The petrol-powered Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman may be going away, but their spiritual torch could be taken up by an unlikely competitor: Toyota.
Japanese Best car According to a new report by Toyota, MA2 Inc., a mid-engine, all-wheel-drive system is being developed and the vehicle could potentially bring back the MR2 name with a non-electrified 2.0-liter four-cylinder that “targets” around 400 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. The publication also says that this car will use all-wheel drive, specifically the GR-Four system found in the GR Corolla . This would be a big departure from the MR2’s past, especially considering that the “R” in MR2 stands for rear-wheel drive. For what it’s worth, the MA2 and M42 don’t quite share the same ring.
Best car Toyota has previously said that a next-generation MR2 would come with the 1.6-liter three-cylinder that powers the GR Corolla, but it’s apparently a 2.0-liter now. About a month ago, Toyota a video of an in-development four-cylinder that sounded pretty good. The company previously announced that it was working on a family of 1.5- and 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engines. The 1.5 would be available in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms, while the 2.0-liter is turbocharged only.
Given that Toyota is indeed developing small four-cylinder engines with an emphasis on driving fun, it’s not a big leap to think that a new MR2 is on the way. For the first three generations of the sports car, from 1984 to 2007, it was always powered by a compact four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1.5 to 2.0 liters. Best car further says a new MR2 would be available with a six-speed manual transmission or the eight-speed Direct Automatic Transmission (DAT) just introduced in the 2025 GR Corolla.
And now for the bad news: the report also claims that the new MR2 will carry a price tag of nearly $70,000 in yen and will be sold exclusively in Japan.
A gasoline-powered, compact, mid-engine sports car with 400 horsepower and a price of $70,000? In these parts, that’s what’s known as a Porsche Cayman. We’ve reached out to Toyota for comment.
Do you have a tip or question for the author about the next MR2? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com
