Yahoo Autos - FR-S vs Cayman S

[wbradley]

The US has the cheapest prices on new cars in the developed world. Sadly, I live in Canada.

Looked into importing a BRZ from NY state briefly, but an importation tax of ~ 5.5% ON TOP of our 13% sales tax would have applied, negating most of the savings. And I would have to pay up front for warranty work then try and claim it back from Subaru USA. Wasnt worth my trouble IMHO.

I was shocked that the FR-S was only $1000.00 more in Canada (4%), but in addition freight and PDI is ~ $1500 here and I think $700 in the US, so the total ticket is $1800 more.

In past years I have seen lease ads for luxury cars in the Florida newspapers for at least 35% less than advertised here, and this is when our currencies were almost at par.

Sometimes it's just better to not know about this stuff and avoid the aggravation.

Maybe I'll just pack up and move to the Outback and spend my days playing the dijideroo (hope I said that right). Munch on some nice sweet insects.

[einzlr]

Originally Posted by ipothas

But in regards to the article you posted: given the price difference, idk how you could even begin to compare the two. Almost seems silly to try and pit them against each other

Originally Posted by ipothas

Specifically on the page concerning the FR-S, with the "cheap looking" interior. Of course...it's being compared to a Porsche interior...

Originally Posted by Snoopyalien24

I do not like how they were compared. Based on how they did, OF COARSE the Porsche was going to win. Its almost twice as much!

This comparison was part of a group of two-car comparisons where in each they pitted an affordable car against a high-priced one with similar characteristics such as layout, size category etc. They purported to examine the question of whether paying X times the $$ gets you XX times as much car.

Clearly they are very enthusiastic about the BRZ/FR-S. Right at the beginning of its section of the article they reveal that they were rooting for it:

It’s so unfair. We love this car, but management doesn’t allow ties for first in a two-car comparison

[madoka]

Originally Posted by einzlr

Clearly they are very enthusiastic about the BRZ/FR-S. Right at the beginning of its section of the article they reveal that they were rooting for it:

Yeah, but in declaring the Cayman the winner, they conclude that the Porsche is worth the additional cost.

As for my observations. . .

The first time I drove a FR-S I heard about the wonderful handling and took a hard corner. My immediate thought was "uh oh, I shouldn't have done that."

If I were to take that corner at the same speed in a Cayman S, I'm usually thinking, "I bet I could have gone 15-20 MPH faster."

There is no performance metric that the FR-S is better than the Cayman S outside of fuel economy. But that's understandable given the cost differential between the two.

[Dazza]

Originally Posted by madoka

The first time I drove a FR-S I heard about the wonderful handling and took a hard corner. My immediate thought was "uh oh, I shouldn't have done that."

If I were to take that corner at the same speed in a Cayman S, I'm usually thinking, "I bet I could have gone 15-20 MPH faster.".

I think part of the issue here is a distinction between "handling" and "grip".....although related they are different.

[Tambat]

Originally Posted by madoka

The first time I drove a FR-S I heard about the wonderful handling and took a hard corner. My immediate thought was "uh oh, I shouldn't have done that."

If I were to take that corner at the same speed in a Cayman S, I'm usually thinking, "I bet I could have gone 15-20 MPH faster."

There is no performance metric that the FR-S is better than the Cayman S outside of fuel economy. But that's understandable given the cost differential between the two.

well the cayman has a much nicer suspension setup and better tires to boot. throw some coilovers/sway bars/wider tires on the twins and i would have to assume that the grip would be better than a cayman. i know its really hard to compare each other because the twins are such a bargain sports car but upgrading the small things can at least make the handling of the two comparable.

[SUB-FT86]

I think it would still lose against a base Cayman.

[Tveil]

Owned a base Cayman for a few years and can honestly say that based on my normal spirited driving tendencies (i.e. non-track use), my FRS is at least 90% as satisfying to drive. Granted, the FRS is a bit short on HP and doesn't have the sweet sounds that a mid-engine car offers but for the price you can't beat it.

[Re_Invention]

Originally Posted by Tveil

Owned a base Cayman for a few years and can honestly say that based on my normal spirited driving tendencies (i.e. non-track use), my FRS is at least 90% as satisfying to drive. Granted, the FRS is a bit short on HP and doesn't have the sweet sounds that a mid-engine car offers but for the price you can't beat it.

Could you go into more detail comparing the two, please? With the new Cayman coming out in a few months the current gen is sure to drop in price in the upcoming year. The M96 engine (IMS failure) is what turns me off from 'em, pops had an 03' Carrera and it was always a concern in the back of his mind.

[dem00n]

Well one of the comments in the article made a worthy point.


None of us can drive for jack shit, so we better drive Honda Accords for the rest of our lives.

Damn.