# Anyone had an MR2 Turbo...?



## shabz (Jun 22, 2009)

Hi guys

I'm considering an R32 GTR and was wondering if there are any previous mr2 turbo owners that went GTR?

My current MR2 is running around 280-290fwhp, so the difference in outright acceleration would be pretty similar to the stock R32 GTR given the 200ish kg weight difference...but thats just one department!

Can anyone who's owned/driven an mr2 turbo and a gtr make a comparison between the two?

Also...how much more are running costs going to be? This will be a daily driver and the car will be for the most part stock or stage 1

Thanks


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## NISFAN (Oct 11, 2003)

Dude, that is like comparing a smart car to a Bentley, chalk with cheese, etc. :chuckle:

seriously, they are way different. Make no mistake, the GTR will be significantly more costly to run as a daily driver.

Best thing is to test drive oan R32 GTR. I will warn you that once you do that you will most probably crave one, and buy one, despite what your sensible head says. Welcome to the world of Skylines.

BTW, the 280bhp thing is a fallacy, they are more like 320bhp stock, and there are very few stock ones out there. Good old Japanese agreement.


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## tonigmr2 (Sep 12, 2002)

Ahhh, that'd be me then.:thumbsup:

I think the main differences you will realise is the GTR is slower in lower gears - 1st and 2nd are noticably slower than the tubby. Once you get into third/fourth the GTR will have the tubby for breakfast. Their midrange is much, much better.

As said above, the running costs will be _significantly_ higher for the GTR.

PM me if you want any other chat!
T


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## GarethK (Aug 29, 2004)

I've just sold my MR2 turbo that I had for 4 years alongside the gtr. Mine was a pretty standard Rev 2 so not that quick. There is no comparison in the quality of the cars! They are entirely different beasts - as above running costs are significantly higher for the GTR.
The real reason I wanted an MR2 was I had a T-Bar which was great on the odd occasion that the sun actually comes out - in terms of the car as a whole the GTR is in a different league altogether.


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## matty32 (Dec 18, 2005)

Mr2 turbos are cool 

Can be very pokey

My mate blew his up on the a127 few years back

Just left it there LOL

Never did know what happened to it


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## leegtr (Mar 11, 2003)

My mate has had one and the MR2 Turbos are great cars to drive.

My misses wants an MR2 turbo and wants me to ditch the R32 for one! See is in love with the T-bar ever since she wne tin my mates one:chuckle:

I must admit the difference in the cars easy to see, best bet is to drive the MR2 to some one who has an R32 and then drive that. I think you will easily be able to see the difference and make a decision


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## Dandism (Dec 13, 2004)

Like Toni I also had one, mine was a Rev 2 but ran in just over 300bhp on the dyno. I sold it to get the GTR. Similar comments Toni the GTR is a lot more sluggish in the lower gears, but will pan it once its up and running. To be honest I think its a weight thing. If you rev the GTR is it blisteringly fast in all gears but i find i pootle along in it in normal traffic and it feels a lot more laggy at lower revs. I actually quite like the 2 faces of the GTR I can drive it quite normally if i want too and it comes alive when rev'd. I still miss the MR2 a little when i see a nice one but would never go back. Toni is very right on the running costs though. The GTR is in another league costs wise. The MR2's are pretty robust and cheap to run even when tuned up, everything on the GTR costs more, its a much more sophisticated, heavier and ultimately more expensive car so has the running costs that go with it. Buy a good one, rather than a project or you will be constantly spending.


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## plkettle (Feb 2, 2004)

I had an mr2 mk2 and went through 5 different engines (trackday use) and have rebuilt one from scratch many times.

Great car for track but only once you have changed all the suspension to coilovers etc
I'd never go back personally - the gtr is much better and more powerful - but due to its larger size it isnt as nimble as the mr2 can be (as standard the mr2 is poo tho)


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## Miguel - Newera (Sep 18, 2003)

Way back in 2000 I ran a 340 bhp Rev 3 GT turbo coupe as a daily driver for around 6 months, alongside my GT-R which was my weekend car. 
The MR2 was a fun little thing. Fairly quick, but not all that inspiring, I found... My pet dislike for the MR2 is that it goes pretty light at the front at high speed. Not very nice at much over 100 mph.

Made a decent daily driver but I never really gelled with it the way I have with subsequent cars like GT-R, RX-7, etc.


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## Dandism (Dec 13, 2004)

Agreed Miguel, mine also went light on the front at high speed, they are very sensitive to wheel balance too. Bizarely my mk1sc and MR-S which i still have don't suffer in the same way. The Supercharger mk1 is still my favorite of the mr2's but the MR-S woluld be fun with a 2ZZGE in it, it feels very nimble. The R32 GTR is wonderful the way it turns in and if you are used to a powerful mid engine car you'll know not to lift mid corner so can really take advantage of the GTR's power, and the way it moves the torque around.


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## Miguel - Newera (Sep 18, 2003)

I agree on the AW11's. They're sweet cars, nice and small and they handle great. I've even seen them used for drifting (They don't get as much angle as their cousin AE86's - but they get great corner speed sideways!)
The ZZW30's were meant to go back to that sort of flavour - and they did in many ways. Again a light(ish) small car with nice handling. I drove one we had in stock at the time for around a week in Europe about 5 years ago and I didn't find the same problem of the front going light at speed as on the SW20's. 

Techno Pro Spirit, who does a lot of our 4AGE customer engine work has a 2ZZGE engine converted ZZW30 MRS which they use for Gymkhana. It laps Tsukuba in around 1.01 which isn't too bad.... They're nice, if not slightly forgotten cars.

But all this MR2 talk is taking us away from the real subject. Is the BNR32 a better car than an MR2?
Although different - Yes, absolutely.


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