scott8629

I currently own an MR2 Turbo (late 92) and am thinking of upgrading to a WRX.

I am wondering how these two cars compare in performance, handling, running costs and economy.

Anyone out these owned both or driven both that could answer my questions??

Thanks

soobercharger

hi, i have a 95 mr2 turbo rev 3 ,modded to 280bhp, have been and raced against scoobys,in the end when it comes to straight line speed ,mr2 turbo will hammer scoobys all day unless there very serious cars,i have ran a 13.5 at santa pod against modded scoobys which had no chance.round b -roads the scooby has the edge,but a rev 3 turbo with blisteins is a damn fine handling car and if driven right can match a scooby as for a -roads,forget it the mr2 wins hands down.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

MR2's have this button that scoobs dont need, its called traction control
It also depends on what year WRX you want and if you want the STi over the WRX?
The STi is a more tuneable car, getting them to 320bhp isnt much of a problem, there are even 360+bhp cars on this board and they can get low 11's in the 1/4 mile stakes...
As for outright performance.... even ive seen a uk car do 13.32 1/4 mile at approx 100mph, this is with a D/P back exhaust fitted so very basic mods indeed!

Tony

TomM

No offence guys but MR2's are sheds.

Each to thier own and all that but I like most performance cars, even R5 Turbo's but the MR2 is a shed - sell them and get a WRX or something that doesnt look like......a shed.

soobercharger

No offence but no scooby i have ever seen has done a 11 sec 1/4 or 12 or rarely 13 unless it's like a jun demo car and no sti or whatever scooby can do anything less than 14 with basic mods,i've been to the pod loads of times and the scoobys are not built for that,p.s most mr2's don't have traction anyway and if they did they would turn it off for 1/4 miles.As for sheds,you obviously don't know anything about cars so go back to your r5 /rs turbo you max muppet!

M3 Evo

Raced one in my M3 - caught me off guard so he got a couple of car lengths start but i'd reeled him in by 80 and was well ahead by 110. IIRC the MR2turbo has 240bhp as standard? Was a mere drag race though so no clue as to how it goes through the bends.....

LG John

Anytime I've seen MR2 turbos go they were getting humped all day long by the 11 and 12 second scoobies at Crail. The MR2's weren't even close on that occassion.

skiddus_markus

I came up behind one on a country road I didn't know coming back from the Thoresby Jap car show and was surprised at just how hard I had to work to keep up in my modded gtir.He then pulled off an incredibly stupid/brave overtaking maneouvre coming up to a junction so I thought f**k that and let him go.
These cars are very quick in a straight line too.I remember one in the first Redline Records getting a 0-60 of 4secs dead with only around 300bhp-not bad for RWD.

soobercharger

I see me have alot of clueless people on this list,sorry but i friend with an absolutly awesome scooby which struggles staying with me at 13.5 sec he somethimes gets 13.6 or something and his cars been dynoed at 320bhp so i know scoobys struggle in a straight line contest,no offence,there very good cars,especially on b -roads but there just not built for 1/4's.I don't know anything about crail,but come down to the pod and when i see a scooby ever crack 13 i'll admit i was wrong,but i've never seen it.
p.s i once saw a 400+ bhp evo run a 12.8 and that was awesome-total respect.Never come across a m3 and you'll never really compare the performance unless you come to pod and you know both parties are up for it.And yes a std rev3 mr2 turbo is 241bhp at 1260kg 191 bhp/T.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Well i think your friend cant drive his scoob lol!
I got a 13.92 in a PPP'd scoob (250bhp) and i was loosing a good .5 of a sec due to bogging my turbo down
I would speak to cossieconvert if you dont think that scoobs are quick, his does 0-100 in low 9 secs and mid to high 10's for 1/4 miles and thats running approx 360bhp....
CraigH's STi5 does 11 sec 1/4's.... mucho quick car!

Tony

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Oh i should also point out before anyone else does that all modified scoobs that are dyno'd push 320bhp

Tony

soobercharger

yeah you did a 13.9 ,thats sounds realistic,you've got a few mods,o.k,i've got a few mods,and i ran a 13.5.So how can you say a mr2 is slow and gets beat everytime,lol.There's always gonna be that crazy car out there just like ,there's crazy mr2's out there.I'm not saying scoobys are slow at all,i think there good cars,i'm just saying the lad who is swoping his mr2 turbo for a impreza is not going to notice any improvement in straight line speed,He is gonna notice the b-road improvement,but i'd just like to point out that if you know how to handle a mr2(mid-engined)especially the later models with better suspension you can be just as quick.I also mention that i had a race at the pod against a 00 sti impreza /old shape and he ran a 14.03.Also when i find the link i have some videos of a jap magazine 1/4ing standard cars against each other,lets just say it comes down to a revision 3 mr2 turbo and a impreza wrx sti and they run within .2 of a second,both in the 13's.

