Take A Ride In Toyota's Reincarnated MR2 Spyder, A Renegade Lexus And Other Winning Wheels

The MR2 (pictured here) is back, topless. Its predecessor, an overpriced, wedge-shaped coupe, was mercifully put to rest by Toyota five years ago. This roadster reincarnation, named the Spyder, is lean, striking and, like the original, midengine. A 1.8-liter four-cylinder power plant just aft of the driver gives the MR2 Spyder its punch. Go it does, out-accelerating its closest competitor, the Mazda Miata, by almost a second in zero-to-60 tests. But here's the bad news: Only 5000 will be imported this year. A base price of about $23,000 includes a trunkload of goodies, such as AM-FM with cassette and CD player, air-conditioning, ABS and power windows and locks, but, alas, on trunk. I'm not kidding. Behind the MR2's bucket seats are two panels that cover twin compartments barely big enough to hold stuff for the beach. Up front, where the spare tire is stored, there's a concave space big enough for a small gym bag. Storage in the rear? Nada. In the MR2 Spyder you travel light. But if you can deal with its less-is-more configuration, you'll have a ball on a long and winding road.

(concluded on the next page)Ken Gross Reports: With the new IS300 four-door (pictured here), Lexus takes dead aim at the heart of its rival: BMW's 3-series. BMWs and this new little Lexus share exterior dimensions, along with powerful inline sixes, rear-wheel drive and fully independent suspensions that are inspired by race cars. There's a hint of styling resemblance too, although the Lexus' lines are more angular. For the moment, Lexus leads the horsepower race with 215 ponies to BMW's 193. (BMW promises a more powerful three-liter engine shortly.) Bimmers come with a five-speed manual or automatic transmission. The IS300 is available with a five-speed automatic that features Formula I-inspired shift buttons on its three-spoke steering wheel. (A manual gearbox will be available in the 2002 model.) Inside, the IS300 has a stylish instrument cluster that's reminiscent of a Swiss chronograph. There's also a staggered shiftgate, aluminum-clad pedals and interior trim. The chrome shifter ball is like the ones found in Ferraris. On twisting roads, the Lexus jukes and weaves about as well as its German counterpart. Zero to 60 acceleration is 7.1 seconds and the twin-cam, 24-valve motor revs seamlessly to its 6400 rpm redline. Lexus claims much of its road testing and suspension tuning was done on Germany's Nürburgring. We don't doubt it. At $30,500 the IS300 is about $2500 less than a comparable BMW. Nice savings--and you get a car with a feisty personality plus Lexus reliability.

Parked In Dave's Garage: Chrysler PT Cruiser. So what if it looks like a 1937 Ford? Only the Grinch wouldn't love the PT Cruiser. "Because it's so cute, our engineers had to make it practical," Chrysler's small-car platform manager Joe Caudell told us. "The exterior is the bait, its interior is the hook." The Cruiser isn't a sports car, but it's entertaining. Standard front disks and rear drums are satisfactory, but I'd recommend the optional all-disk system with ABS and low-speed traction control. Other options include 16-inch wheels, a moon roof, a roof rack and a "limited edition" luxo package. Even with everything, you'll have trouble spending more than $23,000--if your friendly neighborhood dealer doesn't add on a gazillion bucks for floor mats. A lowered, turbocharged GT Cruiser with 200 horses, upgraded suspension and trick wheels is in the works. Stay tuned.

Porsche Boxster S: I took a silver Boxster S to the world's toughest proving ground--an all-boys military prep school. Just to up the ante, I asked one of our models, a Jaime Bergman look-alike, to ride shotgun. Guess which came in first? The Boxster S. This mid-engine Porsche does everything right. The acceleration is superb, the handling is terrific, the brakes are top-notch and the six-speed shifter is so slick I couldn't keep my hands off it. For about $50,000, you won't be lonely in this car for long.

Ford Escape XLT: Small car, big surprise--this is a benchmark machine that will send Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V engineers back to the drawing boards. I drove the six-cylinder XLT version with all-wheel-drive (price: about $25,000) and came away impressed with its handling, pickup and remarkable use of interior space. A front-wheel-drive four-cylinder XLS model begins at $18,000. One caveat: If you're the type who doesn't always fasten your seat belt, the Escape emits a relentless dinging sound like Tinkerbell having a seizure. You'll buckle up fast.

Pontiac Aztek: Nice car, but how about adding a rear windshield wiper in the next model year. The grungy view out the back gets old fast.

Acura 3.5RL Navi: Its $44,000 price made me realize what a buy the Acura 3.2TL Navi is for about $15,000 less.

Mercedes-Benz 2001 SLK320 roadster: I drove this and the four-cylinder SLK230 Kompressor model in the Canary Islands. I liked the four-cylinder 230, but the new 3.2 V-6 SLK320, which comes with a six-speed manual transmission as standard equipment, lit my fire. Both have a retractable hardtop that offers topless touring at the push of a button and winter driving comfort, too. The interior of the 320 is plush with wood trim and a wood-and-leather steering wheel and shift lever. Plus its $44,000 price isn't really a wallet buster.

Range Rover 4.6 HSE: A big car, a big price--about $70,000. I think I would rather own a $39,000 Land Rover Discovery and put the difference in a CD.

Daewoo Leganza SE 4-door: It's a roomy, agile and quick bunch of car for just under $15,000. Daewoo delivers it with power everything, plus they pay for three years of maintenance and roadside assistance.

Nissan Sentra GXE: A five-speed shifter that feels like a coffee stirrer stuck in a jar of peanut butter is the only flaw we see in a cool, $15,000, urban parking-spot stealer.

Driver's Ed: If you don't know an a-arm from zero-offset steering, pick up a copy of the new Road and Track Illustrated Automotive Dictionary--an updated version of the original published in 1977. In those days "fuzzy logic" applied to the decisions you made after three martinis. Today, it's used for automatic transmission control. You do need to read the book. It's $19.95, from BentleyPublishers.com.