Thinking of getting an FR-S, but is it for me?

[Granovsky]

Hey guys,
I didn't find a similar post, I apologize if something like this already exists.
I am trying to decide whether the FR-S would be a right car for me. And yes, I will testdrive it of course, but I want to hear some opinions from people who have had it for a while.
I have a fair bit of knowledge about cars and driving and I enjoy a bit of occasional, casual spirited driving. I keep it on a safe side though, by no means am I skilled or experienced. I've never drifted before, I'm not a fan of burn-outs and I don't race.
My current 140hp Civic Coupe (manual) has a redline at ~7000 and it's pretty rev-happy (as far as I know, I haven't driven that many manuals). But occasional stiff/hard shifts into 2nd at high RPM and other minor shifter issues ruin the experience... So, my first question:
-Does it feel natural and non-destructive to operate FR-S closer to its limit? Does the shifter feel healthy and consistent all the way through RPM range?
-Would I be able to still have fun around the torque dip between 3500-4500rpm? Does it still pull adequately (I'm NOT a speed freak by any means) or is it actually annoyingly weak in that range? I'd be nice to not have to go past 5000 every time I want to overtake.

95% of my driving is to work and running errands, which I still enjoy with some good music, taking a corner or two a bit quicker than usual traffic, but obviously it's no track driving. Besides that, I just like using the shifter and feeling like I'm in something alive and beautiful, not in something like a beige-gray ecobox with "best-in-class dullness". So, the question is:
-Is it a pleasure on it's own with occasional fun driving (I'm not talking about creature comforts and bells and whistles)? Or is it not worth it unless I know how to drive a RWD car fast, drift it, mod it, etc?

I noticed that the general consensus on practicality was that FR-S is practical for a sports car, but still lacks practicality in a general sense. So,
-Is there anything terribly impractical for a young male driver with no kids, not picky about extra creature comforts, happy with the MPG specs, etc?

And finally:
-The infamous cricket/chirping fuel pump. Does pretty much EVERYONE have this issue? Do you hear it only when idling? Can you really hear it from the inside of the car?

Thanks guys!

[MightyMeeple]

Hey there OP...welcome to the forums. Before the flames come on, there are countless posts like yours asking for similar input. But I understand it's hard to discern from them if they aren't asking your specific questions.

I'm happy to share my input, take it with a grain of salt!

You can't find a similar new car with better handling/RWD/low center of gravity/excellent transmission for the same money. There's a reason the auto-journalists love these cars. They are affordable and well designed.

It is without doubt a pleasure to own just for driving around...but the car truly shines when going through curves.

It is practical enough for a sports car...and for a young man like yourself, it should serve your needs. I have three kids and there are times when it's tough to cart them around. Trunk is small, but rear seats do fold if you need to.

The one thing you may balk at is the stereo in these cars. I can't speak for the FR-S, but the BRZ one is quite mediocre with both operation and sound quality. An aftermarket upgrade can easily fix that though.

Don't fret the crickets. When they do occur for me, I only hear them at stoplight/stop sign...I have never heard them while driving the car.

This car is easy to drive at it's limits and most would agree it was designed to be driven that way. There's something really fun about revving this engine to 6K or more for each shift. The torque dip is a minor annoyance, and you learn to adapt your driving to get around it....there are aftermarket options to help here too.

Coming from your current car, you will love this car...go test drive and be prepared to want to drive it home.

Good luck and keep us all posted. Would love to see pics if you take the plunge and buy one.

[Bakemono858]

^ pretty much all you need to know. Just never drive spirited with traction control off until you're in a safe environment. It's VERY easy to break the rear loose and if you have zero experience with having the rear come around you're gonna have a bad time. It'll possibly scare you to hell like it has with some of my friends lol. The stereo does suck indeed and you're gonna wish you had a better sound system if you do appreciate audio quality.

[pinski]

Welcome! I'll try and answer your questions one at a time:

Originally Posted by Granovsky

-Does it feel natural and non-destructive to operate FR-S closer to its limit?

Absolutely. The car comes into its element when driven at the limit.

Originally Posted by Granovsky

Does the shifter feel healthy and consistent all the way through RPM range?

The shifter? Yes - the only quibble some have is downshifting into first can be a little crunchy on a cold morning. I've rarely had this issue.

Originally Posted by Granovsky

Would I be able to still have fun around the torque dip between 3500-4500rpm? Does it still pull adequately (I'm NOT a speed freak by any means) or is it actually annoyingly weak in that range? I'd be nice to not have to go past 5000 every time I want to overtake.

The torque dip is an annoyance, but also overrated. While I'd prefer it to be gone, living with it isn't an issue. If you want to engage in spirited driving, you'll only have to go through the dip once, every shift (at or near redline) will put you above the dip. The twins also have adequate power to pass without having to wind it out all the way, if you're passing safely.

