[marsrock7]

Popped up in my feed today. What a load of nonsense.
HotCars: Here's Why The Toyota MR2 Spyder Is Among The Most Dangerous Cars In The World.

Here's Why The Toyota MR2 Spyder Is Among The Most Dangerous Cars In The World

Toyota MR2 Spyder is lighter, faster, and more performance-oriented in comparison with the other mass-produced sports cars.

www.hotcars.com

I thought I recognised the picture of the smashed up car.... Soooo scary. Good thing the driver basically walked away with only minor injuries:

Brutal Toyota MR2 Crash Leaves Driver Only With Minor Injuries

In his attempt to avoid an obstacle on the road, the driver of a Toyota MR2 lost control of the two-seater sports car and collided with a semi-truck.

www.motor1.com

 

[DaWaN]

What a complete bullshit article, every car from the early 00's at the same price point had similar safety features as the Spyder.
With his arguments a Miata would be as dangerous as a Spyder.
Snap oversteer is also not really a problem in my opinion, the few times I had my Spyder oversteering it was easy to catch.
Besides, the standard tyre / suspension setup is a little understeer based anyway.

If you are seeking for some 'sensational' safety issues with older convertibles: look up Miata NB frame rail rust.
The layered construction of the crash structure of the NB Miata lets it get crusty from the inside out.
I have seen many bad examples over the years, including my own Miata / MX-5.
I would rather have a crash in my MR-2 Spyder than my MX-5 before frame rail repairs.

 

[pwnzor]

Over/understeer are just characteristics of any given car. If the car does this when you do that, then don't do that.

I feel safe in my silver pod.

 

[Petrus]

Snap oversteer is also not really a problem in my opinion, the few times I had my Spyder oversteering it was easy to catch.
Besides, the standard tyre / suspension setup is a little understeer based anyway.

And the FL is even more understeer biased.
Makes me wonder if most of those mentioning ´snap oversteer´ know what it is, know what they write.
That observed, much the same nonsense is written/said about rwd cars from before the electronic castration devices.
Bear in mind that present day cars are designed for people who are basically dangerous drivers and in just a few years there will be articels about ´dangerous´ cars that do not have automatic radar and all.

 

[neomr2]

See, opinion articles are like a$$holes, everyone has one... 🤣

 

[leepear]

The new Ralph Nadar kills the value of our Spyders or maybe keeps the value down so we can continue to keep our little secret and enjoy our cars at a reasonable price. I like that I can buy a super low mileage late spyder for 10-15k when they should actually be worth more given the rarity and fun factor. Bought my black 05 with full options 36k miles for 12k. Pretty good value thanks to people like this.

 

[Petrus]

Motoring journalist write in function of the car industry.
Those writing for the enthusiasts are writing for niche market magazines.
Even so, véry few write about/for the average car owner:
For one that average car owner does not read car magazines unless in the waiting room of the dentist.
Secondly the average car owner drives a past tech gen. older car.

Over hére the average age of the natinal car park is over 13 years old. Outside of the large cities cars are older still. Stopping at a restaurant in the interior and the majority of the parked cars are older than my 2003 one.
The Covid19 crisis makes the issue rather moot. Annual mileages are way down, new car sales are even more down. BF Goodridge was thwarted by it in the development of this year´s Dakar 4x4 rubber. Who cares what a dude writes to get internet clicks on an article about a millennium niche car?!

 

[FormInFunction]

At first I thought article is a bit misguided and poorly written/researched....then I read the author bio: a creative writer that has ghost written horror/thriller & sci fi stories. That makes more sense. The truth is that the article is current. While it doesn’t seem fair to compare it to cars that are 20 yrs newer the fact is that the car doesn’t have all of the bells and whistle ‘it drives you’ safety features. It’s definitely not a car for the ‘that tree/car/pedestrian came out of nowhere’ crowd, which most of today’s drivers are.

If you read the article as geared towards a first time driver (not that it was presented as such) & ignore the mistakes of referencing turbo versions of MR2 Spyders I think it hits mildly closer to the sensational mark it was aiming for. Of course every assertion about the car is a generalization and clearly the author hasn’t driven one for a point of reference...but at the end of the day it’s a lazily written click bait article and unfortunately the fact that we all read it means the author was successful.

