Discussion
I currently have a mk3 mr2, I love the drive etc.
I fancy a Toyota powered Elise as I’ve always liked the idea of one.
Just wondering if anyone has done a similar change and if they considered it was worth it since it’s probably 6x the spend of my mr2? Or any other opinions to share.
For context I’ve never driven one and it will only be used on weekends, never on a track.
Thanks
I fancy a Toyota powered Elise as I’ve always liked the idea of one.
Just wondering if anyone has done a similar change and if they considered it was worth it since it’s probably 6x the spend of my mr2? Or any other opinions to share.
For context I’ve never driven one and it will only be used on weekends, never on a track.
Thanks
No experience in the MR2 sorry but I've not long bought a 111R Elise.
It's a fabulous car but if I'm honest I do find the performance a little underwhelming.
Don't get me wrong it moves along nicely and is more than enough for the public roads tbh but I think it's such a capable car that it could do with a bit more excitement.
A S/C car was preferred but I decided against it due to budget.
Only you can decide what you want to spend but being brutally honest I enjoyed the £3k Mk1 Mx5 I sold just as much.
It's a fabulous car but if I'm honest I do find the performance a little underwhelming.
Don't get me wrong it moves along nicely and is more than enough for the public roads tbh but I think it's such a capable car that it could do with a bit more excitement.
A S/C car was preferred but I decided against it due to budget.
Only you can decide what you want to spend but being brutally honest I enjoyed the £3k Mk1 Mx5 I sold just as much.
Without a doubt the Lotus felt more special, I'm talking circa 20 years ago though so I was young and the MR2 felt pretty special too!
The Lotus was and is a lovely thing, lovely to drive, sort of lovely to own although it did have a propensity to fall apart around you which the MR2 didn't.
The Lotus however got me into track days as I felt it a little too fast for the road which in turn led me onto the 'ring so the f
king thing ended up costing me many, many thousands of pounds in the long run!
It was a twitchy thing on the limit though and one near miss at the 'ring made me sell it.
The beauty of the MR2 in my opinion however was it's utter clarity of feel, obviously I was young and stupid but in winter and anything approaching damp conditions I would drive it sideways everywhere. You can't drive the Lotus like that.
The only car I've ever thought as good as the MR2 was a Caterham for fun/enjoyment on the road. It's also a more special ownership experience but comes with other compromises of course.
TL;DR if you can put up with the image of driving a 20 year old Toyota the MR2 will be hard to beat.
The Lotus was and is a lovely thing, lovely to drive, sort of lovely to own although it did have a propensity to fall apart around you which the MR2 didn't.
The Lotus however got me into track days as I felt it a little too fast for the road which in turn led me onto the 'ring so the f
king thing ended up costing me many, many thousands of pounds in the long run!It was a twitchy thing on the limit though and one near miss at the 'ring made me sell it.
The beauty of the MR2 in my opinion however was it's utter clarity of feel, obviously I was young and stupid but in winter and anything approaching damp conditions I would drive it sideways everywhere. You can't drive the Lotus like that.
The only car I've ever thought as good as the MR2 was a Caterham for fun/enjoyment on the road. It's also a more special ownership experience but comes with other compromises of course.
TL;DR if you can put up with the image of driving a 20 year old Toyota the MR2 will be hard to beat.
I ran MR2's when new, both first years and spyders. Capable and fun. I mostly used them (friends cars) as autocross cars cars here in the USA. (Not sure the equivalent there.. autotest? speeds at 35-70 on a pylon lined course, with time penalties if you hit one).
Anyway, took several divisional wins in an MR2.
I then left the sport for 15 years and returned a few years back. I now have an S2 Elise and an S240 Exige and several mentioned above some stuff I notice too, with some minor USA differences.
First, due to less imported here, the Elise is very special and rarely seen.. total Eliges imported here @ 5000. you rarely see others in normal encounters.
At the limit, on the high lift cam, they can be quick, but the handling at the top end has the ability to give you a "gotcha" moment as the spin is always a possibility at the limit and often at higher speeds than you would encounter in a MR2.
Overall, the MR2 feels "safer" and not likely to get in terrible trouble unless at the limit... and even then, a lower limit.