Originally Posted by Granovsky

Is it a pleasure on it's own with occasional fun driving (I'm not talking about creature comforts and bells and whistles)? Or is it not worth it unless I know how to drive a RWD car fast, drift it, mod it, etc?

Oh yeah. The only other car I've ever owned that I looked forward to hopping in, just for the drive home was my Miata. It's a car that will encourage you to find the long way home, and will reward you as you hone your skill at driving it.

Originally Posted by Granovsky

Is there anything terribly impractical for a young male driver with no kids, not picky about extra creature comforts, happy with the MPG specs, etc?

Not at all, unless you regularly haul more than one passenger in addition to yourself. The backseat is useless for anything other than very small children.

Originally Posted by Granovsky

The infamous cricket/chirping fuel pump. Does pretty much EVERYONE have this issue? Do you hear it only when idling? Can you really hear it from the inside of the car?

*knocks on wood*

I've yet to have this issue. In others cars that have it, I never considered it that annoying either.

[PeterFRS]

I had my heater fan bearing making noise..they replaced it once and it came back about a week after.. I guess just live with it..
you seem to be spot on as to what kind of power/experience you want out of a car.
I don't floor it that much and occasional acceleration is adequate. shifting feel is positive and i love it, now i want shorter throws though
the torque dip isn't THAT noticeable to me...at least..haha
as long as you are okay with RWD, and space/passenger seating.
I'd say go for it! but don't expect high quality craftsmanship I would say

[Tcoat]

OK it has to be said so I will step up!
Dude there are about 1,000 threads on this subject and 100,000,000 on the subject of crickets! You don't even need to search just read through some titles. Spend an hour or so just reading and all your questions will be answered.

OK that is over with so...

What the guys above said really!

[EAGLE5]

A tune minimizes the torque dip. $550 from OFT. I've never had crickets, or at least never noticed them. There are a few used twins out there. I'd look for one of those now. Actually, I'd hunt for a well-sorted turbo or Jackson Racing supercharged car, preferably with a built engine. Let someone else spend the big money.

Oh, and if you want to get chicks, this is the wrong car. This might get you some dudes, but that's about it. If you want to attract women, get big convertible: Toyota Solara, 3-series, etc.

[NOHOME]

If this were the car for you, you would not be here asking a bunch of random strangers for their opinion: You would be on your way to the dealer to buy it no matter what got in your way.

If you do not have that kind of passion for owning a sports car, you should not buy one. There are lots of cars that make sense and are practical. This is not one of them.

[VTEC]

Are you coming from an 8th or 9th gen R18 civic? If you are in an 8th gen with a manual, you probably have one of the best handling, fun to drive and practical economy cars.

If you get the FR-S you will obviously make a sacrifice in cost and a little bit in practicality. Our rear seats only seat two instead of three, and it is really really cramped back there. The suspension is very solid and makes for a bumpy and for some, an uncomfortable ride. There is no sunroof. You gotta pump premium instead of regular.

But when you wanna rip it, its amazing. The steering and suspension are so precise. Even just swerving around potholes feels so planted. The throws on the stock shifter are very short. The car is light and agile. Don't worry about the torque dip. The engine is 60hp more than an R18 civic. It will still feel a lot faster.

To me I feel its worth every bit of the extra cost in terms of money and practicality. But it's really up to you to decide how much you need or plan to use the extra performance. If you feel don't need the 200hp or the stiff suspension, then maybe keep the civic for a bit longer. Mazda3s and the base Golf can be pretty fun in manual as well. Even the 2014 Scion TC is not a bad alternative to a Civic EX coupe. People here make fun of the TC, but their looks and suspension were updated for 2014 and I think its pretty good value for its niche --a fun to drive economy car with all the practicality of your Civic EX/LX/DX. The FR-S is more of an alternative to the Civic SI. I don't know if you are considering an SI? FR-S is a slightly lighter, more agile SI, with lower center of gravity, less body roll, and rear wheel drive, but no sunroof, less interior space and no BWAAHHH sound when you hit VTEC. (I love that sound as might have figured from my username haha. But not enough to give up on rear wheel drive)

[NOHOME]

If this were the car for you, you would not be here asking a bunch of random strangers for their opinion: You would be on your way to the dealer to buy it no matter what got in your way.

If you do not have that kind of passion for owning a sports car, you should not buy one. There are lots of cars that make sense and are practical. This is not one of them.

[strat61caster]

Yes it feels fantastic shifting at the limit, working this car hard is where it feels the most natural.

On the flip side putting around town under 4k rpm is kind of a disappointment in my opinion, will probably feel very similar to your civic except less refined.

