Toyota decided the reason its second-generation MR2 was less popular than the first was that it was more expensive and heavier as a result of using Celica components instead of Corolla components as a foundation. So the MR2 Spyder is based on prosaic Corolla, employing such pieces as MacPherson strut suspension front and rear. This is more than adequate for typical street driving, but hard driving over uneven surfaces tends to expose the limitations of struts. (Even the much more expensive Boxster, which also uses struts, has problems under such conditions as well.)
The MR2 Spyder enjoys a smooth, comfortable ride, courtesy of its long wheelbase and moderate spring rates. The steering is light, nicely balanced and provides good information about the road. The mid-engine design gives the car excellent balance that will give showroom stock racers an edge over the front-engine Miata, but the MacPherson strut suspension may offset that benefit.
The brakes are light and sensitive and feel easy to modulate. Only track testing will reveal how they respond when pushed hard, but they are more than sufficient for sporty street driving.
A problem in the passenger's seat is the blast of air that shoots between the outside mirror and the windshield pillar when driving al fresco. It doesn't have the problem on the driver's side for some reason. You could drive with the window up, but that seems self-defeating.
The Spyder is one of Toyota's several models (Celica. Tacoma S-Runner and Echo are a few others) that seek to rebuild the company's image with young customers. Toyota has been sort of the unofficial car company of the baby boom generation, but that means the average age of Toyota buyers has gotten higher than the company would like. Toyota has created a separate multimedia web site (www.isthistoyota.com) to promote these cars to younger buyers who have been gravitating to Honda.
The Toyota MR2 Spyder's one unassailable advantage over the Mazda Miata is its newness. MR2 buyers will not see another car like theirs on every street corner (since only 5,000 per year will be sold), as it can seem with the Miata on a warm summer evening. Next Page