Classic car review: The Mk1 Toyota MR2 reignited my love for cars

New cars are great, and they keep getting better. Safety tech is constantly improving, as is comfort and refinement, and you can even buy small SUVs these days which can out-perform supercars from the mid 2000s.

I am also very lucky in my job that I get to drive all the latest and greatest models. But here’s the thing – I am a car enthusiast through and through, and there aren’t many mid-sized SUVS which really light my fire, with the exception of the Hyundai Kona N.

I had started to see cars as mere tools for getting around in fuss-free comfort, until I recently reverted to my petrolhead roots and took the Mk1 Toyota MR2 for a blast. It’s a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive sports car from 1988 with no power steering, ABS or traction control; in other words, it’s the furthest you can get from an electric family car.

Here’s a quick MR2 history lesson. That name stands for Midship Runabout 2-seater – 1980s Toyota loved its acronyms, and it was built in response to the growing demand for an affordable sports car which was also cheap to run.

It was powered by a fizzy little 1.6-litre engine with around 130hp which was shared with the Corolla and the Celica, but while those cars were front-engined and front-wheel drive, the MR2 was mid-engined and rear-wheel drive.

That’s not the sort of power which will win you any drag races. It’ll do 0-60mph in around 8.5 seconds, and my daily Volvo EX30 is one and a half times quicker than that. There’s an old saying I live by though, and it’s one which reviews editor Darren Cassey fervently disagrees with me on: It’s more fun to drive a slow car quickly than drive a quick car slowly.

Half the fun of driving the MR2 is revving the daylights out of that engine, and it makes a great noise when you do. It’s also very light, tipping the scales at under a tonne, so it still feels punchy and it’s so chuckable on a twisty road.

The lack of power steering makes it feel more connected to the road as well, although this does make low speed manoeuvres a bit of a workout for your arms. It’s a bit of an automotive palate cleanser – rather than being cocooned in a silent pod with a dozen safety systems, here it’s just me and the car.

It’s not even desperately impractical, with a modest boot and even more storage under the bonnet. Obviously it’s no family SUV, but a weekend away for two is doable – although long journeys could be tiresome with that engine right behind your ear.

Prices for first-generation Toyota MR2s are on the rise. You’ll have to spend at least £7,000 to get one which hasn’t succumbed to rust, rising to around £15,000 for a really nice example. The Japanese market also got a supercharged version, and these fetch upwards of £20,000 when imported to the UK.

I can’t remember the last time a car got under my skin as much as this one did. As soon as I returned the keys, I was straight onto classic car websites and trying any justification to buy one. It’s renewed my love for cars, although I was still happy to slide back into my comfy Volvo for the two-hour journey home.

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