Ignore the crickets imo, it's a non issue. If you really care what people think this isn't the car for you, there will always be someone saying "Why didn't you get the Subaru/Mustang/Genesis/Miata/S2000?" problems or not.

It will absolutely be a pleasure on a smooth windy backroad, experienced or not.

Honestly sounds more like you'd enjoy a Hot Hatch, more practical and often times much more comfort focused. A GTI, Focus/Fiesta ST, Abarth, Civic Si, Mini, Mazda3 whatever else I forgot. Might be a little less intimidating and a better long term choice. They also afford you the opportunity to get into driving more competitively, you can take any of those to an AutoX or Track Day and have a good time (again you can do this with a Toyobaru, Mustang, Genesis, Miata etc. as well, just a different avenue to explore).

Oh and don't let RWD scare you, my grandparents survived for decades driving RWD cars with much lower handling capabilities, it's a helluva lot easier to live with now.

[Koa]

Originally Posted by MightyMeeple

Hey there OP...welcome to the forums. Before the flames come on, there are countless posts like yours asking for similar input. But I understand it's hard to discern from them if they aren't asking your specific questions.

I'm happy to share my input, take it with a grain of salt!

You can't find a similar new car with better handling/RWD/low center of gravity/excellent transmission for the same money. There's a reason the auto-journalists love these cars. They are affordable and well designed.

It is without doubt a pleasure to own just for driving around...but the car truly shines when going through curves.

It is practical enough for a sports car...and for a young man like yourself, it should serve your needs. I have three kids and there are times when it's tough to cart them around. Trunk is small, but rear seats do fold if you need to.

The one thing you may balk at is the stereo in these cars. I can't speak for the FR-S, but the BRZ one is quite mediocre with both operation and sound quality. An aftermarket upgrade can easily fix that though.

Don't fret the crickets. When they do occur for me, I only hear them at stoplight/stop sign...I have never heard them while driving the car.

This car is easy to drive at it's limits and most would agree it was designed to be driven that way. There's something really fun about revving this engine to 6K or more for each shift. The torque dip is a minor annoyance, and you learn to adapt your driving to get around it....there are aftermarket options to help here too.

Coming from your current car, you will love this car...go test drive and be prepared to want to drive it home.

Good luck and keep us all posted. Would love to see pics if you take the plunge and buy one.

You've never heard them while driving the car because the 'crickets'/noisy solenoid actuation is actually due to the HPFP's target pressure at idle. Try revving your engine a little bit at a stoplight, to where the HPFP kicks out of its target idle pressure and into the "normal" operation pressure- voila, crickets instantly go away.

Refer to this post for more info

Thus, it is possible there is a tuning fix for this issue... also explains why those who try to 'cure' crickets with injector additives are just banging their head against the wall at best, and hurting their engine/pocketbook at worst.

[Granovsky]

Wow guys, I did not expect so many detailed replies! Thanks to everyone who responded!

Originally Posted by Tcoat

OK it has to be said so I will step up!
Dude there are about 1,000 threads on this subject and 100,000,000 on the subject of crickets! You don't even need to search just read through some titles. Spend an hour or so just reading and all your questions will be answered.

OK that is over with so...

What the guys above said really!

Actually, I did spend at least an hour reading posts about crickets and watching multiple videos on youtube. I was pretty dissapointed because there were, like you said, 100,000,000 threads on the subject and that might have blown it out of proportion for me. I wanted to get an idea about whats its like in the interior, when you're driving which wasn't clear from what I've read or watched. In general, you only write about an issue if you have it and its bugging you, so that makes it hard to evaluate how bad it really is or how often in happens.
Anyway, in any case thanks for your and everyone else's input. I'm selling my Civic and really looking forward to taking FR-S for a test drive.

P.S. I feel like this forum is a bit more intelligent and respectful than the forums dedicated to other cars that I have previously read/participated in. I hope that's a reflection on the car

[rushofmusic]

Hi there OP!

I was pretty much in the same boat as you. I loved cars growing up but I was in no way a speed demon or huge risk taker.

I do some spirited and technical driving from time to time and I think the car is great for both of those as well as daily driving. While the torque dip does exist, it won't prevent you from doing every day driving tasks. I am also in the same boat as you (young male, no kids, etc). I don't find the car to be terribly impractical; you just won't really be able to give more than 1 friend a lift at a time.

I have no experience modding, track driving, or drifting but I still find this car extremely fun to drive. I find that the car makes every highway on/off ramp and corners fun, even on a daily commute to work.

I've had my car for almost two months now and I'm 2,000 miles in. No signs of the crickets yet .

Hope this helps and welcome to the community (I have a feeling you'll be joining us)!