I definitely agree that due to updated safety regulations there will never be a platform like it again, but articles such as this definitely don’t affect the price of our cars. If that were the case air cooled ‘Widowmakers’ wouldn’t sell for more now than when they were new. The car was built as a penny pinching economy sports car & it retails now solidly within that price range 20 yrs later. Eventually as ‘driving’ a fully autonomous electric vehicle is the newest safety regulation the resale value will rise due to the same niche that actually appreciates the act of driving. Hopefully that doesn’t happen till I’m long dead and gone

 

[Petrus]

Eventually as ‘driving’ a fully autonomous electric vehicle is the newest safety regulation the resale value will rise due to the same niche that actually appreciates the act of driving. Hopefully that doesn’t happen till I’m long dead and gone

The by far leading manufacturer of mass market E-vehicles has becáuse of this been able to release it´s WRC for the road; the truely awesome Yaris GR is a néw relase 20 years after the Spyder.

 

[pattielipp]

This article is complete and utter BS. "The engine churns a good amount of power (especially the Turbocharged engines) which alone is not a problem but combined with a relatively lower weight, Spyder demands advanced car control skills to avoid pushing the limits." - This line alone invalidates the entire article. The car does not have a good amount of power, in fact current dyno numbers put the car at a measly 115-125whp which is NOT fast by any stretch of the word. Not only that, but them saying relatively lower weight is just dumb as it is one of the lightest cars out.. lol. and "The Turbochared engines"... aside from special TTE cars, where the hell are these aforementioned turbocharged variants? I'll buy one now if you can show me.
"This car is also riddled with terrible traction issues. At times, it is extremely difficult to drift the car without having it snap back and this gets even worse in rain or wet road surfaces." how is one of the best handling AutoX cars riddled with traction issues. Snap oversteer? no, just driver inexperience.
Terrible article.

 

[MRSPONZ]

I understand that due to US Safety Regulations, that it would be impossible to build a 2022 duplicate MR2 Spyder. However - If Mazda can build a small 180hp, 2400lb, 2-seat convertible for less than $35,000 - why can't Toyota? Or are mid-engined cars inherently heavier and more expensive (I don't think so) .
If Toyota does not want to, or can't do it, I would bet Kia, Hyundai or Mitsubishi easily could. Obviously Toyota doesn't mind collaborations.
Sure, it would probably not weigh 2200 lbs, but it would brand new with a warranty, still be fun to drive, (kind of like the Miata) !!
I for one would definitely look at it.

 

[just-a-scratch]

I feel sorry for having clicked on that bait. It's a poorly informed, error riddled, sensationalist bit of clickbait. Try not to draw more attention to it.

 

[keloidjonesjr]

Additionally, the MR2 Spyder is dangerously powerful, fast, and sharp. Top Speed calls the Spyder one of the most nimble cars on the road. The engine churns a good amount of power (especially the Turbocharged engines) which alone is not a problem but combined with a relatively lower weight, Spyder demands advanced car control skills to avoid pushing the limits.

lmao

I don't think she's ever driven one before.Shouldn't be writing about a car if you haven't driven one

 

[Haloruler64]

I understand that due to US Safety Regulations, that it would be impossible to build a 2022 duplicate MR2 Spyder. However - If Mazda can build a small 180hp, 2400lb, 2-seat convertible for less than $35,000 - why can't Toyota? Or are mid-engined cars inherently heavier and more expensive (I don't think so) .
If Toyota does not want to, or can't do it, I would bet Kia, Hyundai or Mitsubishi easily could. Obviously Toyota doesn't mind collaborations.
Sure, it would probably not weigh 2200 lbs, but it would brand new with a warranty, still be fun to drive, (kind of like the Miata) !!
I for one would definitely look at it.

Mazda has a niche cut out for themselves, guaranteeing large sales of the Miata. They also have a sporty brand image. And modifying a platform to be smaller is not nearly as hard as Toyota's task.

Toyota can't sell sports cars. Even selling stuff like the tC is difficult for them. They do not have a sporty image. Almost any sports car they release is guaranteed not to sell well for two reasons: 1. Not that many people want Toyota sports cars, hence why you rarely see A90 Supras and BRZs outnumber FRS/86s 10 to 1. 2. If Toyota invested into a fresh mid engined platform from the ground up, it would cost them millions if not over a billion dollars. Then they'd either use an off the shelf engine like the M20A, which would do 168HP and underwhelm, or build a new engine for the car that suits it. And all that R&D means it would be wildly expensive, guaranteeing not selling.

