After all, Toyota's SMT mechanism requires an elaborate computerized control system to handle the delicate matter of coordinating clutch engagements and throttle inputs in a way that approaches a seamless flow of power. If there's a single aspect of Toyota's system that remains incomprehensible to us, it's the lack of a fully automatic feature. It is, after all, still a conventional diaphragm clutch, and its throw-out bearing will thank you for a little rest. The Spyder seats two and features solid EPA estimates in the 26 City/32 Highway range. As long, of course, as you remember to pop the console lever into neutral during long periods at idle. The 2003 Toyota MR2 Spyder is a sleekly styled, excellent-handling two door Convertible sports car featuring a zippy 138 horsepower 1.8-liter inline 4-cylinder under the hood with your choice of a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed sequential manual transmission. It is also pretty cool to be able to sit in slow-moving traffic and have the hydraulic leg do all the clutch work. And in the interests of long and trouble-free operation, Toyota can argue that its SMT system will probably extend clutch life, being better able to match throttle inputs and clutch-engagement rates than many owners can. ![]() Of course, the MR2 is a little more forgiving than the race cars for which these automated manual transmissions were devised, but you get the picture. That's important if you plan to drive very close to the limit of adhesion, where a misstep in the pedal department of a car with a normal manual transmission can produce a chirp of rear-wheel lockup - not a good thing when driving a sensitive mid-engine car near that limit. You can brake deep into bends while pressing buttons for perfectly timed downshifts that match wheel and engine speeds exactly. The car is great fun to drive, engendering many of the same F1-style fantasies you get in the Ferrari. The quarter-mile time of 16.2 seconds (versus 15.6 seconds) is similarly prolonged.īut don't write off the MR2 SMT just yet. So the 0-to-60-mph time - at 8.2 seconds - is 1.4 seconds slower than the last MR2 we tested. Any one of our test drivers could stab the pedals and snap the lever through the gate in half the time. Although this isn't a problem during normal or even sporty driving, the shifts seem agonizingly slow at the drag strip. Then, once under way, the shifts are made slowly and deliberately. Offered only as a full convertible, the MR2 Spyder's overall size wasn't. Thus, even with the accelerator floored, the launch is conducted gently, with just enough revs dialed up to allow a gentle clutch engagement. For the third iteration of the MR2, launched for the 2000 model year, Toyota went back to basics with the MR2 Spyder.
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