LG John

For the money I spent changing to the scooby I could have supercharged the VTS and got her suspension in order and beaten both scoobs and MR2's down the 1/4 mile. However, within minutes of driving the scooby down really twisty roads I realised that no matter what I did the Saxo just wouldn't keep up in such conditions. Round a track it could be made to be scooby quick but not on crappy british roads. Even without the geometery settings I can carry as much speed as the VTS into the corner and can accelerate out of it much earlier.

In the right hands an MR2 will be very quick over b-roads but in most hands it'll crash if pushed to keep up with a scooby!!

Andy F (cossie converts) 1/4 mile times are mid to high 11's not 10's........yet

skiddus_markus

I thought 10sec 1/4 seemed a bit too good.The quickest scoobys over the 1/4 are in Australia.Look at this site for the times.
http://www.par-engineering.com/

Mr evolution

What the fug is wrong with people mid engined rear wheel drive sports cars tend to handle very well. People on here will sing the praises of a front engined front wheel drive tegra type r but slate one of the best handling affordable cars of recent years.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Soober, what the lad who is looking at changing his MR2 for a WRX will notice is the levels of grip offered in all conditions (except ice when no car stands a chance ) especially over the MR2 which we all know is VERY dodgy in the wet..... (esp those turbo ones cos they cant put the power down very well after a bit of rain )
The other thing that you need to understand about Impreza's is they are not all the same, unlike MR2's....
You have the UK car, the UK car with PPP, the WRX (classic shape) with different BHP depending on year (240ps, 260ps or 280ps) you have STi's with different versions, ie the normal STI, the STi type R, the STI type RA the STi type RA V-limited.... they are all in one way or another different, be it because they have closer ratio's, different diffs, have ABS, dont have ABS.....
The main reason most people IMHO buy subaru's is because they are quick, not mega quick but quick and they are a very good 1/4 mile car due to the fact that they can get the traction down in the first 60mph (giving under 5 secs to 60 ) but the one thing that i can promise you is that a scoob will still be able to push virtually the same 0-60 time, wet or dry!

Tony

Hanslow

Shame no-one has really answered his questions

Sod the my car is better than yours malarky. I got toasted by an MR2 up in the lake district along a dual carriageway. Me in standard MY00 + SS Backbox, overtakes lorry, MR2 behind me. I pull in after overtaking lorry. He leaves me for dust (I tend not to go over 70 anyway, but lorry was doing 40!, so I was still picking up speed). Yes, I wasn't hammering it, but even if I had, he would have still toasted me.

The words uttered to my missus?....'Cool'

If people want huge power, you can get it in anything, just spend a fortune modding it, or stick a new lump in it. As a standard package, the Scoob offers a good all round package.

To answer the questions.....my MY00, decatted,

Economy ranges from about 18mpg town driving, to 31mpg on a complete steady motorway run. Tyres last me about 10-20k....dunno for defo, as it depends on brand. Insurance can vary from 500 to 3k (from what I've heard, obviously depends on your age and area). Servicing I would say averages out at about 500 quid a year (taking total service cost over about 7 years and dividing it). 2 services a year minor one six months, major yearly.

One benefit you will get is a big boot and 4 seats

What sort of WRX you going for? Import, new UK variety? Big difference

Hopefully some other guys will get this back on track and tell you more objective handling/performance differences. Hell, from what has been said, if you can handle the MR2, you will have no problems with the Scoob

Hope some of that helps, and come on folks, let each person enjoy their own preformance marque, and appreciate it for what it is

LG John

I do appreciate the MR2. I like them in fact and toyed with the idea of buying one but ultimately the practicality put me off. Also, I was getting sick of not being able to enjoy the performance of the Saxo 60% of the time (i.e. rain) hence decided on 4WD

skiddus_markus

Move somewhere a bit dryer then.....like the Amazonian rainforests

cletterridge

They're two entirely different cars, aiming to do two entirely different things! All this "They're pants/amazing..." etc is just a reflection of peoples opinions.

Having said that, here's the link for the MR2 vs a Jap spec WRX STi:

http://www.imoc.co.uk/download/downl...p?folder=Video

(PS http://www.carsurvey.org/ might help - it's a list of peoples real life everyday driving experience of both)

Scot123

I owned an MR2 turbo for two years and then moved onto a STI V3 Type R. If you think the MR2 will beat a Scooby on the 1/4 mile, then you my friend, are living in cloud cuckooland.

