White-faced instruments set the MR2 apart from most of its competitors. The gauges are reminiscent of those in the Mercedes SLK, down to the use of unattractive large dots to shade the redline zone. They begin at 6800 rpm and run to 8000, but because the rev limiter also strikes at 6800, they're kind of meaningless, as is the no-man's zone from 7000 to 8000 rpm.

The pedals have a brushed metal look, peppered with black rubber nubs for grip, and there is a solid dead pedal for the left foot. We drove MR2s with both the five-speed manual gearbox and the new sequential manual; with the five speed, heel-and-toe downshifting was sometimes difficult, and with the sequential transmission (no clutch pedal), left-foot braking was impossible because the brake pedal is small and so close to the gas pedal that your heels are on top of each other if you try to brake with your left foot. This is no small flaw, as one of the significant advantages of a clutchless gearbox is to enable quicker footwork. Watch the footcam during a TV broadcast of a road race some time, especially NASCAR driver Ricky Rudd's gentle dancing feet, and you'll see what it's all about.

The tan leather upholstery looks nice, as does the black cloth. The CD/cassette produces good sound, although as with any small convertible, the sound tends to stay in the footwell area. The MR2 uses a traditional metal mast for a radio antenna, rather than a more durable rubber antenna or an antenna within the windshield.

There were two other small problems: There's nothing to deflect the rain dribbling off the roof, so prepare to get your left wrist poured-on when you roll down the window at toll booths or fast-food drive-thrus. And on top-down days, air shoots between the sideview mirror and windshield pillar. For some reason (seating position?) we noticed this on the passenger side but not the driver's side.