The stock US market MR2 Turbo model was able to accelerate from 0–60mph in 6.1 seconds and finish the 1/4 mile in 14.7 seconds.
The Revision 1 Turbo SW20 can pull 0.89g at the skidpad, with later revisions averaging 0.90g - 0.94.[24][25]
A 2nd generation 3S-GTE (left) and a 4th generation 3S-GTE (right). Note the side feed intake on the 4th generation.
Revision 2 cars were fitted with Yokohama A022s, coincidentally the NSX also uses a special variant of the A022.[26]
A stock Japanese market Rev 3 GT-S Turbo was able to run the 1/4 mile in 13.1 seconds,[27] beating out more expensive and higher powered automobiles such as the Honda NSX, Toyota Supra RZ, and even the Ferrari 348 TB.
Best Motoring, a popular Japanese automobile TV show featured an episode that had them battle a factory stock Rev 5 GT-S Turbo versus other Japanese market contemporaries on Tsukuba Circuit, with the MR2 winning the circuit race. In the rankings of personal bests, though having achieved a best time of 1:08.00, the Rev 5 MR2 was slower overall by about a second against the Supra RZ, RX7, R32 GTR, and NSX, whilst being more than two seconds faster over the Legacy RS and Silvia S14 K's.[28]
It is popular among enthusiasts to replace the stock 3S-GTE with the "4th Gen" 3S-GTE from the Caldina GT-T (ST215). This updated engine features coil on plug electronics, higher compression, a reinforced cylinder block, a higher flowing cylinder head, and a larger integrated to manifold turbocharger colloquially named the CT15. All of these help produce a higher output of 198 kW (265 hp) and with just a turbocharger boost pressure controller, 230 kW (310 hp) is reliably attainable.
Revisions and model year changes
The second-generation MR2 underwent a variety of changes during its 10 years of production, grouped in four different periods:
1989 (Revision 1)
Introduction of the new generation.
January 1992 (Revision 2, MY 1993)