Jonto

I am sorry lads. This thread has been settled. I have seen ONE mr2 turbo beat ONE scooby. That is enought proof for me that ALL mr2 turbo's are quicker, faster, more economical, more cup holders better looking and handle better than any other scooby on this planet !

Wake up boys and smell the coffee beans !



[Edited by Jonto - 8/26/2002 2:54:32 PM]

Hanslow

Well I'm faster than both when they are sat in a queue and I'm on my pushbike Does anybody want to buy me?

Dream Weaver

<Sucks large amount of air through front teeth>

Being an MR2 owner, and long time Scoobynetter I feel I have to add my 2p worth here.

1. Everyone slates MR2's and says they are "VERY" dodgy in the wet? And this is from experience is it? I have driven my MR2 hard now for the last 18 months, both on my own and during Scoobynet runs. The car can slide a bit at the rear when it is wet, but they are very predictable and in no way "VERY dodgy". In the dry the handling is phenominal

2. TomM - Mr sweeping generalisation! How do you come to the "sheds" conclusion? I have run my my94 for the last 18 months. I rag the **** off it, do dry donuts, redline it a lot and generally screw it. So far in the last 14000 miles I have spent £270 (radiator needed when I bought it), £75 - major service. It has now done 99,600 miles and is going for a new cambelt next week - £100. It averages 35mpg with 50% smooth/50% hard driving. Nothing ever goes wrong, rear tyres have 5mm tread left after 14k miles, and it is a great car. Very smooth to drive, comfortable, and more practical than people think (just come back from full 3 day camping trip with 2 of us, tent, chairs, clothes, bbq etc etc )

I would suggest people try running a 1994-on model MR2 for a good 3 months and see what you think then. They take a while to appreciate, and are not as slow as people think - 180bhp from a 2 litre unit. I have given a few Scoobynetters a good run on the Northern meets

I think "some" Scooby owners are far too arrogant. I would still like a Scoob, and I am now in a position to buy a MY99 one, but to be honest I like my MR2 far too much to swap. Once I get bored with it I will swap (but it may (and probably will) never happen).

Rant over - all cars are great, MR2, Cossie, ITR/CTR, Scoob, Evo - I live for the performance car, not just the Scoobs

DW

PS at Elvington, the Scoobs looked a bit lame really

Dream Weaver

Forgot to say, mine is the non-turbo

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Dream,
ive driven an MR2 and the handling wasnt the greatest
Ok im probably a bit fwd bias but if you think that the Turbo'd MR2's (the ones ive seen) came with t/c due to the fact that it was too much power for the car to cope with.

Tony

PS the MR2 i had a drive in was a toyota dealer one with 40k on the clock so unless it was a bit sh@gged it must have been me

Dream Weaver

Tony - what year was it?

On the t/c front, none of the turbos came with t/c as standard.

NLW33

Tony burns what are you on about:
"The STi is a more tuneable car, getting them to 320bhp isnt much of a problem, there are even 360+bhp cars on this board and they can get low 11's in the 1/4 mile stakes..."
LOW 11s. Dream on dude. I know 600 BHP skylines that just run this and don't even bother with the comments as we walked ten of the best!!
I raced a so called 360 BHP STi in my old Datsun GtiR with 300 BHP and we both got late 12s. FACT.
As for the Mr2s great little cars, are very quick in a straight line and lots of fun in the wet.
Back to the original post mate, I would say it depends on what you want really. Personally I would go for an STi. Lots of grip. they drive themselves and good track day cars. A legend proceeds...
but to get it to 360 BHP you need to spend MAJOR DE NIRO..My mate scott davies knows that...I think he spent 16k to get that power.
Spend 2K on skyline and you get the same.
Spend 16K on a skyline...550-600BHP.

Happy hunting.

NLW33

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Dream,
it was a 1990 G plate car, wasnt bad for its age thou it was back in 1998 so a few years ago now, think the dealer got it cos it had FTSH and low mileage.

NLW,
Errrrm you think im talking blx?
well, AndyF's car is more than capable of getting into 11 sec 1/4 miles (391bhp) and CraigH's STI5 was more than capable of getting into 11 sec 1/4 mile times (Craig's car was featured in Rev's scoobs v cossies so its in black and white if you wish to look.)
Are STi's tuneable?
well i think Craig and Steve Mc can tell you about that also there have been uk cars (Trout and Rich Wild for instance) that are near or pushing over 350bhp.
(even RC developements advertise a 400bhp upgrade for STi impreza's for less than 6k).
Anyone can say they have 360bhp, anyone can drive a car but if they cant drive or havnt proved it has that power then guestimations aint no good

Tony

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

NLW,
check this out

http://www.scoobynet.co.uk/bbs/thread.asp?threadid=125616

It also says how much it cost to get this BHP, i think its somewhat less than 16k

Tony