A new chart pits the 1988 Toyota MR2 Supercharged against the 2018 Toyota 86 and reveals some striking similarities. Despite the almost 30-year age difference, both Toyotas run an impressive ¼ mile, go from 0 to 60 in less than seven seconds, and get decent mpgs. While both of these Toyota sports cars were built to be affordable, when adjusted for inflation, the 1988 MR2 actually costs more than the 2018 Toyota 86.
“We thought it would be fun to see what these two mid-engine sports cars have in common,” says Tom Blackman, director at Olathe Toyota Parts Center. “The 1.6-liter Supercharged brought a lot of power to that 1988 car, and the new flat four in the 86 delivers enough performance for a weekend track warrior to have some fun.”
Here’s some facts and highlights from the comparison chart:
- The 0-60 times are almost identical, and the Toyota 86’s time represents the manual transmission car because the automatic is somewhat slower.
- The 1988 MR2 hit the ¼ mile in 15 seconds at 91 mph. Thirty years later, the 2018 86 does it in 14.8 seconds at 95 mph.
- When the 1988 MR2’s original MSRP is adjusted for inflation, it costs $12,000 more than the base model, manual transmission 86.
- The MR2’s 1.6L 4A-GZE featured a Roots-type supercharger that stacked large quantities of air into the intake manifold and pushed the performance to 145 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque.
- The 86’s A20D/4U-GSE 2.0L flat-four has a fuel injection system utilizing both direct and port injection and bumps the horsepower to 205 @7000 rpm and 156 pound-feet.
- The 1988 MR2’s Supercharger hardware wasn’t lightweight, so it accounts for some of the 2604-pound curb weight the chart reveals. However, the 86 still outweighs it by 172 pounds.
- The two cars offer the exact miles per gallon.
See the full graphic here: https://parts.olathetoyota.com/blog/mr2-vs-86-30-years-apart
About Olathe Toyota Parts Center:
As one of the largest online retailers of Toyota parts in the United States, Olathe Toyota Parts Center has a huge inventory of OEM Toyota parts and accessories. Because of Olathe Toyota Parts Center’s location in the geographic center of the United States – and their massive inventory – shipping is both fast and affordable. Olathe Toyota Parts Center customer service is highly rated, with thousands of five star reviews via ShopperApproved. Learn more at http://parts.olathetoyota.com/about-us.