My gripe mostly is that it is too tall. Why does a car that brags about having a low-mounted engine have such a high hood/fender line? Aside from those FAIL front wheel humps, which are strictly for show and have no function.


Note: I thought the front wheel humps were working better on the one-off roadster that was on show at DHC Toyota. Maybe the convertible FR-S will look great with them.

Subjective is the right word.

Try as I might to like it, every picture of an FRS I've seen that has been treated to a "drop and a low offset" looks wrong to me. I much prefer the stock look. I don't usually have this reaction to (reasonably) dropped cars.

Back to the review, not sure what it is Clarkson doesn't like about the looks, but hey that's OK. I agree with him on the rest of it so its all good!

It's really not that tall. Sit one next to any modern American muscle and you'll appreciate how small it is. And us tall guys appreciate what height it does have. ;)

That said, I like the wheel humps for one reason (aside from the fact that I like them aesthetically.) And that is the fact that they allow me to REALLY see the corners of the car well while driving and make placing the car accurately while driving hard a cake walk.

Nathan

It's tall enough to satisfy European pedestrian impact standards.

So you're saying it'd be better if it couldn't be sold in half the world? ;)

Not sure if being sarcastic or just trolling? :iono:

1) Fender bulge is functional for driver to place car on road as @SubieNate mentioned.

2) Fender bulge is functional for suspension clearance. Just like the Porsche 911 and Cayman, the FR-S uses an inboard strut/spring layout (as opposed to most other cars where the spring seats hover over the top of the tire). So the struts are already placed lower than normal. But because the flat engine is mounted so low, the strut towers look tall in comparison and require the bulges:
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtest...478-123187.jpg

The Veloster doesn't look particularly tall compared to other cars on the road. But when next to my car (stock height)...
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attac...1&d=1343455812

Need I comment on Boxster height?

Agreed. I can only shake my head in disbelief when people complain about how high this car sits. I mean, what the hell were they driving before this?!

"Dude, the FR-S sucks balls. Now my last ride... a '96 Toboggan I had when I was eight... THAT was a cherry ride yo!"

Sounds like someone missed the episode where the boys go to America to try the Cadillac STS, Chevrolet Corvette, and Dodge Challenger. Jezza and May loved the Corvette and STS when they finally got to do some mountain passes and considered them even better than European supercars. Jezza was particular happy that the Corvette had a proper manual gearbox and not everyone else's flappy paddles. Even May got in the spirit when he overtook Clarkson. xD Though the Challenger was definitely your regular old American Muscle Car.

I really do prefer Clarkson's way of reviewing, it's fun to read and keeps me engaged. Though I have no idea what he's on about in knocking the FRS in looks. I guess he must mean compared to the Genesis coupe that looks like some sort of spaceship, which makes sense since he loves crazy styling.

CTS-V. The STS was a soft midsize sedan.

As has been said, the front fenders help you place your tires on the road, likely not seeing the rest of the hood. I like the look too, gives the impression of a cobra, headlights reinforce that too I think.

It's good to see Clarkson enjoyed the car so much. Of all the various reviewers, I like the top gear holigans the most. For them, it's all about the fun factor. England must be full of exotic cars though, if these don't stand out. Seems like everywhere I go, I'm getting stared at.

+1 for the fender bulges. I love them and they remind of a LOT of the Cayman I drove a few months before I picked this car up. It really is all about how much fun you can have, at least for me. I used to love my 99 MX-5 for the same reasons I love this car. You could get the back to step out and you felt like superstar when you drove the car. Feeling good when you drive is really the best part of driving to me. Speed, time, everything else is secondary.

Its taken a long time to find a car that I enjoyed as much as my 99 Mx-5. I just hope that other manufacturers take a long hard look at this car's success, the MX-5's success back in the day, and bring us more truly FUN cars to choose from. I pray they don't bring us a bunch of me too cars that are FWD, styled by committee, and covered in superficial ornaments.

Both evolved from the Holden Commodore though, didn't they?

The one they had in the episode was the CTS-V.

I don't think the CTS or the STS were based off of Holdens.

The only Holden based cars I know of are the GTO, the G8, the Camaro, and the upcoming Chevy sport sedan.

Nathan

Thank You soo much for spacing out the wall of text! It is easier to read for the eye! :D

I'm a huge fan of Top Gear, this made my day!