Vehicle
Toyota MR2
The mid-engined two-seater, and the two generations here are different enough to be different cars. The SW20 is a heavy, well-equipped coupé whose 3S-GTE turbo is the version most of the writing is about; the W30 Spyder that follows is stripped back, naturally aspirated and roughly two hundred kilograms lighter, with the 1ZZ-FE and no boost at all. Nothing about forced induction transfers between them. The W30's known killer is the pre-catalyst: it sits close to the engine, and when its substrate breaks up the debris can be drawn back into the bores. An oil-consumption complaint on one of these is worth taking seriously rather than topping up, because by the time compression falls the cause is usually upstream and already through the engine.
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Generations
-
SW20 1989–1999
The turbocharged 3S-GTE car; heavier and far more powerful than the Spyder that replaced it.
- Body styles
- Coupé
- Platform
- Toyota SW20
- Engines
-
- 2.0 turbo — 3S-GTE · petrol · 136–191 kW (182–256 hp) · 250–324 Nm (184–239 lb-ft)
- 2.0 four-cylinder — 3S-GE · petrol · 175–220 Nm (129–162 lb-ft)
- 2.2 four-cylinder — 5S-FE · petrol · 97–101 kW (130–135 hp) · 197–203 Nm (145–150 lb-ft)
- 2.0 — 3S-FE · petrol · 162–178 Nm (119–131 lb-ft) · SW20
- Transmissions
- 5-speed manual · 4-speed automatic
- Drivetrain
- Rear-wheel drive
-
W30 1999–2007
The Spyder: naturally aspirated 1ZZ-FE, much lighter, and vulnerable to pre-catalyst breakup.
- Body styles
- Convertible
- Platform
- Toyota W30
- Engines
-
- 1.8 four-cylinder — 1ZZ-FE · petrol · 161–172 Nm (119–127 lb-ft)
- Transmissions
- 5-speed manual · 6-speed manual · 5-speed sequential manual · 5-speed SMT · 6-speed SMT
- Drivetrain
- Rear-wheel drive
Service information
Information, not instruction
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Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.
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