff's review here. th-cam.com/video/4MlP2j6mBD0/w-d-xo.html
The mr2 isn't heavier than the Celica. St205. Quite a bit lighter actually.
@@snappedbydan well that'll be the 4 wheel drive. I was comparing the 2 wheel drive as it was more common, as well as being a fairer comparison 😉
@@JohnCarlyle Not sure i agree thats a fairer comparison...The st205 and mr2 turbo share the same 3sgte engine from 94 onwards, and pre-93 so should be compared regardless of drivetrain...the NA mr2 is of course slightly lighter than the turbo so more comparable to the 2wd celica.
@@snappedbydan You're comparing a the MR2 to a low volume variant of the Celica, not fair. But we'll just have to agree to disagree. Anyway, my point was that the mk2 MR2 is heavy for it's size. Maybe not heavy in comparison to more modern cars, but certainly heavy compared to cars in it's era (Celica GT-4, Mitsubishi GTO, Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline excluded ;-)
A no... The 300 BHP FRS is the budget l 4cylinder lotus. She does over 160 mph and at that speed handling is actually easy! On newly paved roads on a straight away. This is with a supercharged. awesome and so choice to have a real supercharged FRS! 2.0
An FRS is front engined though, and in the UK doing a supercharged 86 would cost more than buying an Elise
Well a Ferrari 355 is kind of like a MR2?
I bought a v6 swapped sw20 because I can't afford a 355. I also don't like fires.
Why do people always make out that mid engined RWD cars with any slight power are a nightmare in the wet?? Or indeed with any RWD front engined or rear engined motors.... They dont have a mind of there own, you control the power with the go pedal!
“I wasnt gonna drive it if it rained” ??? Honestly its hilarious, not so much the car but a lack of driving skill maybe.
Have you driven one in the rain? It can be sketchy, even if you know your car.
I dont think these are light, certainty not for the time, 1300kg dry was not light for small car in 1990..coupled with the fact the the engine is too high and COG is too high for what it is - they rotate too easliy- there where lot of JDM versions of the knocking around Ireland in the late 90s/early 2000 and most ended up in ditches
They should be closer to 1300kg wet for the turbo, NA is around 1250 wet
Put into context a gm impreza is the same weight..with awd
The first gen Imprezas are impressively light. Any idea what the cost difference was between the two?
Please can you keep both hands on the steering wheel, your making me nervous. :)
Ah don't worry about it, I'll be fine
That engine bay was cringe worthy. Zip ties much?
It's all good lol
Worst cars i've ever owned have been MR2's. Not a fan. Thought i'd share ;)
The MK2 is a terrible car. Wayward handling, dated looks- a cheap Lotus rival?? Nope.