Yes, the NA cars are slower in a straight line than a SC car. but through the twisties, a well driven Elise will easily keep up with an SC car.
If I had to sum up, at least for you in the UK. unless you can "easily" afford one, to enjoy the differences, the MR2 is hard to beat price-wise. The "special factor" of the Elise is probably lesser there than here, but you can enjoy going quicker. You may wonder if the difference in price in taking all your quid to do it is worth it.. Drivetrain reliability is virtually the same.
Good luck either way.
Anyway, took several divisional wins in an MR2.
I then left the sport for 15 years and returned a few years back. I now have an S2 Elise and an S240 Exige and several mentioned above some stuff I notice too, with some minor USA differences.
First, due to less imported here, the Elise is very special and rarely seen.. total Eliges imported here @ 5000. you rarely see others in normal encounters.
At the limit, on the high lift cam, they can be quick, but the handling at the top end has the ability to give you a "gotcha" moment as the spin is always a possibility at the limit and often at higher speeds than you would encounter in a MR2.
Overall, the MR2 feels "safer" and not likely to get in terrible trouble unless at the limit... and even then, a lower limit.
Yes, the NA cars are slower in a straight line than a SC car. but through the twisties, a well driven Elise will easily keep up with an SC car.
If I had to sum up, at least for you in the UK. unless you can "easily" afford one, to enjoy the differences, the MR2 is hard to beat price-wise. The "special factor" of the Elise is probably lesser there than here, but you can enjoy going quicker. You may wonder if the difference in price in taking all your quid to do it is worth it.. Drivetrain reliability is virtually the same.
Good luck either way.
I test drove a mk3 mr2 years ago, thought it was a nice handling little car. Bought a mk2.5 mx5 sport and found it not as good handling wise but great fun too. Then added an s2 elise with a k series to the garage and loved every minute of it - very good handling, and capable too. The performance was good for small b roads but ultimately If you want straight line performance, it’s not a car for you as it runs out of puff at around 80 mph, but it’s still good at giving thrills!
I sold the Elise as I wanted something more made for long distances and kept the mx5 and converted into a track car and it’s a lot of fun even on the roads, I’d say more fun than the Elise because you can throw it around a bit more easily - the Elise can do the same but it’ll happen at higher speeds or you can do it at lower speeds sometimes depending on the roads.
I did try a 111r elise the other day and it just reminded me of how good the chassis on these are, except a 111r has an engine that loves revs and is incredibly vocal if you put the right parts on it. Performance wise it’s similar to the k series I had with 120 bhp at low speeds, a bit more acceleration but it’s more noticeable at higher speeds. At no point did I think “ah yes I need more power to enjoy these roads more”. If you are looking for pure thrills, any Elise is a great choice but a 111r is for me a great great car for that.
I also tried an exige s (supercharger then) and it was very fast, it just pulls and pulls, it sounds gorgeous with the right intake and exhaust, and it has the bhp to continue pulling at higher speeds, but it depends if you have the roads for this kind of power.
Right to summarize things, I’d say that no matter which Elise variant you choose you’ll always enjoy it and I’d say it’s a great upgrade from your mr2
I sold the Elise as I wanted something more made for long distances and kept the mx5 and converted into a track car and it’s a lot of fun even on the roads, I’d say more fun than the Elise because you can throw it around a bit more easily - the Elise can do the same but it’ll happen at higher speeds or you can do it at lower speeds sometimes depending on the roads.
I did try a 111r elise the other day and it just reminded me of how good the chassis on these are, except a 111r has an engine that loves revs and is incredibly vocal if you put the right parts on it. Performance wise it’s similar to the k series I had with 120 bhp at low speeds, a bit more acceleration but it’s more noticeable at higher speeds. At no point did I think “ah yes I need more power to enjoy these roads more”. If you are looking for pure thrills, any Elise is a great choice but a 111r is for me a great great car for that.
I also tried an exige s (supercharger then) and it was very fast, it just pulls and pulls, it sounds gorgeous with the right intake and exhaust, and it has the bhp to continue pulling at higher speeds, but it depends if you have the roads for this kind of power.
