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It`s suppppeeeerrrrcharged.

What`s a supercharger?

It`s a device that propels you from zero to 65 miles an hour in a two-seater Toyota MR2 while in third gear.

You stop looking at the watch for elapsed time and start peering ahead to make sure no turn is coming up.

With a supercharger added to the already powerful 1.6-liter, 16-valve, 4- cylinder Toyota engine, the MR2 is quick-really quick-though notnecessarily quiet.

Maybe with supercharger it`s too quick at times, because steering didn`tseem as responsive as we`ve experience with non-power-boosted MR2s.

We`ve admired the nimbleness of the MR2, the lightning fast response todirections fed through the steering wheel, the ability to skip through lanechanges and slip around corners and through turns. The MR2 we tested drove wasmuch like a non-GT Pontiac Fiero.

The steering wheel is thick, to impart the feeling of control, but theMR2 felt a bit heavy up front and the wheel took too much effort to get thefront end to respond.

Adding to the bulky feel was the 5-speed manual transmission in our testcar, which was hardly as smooth as the 5-speeds we`ve driven in non-boostedMR2s. The 5-speed in most Toyotas and especially in the MR2 usually isslippery smooth without hangups. In our test car, it was a little notchy.

The supercharger, in simple terms, differs from a turbo in that a turborelies on recirculated exhaust gases to feed a greater mix of air to theengine for a power boost. The supercharger is belt-driven for an immediategulp of air. You don`t have turbo lag time or turbo whistle.

But you do have to care for a supercharger. The owners manual tells youto periodically check the supercharger`s oil reserve. If it is low you mustadd Toyota`s special supercharger oil through the dipstick neck using plastic tubing and a syringe that comes with the oil.

In looks, the MR2 is still a sensation. There`s a large, color-keyed deck wing in back, plastic ground effects skirt from wheel well to wheel well,wraparound bumper, concealed headlamps, a plastic canopy over the rear window to keep dirt away, mud flaps with the MR2 logo, louvered vent quarter panels, removable T-top roof panels and “supercharged“ emblems on the body sidemoldings. Toyota pulled out all the cosmetic stops.

The two-seater MR2 is built on a 91.3-inch wheelbase and is 155.5 incheslong. Despite the dimensions, there`s good interior room and visibility.

With so much power, we wonder how a supercharged MR2 will handle snow-covered streets. It will take a delicate touch of the pedal when movingfrom a light in midwinter.

In looking through the manual, we spotted an item of note. If you addsnow tires to your MR2, you have to put them on all four wheels or riskproblems with “stability, control and broadside road gripping capability.“

And, the manual advised: “Application of additional rust inhibitingmaterial is not required. Your vehicle was designed and built to resistcorrosion. Application of additional rust inhibiting materials is notnecessary nor is it required in order to keep the 5-year warranty coverage in effect.“

The supercharged MR2 starts at $16,418 with 5-speed transmission, $17,138 with automatic. The non-supercharged model starts at $12,808 with manual,$13,528 with automatic.