Brands like BMW can build sports cars because they have the upper market, they can charge high prices. And they already have a lot of the performance stuff there, like engines. Toyota cannot charge a lot, cannot invest a ton into all new platforms and parts while charging little, and cannot in general sell sports cars very well due to a boring brand image they are fighting very hard to change. That's why they're partnering with other companies. Splitting the cost on the Supra/Z4 platform halved the cost of the R&D there, and using an off the shelf powerhouse of an engine saved a TON of money. The FR-S/86/BRZ trio is on a modified last gen WRX platform, not even on TNGA/Subaru global platform, using an existing Subaru engine. That's why it's so cheap and successful. Toyota simply can NOT do this with an MR2. None of it is possible. No one to partner with for a cheap mid engine chassis, and development of one would mean a car above $60k easy.

 

[DaWaN]

Yeah I think Toyota did a great job with the new Supra, 86/BRZ and the Yaris GR.
The Supra is a re-skinned BMW Z4 and the 86 is a parts bin special, while the front is all Subaru, the gearbox, diff and rear suspension is very similar to the Altezza / Lexus IS.
The Yaris GR is even more special, with a completely new developed engine and gearbox.
I would never expect a new MR-2 from them, as the ZZW-30 was a sales disaster.
If you fancy a light weight mid-engined roadster with Toyota engine, you can still buy a new Lotus Elise today

 

[Petrus]

Yeah I think Toyota did a great job with the new Supra, 86/BRZ and the Yaris GR.
The Supra is a re-skinned BMW Z4 and the 86 is a parts bin special, while the front is all Subaru, the gearbox, diff and rear suspension is very similar to the Altezza / Lexus IS.
The Yaris GR is even more special, with a completely new developed engine and gearbox.
I would never expect a new MR-2 from them, as the ZZW-30 was a sales disaster.
If you fancy a light weight mid-engined roadster with Toyota engine, you can still buy a new Lotus Elise today

To put it in perspective; BMW produced 160.000 Isettas. Never read any motorjournalist about those being dangerous. You can daily use those and be excempt of modern regulations....

It is simply designed to be inflamatory click bait. And no, did not click on it.

 

[Stuntman]

wow - i cant believe they just let junk like this be allowed online lol. crazy amount of fearmongering imo...

 

[Gunship Runabout]

wow - i cant believe they just let junk like this be allowed online lol. crazy amount of fearmongering imo...

It really is the state of most journalism today, click bait. Any blogger with a cell phone can write a sensationalist headline that leads you to a dumpster fire and still get the ad revenue.

If it was Motley Fool, there were be two articles written to get maximum clicks on both sides.

"Why the Toyota MR2 Spyder is the best sports car you forgot about."
"How the Toyota MR2 Spyder is among the most dangerous cars in the world."

 

[randyinrocklin]

And the FL is even more understeer biased.
Makes me wonder if most of those mentioning ´snap oversteer´ know what it is, know what they write.
That observed, much the same nonsense is written/said about rwd cars from before the electronic castration devices.
Bear in mind that present day cars are designed for people who are basically dangerous drivers and in just a few years there will be articels about ´dangerous´ cars that do not have automatic radar and all.

I think the 1991 Gen II MR2 had problems with snap ovresteer, so they made suspension mods in late 1992 -1993 to correct that problem.

 

[Mr2Yaj]

It really is the state of most journalism today, click bait. Any blogger with a cell phone can write a sensationalist headline that leads you to a dumpster fire and still get the ad revenue.

If it was Motley Fool, there were be two articles written to get maximum clicks on both sides.

"Why the Toyota MR2 Spyder is the best sports car you forgot about."
"How the Toyota MR2 Spyder is among the most dangerous cars in the world."

I agree. Journalism is dead. It's all about the title to clickbait you. They don't even have to know much about the subject but the general consensus of the mass' opinion on the subject. Like how mr2's are have snap oversteer. Well there's a difference between snap oversteer and lift off oversteer. I think she meant lift off oversteer. Lift-off oversteer is a natural characteristic of mid-engined/rear-engined vehicles. It's something you learn not to do or tune it away. It's a newbs excuse.