Right to summarize things, I’d say that no matter which Elise variant you choose you’ll always enjoy it and I’d say it’s a great upgrade from your mr2
No doubt it feels special, people complain how it lacks meaningful performance off cam but I don’t find it that bad, mine does have a full 4/2/1 exhaust system upgrade which may improve things.lower down.
It also has the cam switch point lowered, which doesn’t give you the normal shove in the back expected, I’ve never experienced a standard one so can’t comment if I prefer it.
Brakes are servo assisted and can have a funny dead feel at the top of the pedal before they start to work which is a common complaint, I’ve sort of got used to that now and don’t feel them lacking at all.
It also has the cam switch point lowered, which doesn’t give you the normal shove in the back expected, I’ve never experienced a standard one so can’t comment if I prefer it.
Brakes are servo assisted and can have a funny dead feel at the top of the pedal before they start to work which is a common complaint, I’ve sort of got used to that now and don’t feel them lacking at all.
I went MK1 MR2 to MK3 MR2 Roadster so go to know these cars very well, I did consider the Toyota powered Elise MK3 family but went straight to the Exige V6. That was almost 10 years ago and have never looked back, I would suggest you try out a number of different models and see what you like.
Funny enough my Sons both have a MK3 MR2 each so I still see those cars.
Funny enough my Sons both have a MK3 MR2 each so I still see those cars.
Thanks for the detailed replies everyone, it’s great insight.
It sounds like whilst an elise is obviously a more capable car, maybe it isn’t 6x the car going off what you’re saying.
I’ll drive one at some point and see if it’s worth it to me personally, but I think im swaying towards sticking with the mr2, I agree it is a great fun car and I haven’t got a bad word to say about it. Except maybe it doesn’t feel like much of an occasion when I pull it out the garage.
Unfortunately my budget doesn’t run much past £20k to consider anything v6.
Thanks again.
It sounds like whilst an elise is obviously a more capable car, maybe it isn’t 6x the car going off what you’re saying.
I’ll drive one at some point and see if it’s worth it to me personally, but I think im swaying towards sticking with the mr2, I agree it is a great fun car and I haven’t got a bad word to say about it. Except maybe it doesn’t feel like much of an occasion when I pull it out the garage.
Unfortunately my budget doesn’t run much past £20k to consider anything v6.
Thanks again.
Jack91F said:
Thanks for the detailed replies everyone, it’s great insight.
It sounds like whilst an elise is obviously a more capable car, maybe it isn’t 6x the car going off what you’re saying.
I’ll drive one at some point and see if it’s worth it to me personally, but I think im swaying towards sticking with the mr2, I agree it is a great fun car and I haven’t got a bad word to say about it. Except maybe it doesn’t feel like much of an occasion when I pull it out the garage.
Unfortunately my budget doesn’t run much past £20k to consider anything v6.
Thanks again.
Has your mr2 had the 2zz engine swapped?It sounds like whilst an elise is obviously a more capable car, maybe it isn’t 6x the car going off what you’re saying.
I’ll drive one at some point and see if it’s worth it to me personally, but I think im swaying towards sticking with the mr2, I agree it is a great fun car and I haven’t got a bad word to say about it. Except maybe it doesn’t feel like much of an occasion when I pull it out the garage.
Unfortunately my budget doesn’t run much past £20k to consider anything v6.
Thanks again.
If not, that would freshen it up a bit for a lot less money.
I admit to being biased - I have a modified mk1 mr2.
Jack91F said:
I have never thought to look at Caterhams to be honest.
Now I have thought about 2ZZ swap… I believe rouge motorsport do one for around £5k fitted.
My MR2 is already lightly modified (oz wheels, AD08 tyres, suspension etc) the engines sweet so would be a shame to pull it out though.
I half considered a 2ZZ swapped car a couple of years ago to reminisce. My major concern being once you start modifying cars seriously you end up chasing your tail and before long you’ve created a car so far away from what you liked about it originally.Now I have thought about 2ZZ swap… I believe rouge motorsport do one for around £5k fitted.
My MR2 is already lightly modified (oz wheels, AD08 tyres, suspension etc) the engines sweet so would be a shame to pull it out though.
Having owned both, a Caterham and MR2 Spyder would make interesting bed fellows if you had the room for them both.
Similar in some ways but drastically different to allow the separate enjoyment of both.
p4cks said:
Yeah, they’re not exactly quick in a straight line, in fact the performance is pretty poor. Round the corners they’re untouchable though.
Maybe a VXT or more powerful Elise might be a better option?
Describing any Lotus Elise performance as ‘pretty poor’ is stretching it. If you want something for a fast quarter mile, it’s a poor choice. If you want something for great fun at sensible speeds on the road that ‘feels’ fast, it’s a great choice. Maybe a VXT or more powerful Elise might be a better option?
A 111R has all the power you need for road fun and is way more focused than your MR2. Regardless of the cost, if you can afford it, it will almost certainly give you most or all of your money back in a few years time.
I think going Caterham is pushing it if you it’s a car you actually need to use regularly in all weathers. You can do that in anElise, but it gets tiresome in a Caterham in the winter. You’ll get 95% of the fun in an Elise but way more usability.
Sadly I've never driven an Elise, but I have had pax rides in many an Elise, ranging all the way from the 120 bhp all the way up to a 300 bhp SC Exige.
I did however own an MR2 Roadster with a few mods for 2 years.
What I like most about the Elise is the looks and the focus of the thing. The steering by all accounts is one of the best things about it.
As for the performance they're not really straight line machines. Even the 300 bhp one was a rapid car but in a way I expected it to feel even quicker than it actually did feel.
The 120 bhp version I'm sure was plenty enough to have fun in but it didn't feel any quicker than the MR2 for me which has a bit more power but also a bit more weight, and it definitely felt considerably slower than, say, a Clio 182.
The MR2 was very Elise like but much easier to live with, better reliability, although it doesn't look as good or feel as special, but it still feels like an event to me.
I also got the impression the Elise was more about prodigious grip whereas I felt the MR2 was more playful, surprisingly easy to get sideways without dying for a mid engine car.
I rate the MR2 as one of the most fun cars I've ever owned in 25 years of driving. It's as much fun in my opinion as my BBR Super 200 NC MX5 (another one of the most fun cars I've had) despite being 60 bhp down on that car!
If anything the engine was the weakest link for me but adding a custom exhaust really added character, and a set of lowering springs, some bracing, wider front tyres and an alignment made the handling so, so sweet.
For me if I wanted to upgrade from the MR2 to an Elise I'd be wanting at least a 111S / Sport 160 to at least feel like there's a performance jump. The 111R was always a car I lusted after but I think the engines peaky nature would eventually get tiresome on the road and for the prices they go for I would be tempted to look for a K20 swap instead as the Honda engine is considerably better in my opinion.
Or as someone else said go for the leftfield option of a VX220 Turbo.
I did however own an MR2 Roadster with a few mods for 2 years.
What I like most about the Elise is the looks and the focus of the thing. The steering by all accounts is one of the best things about it.
As for the performance they're not really straight line machines. Even the 300 bhp one was a rapid car but in a way I expected it to feel even quicker than it actually did feel.
The 120 bhp version I'm sure was plenty enough to have fun in but it didn't feel any quicker than the MR2 for me which has a bit more power but also a bit more weight, and it definitely felt considerably slower than, say, a Clio 182.
The MR2 was very Elise like but much easier to live with, better reliability, although it doesn't look as good or feel as special, but it still feels like an event to me.
I also got the impression the Elise was more about prodigious grip whereas I felt the MR2 was more playful, surprisingly easy to get sideways without dying for a mid engine car.
I rate the MR2 as one of the most fun cars I've ever owned in 25 years of driving. It's as much fun in my opinion as my BBR Super 200 NC MX5 (another one of the most fun cars I've had) despite being 60 bhp down on that car!
If anything the engine was the weakest link for me but adding a custom exhaust really added character, and a set of lowering springs, some bracing, wider front tyres and an alignment made the handling so, so sweet.
For me if I wanted to upgrade from the MR2 to an Elise I'd be wanting at least a 111S / Sport 160 to at least feel like there's a performance jump. The 111R was always a car I lusted after but I think the engines peaky nature would eventually get tiresome on the road and for the prices they go for I would be tempted to look for a K20 swap instead as the Honda engine is considerably better in my opinion.
Or as someone else said go for the leftfield option of a VX220 Turbo.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff