Normally I'm not too enthusiastic about open-top motoring, but with the MR2 it was different. For a start, folding down soft tops is usually a bit of a fiddle which I never get right first time, and which leaves me all grumpy. But the Toyota system is the easiest I've ever come across. Simply undo two hooks at the top of the windscreen, push back and keep pushing until it clips into place. Even I can do that.Then there was the weather, which was uniformly gorgeous during the time I had the car. And there were the endless taunts from people who insisted that in such summery conditions the act of driving a roof-down car with the roof up was one step away from insanity.Well, if you're going to do these things you may as well do them properly. Having established how simple the folding-and-staying-folded business was, I headed into the Big City one Saturday evening for a bit of cruising, having selected the youngest and best-looking of The Lads as additional bait on the understanding that if any business resulted he would have his fare for the taxi back home paid by CARkeys.Despite this apparently overwhelming array of babe-magnetism, we somehow achieved a no-score draw. Maybe the girls didn't like the colour of the car. Yes, that would be it. There can be no other possible explanation.That's not to say, however, that the MR2 passed unnoticed. In fact, I can recall very few cars I have driven which attracted even half the attention that this one did. The favourable remarks started at an early stage when I stopped at a petrol station to buy a bar of chocolate. The pair behind the counter hadn't seen me arrive, so they didn't realise that the person standing in front of them with a Milky Way in one hand and 15p in the other was the one who had arrived in the car over which they were busily comparing notes."Look at that!" said he."Oh, that's a sassy car," said she."It's got a 1.8-litre variable valve timing engine," said he, with impressive accuracy."I don't care about that," said she dismissively. "It's a sassy car."And so it is. Everyone admired the looks of the MR2. Nobody seemed bothered that from various angles it seems to have been influenced by a wide range of Porsches from the RSK to the Boxster. They just thought it was . . . well, sassy.None of them noticed that it's ridiculously impractical. It has more luggage space than a Renault Spider, but so do your trousers. The glovebox, the door pockets and two hard-to-access compartments behind the seats make up pretty much the entire load-carrying space, so if you propose to go away for a weekend somewhere you either have to go alone or send your suitcases ahead separately.On the other hand, it's enormous fun to drive. With the engine and gearbox amidships there is very little weight up front to bother the steering, which is light and sharp as a result. There's a little more rear-end roll than I was expecting, but I suppose that's a blessing as it means the point at which the tail will let go is further away from normal driving experience than it might be if the suspension were stiffer.My only criticism was the fact that the rear dampers don't cope well with small bumps, which can make the ride jiggly. Apart from that, the MR2 was great fun to drive at all speeds from walking pace to tally-ho.A Lad who believes no car to be worth considering unless it has a turbo and has been chipped to produce over 400bhp was slightly dismissive of the modest power output, but I think he's wrong. With more power the MR2 would be less fun to drive, and you'd spend more time wondering why the hell Toyota didn't provide more space to put things.The final niggle is that build quality doesn't seem to have been high on the list of priorities. The doors clang shut, and there are various rattles from the plasticky trim when you're on the move. As I'm sure you'll have gathered by now, though, I don't care all that much.The MR2 is a toy car, nothing more, and I can't come up with a sensible reason for buying one. But I was very sorry to have to hand it back, and not just because Saturday evening didn't end up the way we had hoped it might.Second opinion: Let's talk superlatives here. This is one of the silliest designs imaginable, and at the same time one of the most screamingly desirable little roadsters on the market. It's the only volume production car which has room for two people's light luggage, but without anywhere to put a suitcase. You simply distribute your bits and pieces, in soft bags or on their own, inside the bottom-hinged doors of the luggage compartment behind the seats, in the glove box and - for a laugh - under the bonnet, where there's space for . . . oh, a pair of socks and a change of underwear. Actually, the compartment will take one large bag and two small ones, and the situation's not as desperate as we're pretending to make out. But the MR2 looks terrific, both on the outside and in the cockpit detail. Brilliant hood arrangement, gearchange almost to MX-5 rifle-bolt standard, low motorway noise levels, light handling, amazingly supple ride where it matters for a roadster, and an athletic VVT-i engine. And if you want to turn a corner at speed, there's no fighting to be done as with some muscle-bound sports cars with bigger engines, oversize wheels and tyres. You just incline the steering wheel and keep your foot down. What's got into Toyota these days? Ross Finlay. Engine 1794cc, 4 cylinders Power 140bhp Fuel 38.2mpg Acceleration 0-62mph: 7.9 seconds Top speed 130mph Price £18,495 Details correct at publication date
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