2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder Interior Review at Automotive.com
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Toyota
MR2 Spyder
2001

2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder Review: Interior

Below is a full, detailed 2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder review and road test from New Car Test Drive. A full evaluation of price, equipment, the driving experience, and specs are all here in a structured, easy-to-navigate format from journalists with limitless ...     read more
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2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder Review

A fun little drop-top.
Interior
The interior is roomy and comfortable for a two-seat roadster. The seats are not supportive in the back, however. Controls fall readily to hand and provide positive feedback. The three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel has perforations in the areas most likely to be used, and the leather-wrapped shift knob feels similarly luxurious. The white-faced instruments appear to be lifted from the Celica and set the MR2 apart from most of its competitors. The gauges are reminiscent of those in the Mercedes SLK, down to the use of large dots to shade the redline zone.

The pedals have a brushed metal look, peppered with black rubber nubs for grip. They are comfortable pedals and Toyota provides a dead pedal for the left foot. We found heel-and-toe downshifting a bit more difficult than on its competitors. (Heel-and-toe is a bit of a misnomer; you actually use the ball of your right foot on the brake pedal, while blipping the throttle with the side of the foot.)

The black upholstery matches all of the paint schemes well and looks nice. One exception: The yellow interior leans toward the red end of the spectrum, while the yellow paint reflects with the high frequency of the blue end. Result: The yellow inside clashes with the yellow outside, but works with some of the other colors.

Toyota includes a CD/cassette stereo as standard equipment. The system produced good sound, though it probably won't deceive anyone into thinking it is a custom stereo. Like most convertibles, the sound tends to stay down in the footwell area. The MR2 uses a traditional metal mast for an antenna, rather than a more durable rubber antenna or an antenna embedded in the windshield, but it seemed to get good reception.

The owners manual is required reading before putting the top down. Next Page


2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder