I am all down for them making changes both in performance and looks to the car every year. It keeps it fresh and might make me want to trade in my car every 2 to 3 years.

This will mean more used ones for us poor folks to choose from after all the rich folks trade in for the first release series. :)

Actually Scions have really good resale value. The FR-S will probably have on the best resale values of any Scion or Toyota. Also remember they are not going to be making a lot of these per year.

What a headache. Lol

Later down the line.. "I got mine in 2014!"
"I got mine in 2015. My 2015 is better than your 2014 at a lower price~"

Great this means every year, if I buy the first edition, I'm going to hate the new variant that comes out because it has features I couldn't get.

I've never owned any special editions anything nor own anything that's not a First Gen. it's not going to kill me, if I don't something special. I was always happy with the car no matter how it changed.

Since you refuse to read, I have done most of the work for you.

my bad man. i dont mean to be a di ck .. and I didn't remember that 1.2 us gal = 1 imp gal or 34 us mpg = 42 imp mpg and that all those reviews were uk

I think scion will have slightly different specs from year to year but I don't think they'll be full on refreshes.

Given how Toyota is treating the car, I can see the fr s turn into an s2000 and not get that many updates because the designers and engineers and whoever want to keep the car "true" to itself.

Or you could just drive to Subaru and have it in any color the first year?

That really makes sense to wait for some Scion special version? It doesn't to me. It's one of the reasons Scion is dying IMO.

Life's too short - live for the present, enjoy what you have.

It'll be 2HP bumps and slight cosmetic revisions each year. Just like every other car.

For those of you worried and waiting, some wise words from Mr. Moto from Club4ag that i found very inspiring:

:thumbsup::burnrubber:

You're right about the Mustang owners, that was tough. But the GT-R owners have the option of upgrading their car to the newest iteration through Nissan dealerships (at a price) and you conveniently decline to leave the $50,000 difference between the 911 GT3 RS and the 911 GT3 RS 4.0 :slap:

I don't think it's Toyota's MO to introduce radical changes after a couple of years to a model, however, it is Subaru's. It's shocking over the WRX's life in the US to see how many changes there are in a 10 year span!

Likely we'll see an RS edition pop up in a year, or as the article says; a TRD edition, a luxury edition, etc. Cosmetic stuff and accessories and perhaps an option or two from the GT86 in the FR-S but nothing too drastic. If they offered any performance parts on a version, we'd likely see them as a stand alone purchases as well, I don't think there will be any exclusivity outside of aesthetics. If they do pull a Mustang and offer a completely refreshed body in a year, then a brand new engine the year following.. well.. :brokenheart: I would sell the car and walk away from Toyota :thumbdown: But a couple of horses, some paint and wheels here and there won't strain our relationship :D

evo's actually hold their value quite well. and being that the next gen evo is going to be a hybrid, imo i have a future classic :w00t:

buy for today and not for tomorrow, and enjoy what you have while you still can. always a bigger fish somewhere. as philosophical as that sounds that's my take on buying one MY or the other. it's an easy thing to get hung up on.

Well if that's true I won't ever get one! I'll always say "well I can just wait for the next model and it will have this..."

I guess this means there will be a lot of used ones floating around though - may lead to a massive modding epidemic.

I bet they will be subtle changes.

And especially if they are coming out with a convertible version down the road - there's one variant to check off the list right there.

+1

Also, if anyone is considering a car as an "investment", you need to change how you think of a car. Cars depreciate, and some (read mostly domestics) a lot more than others. Scions hold their value very well, partly because of the lower production numbers.

I'm not saying that there are not cars out there that are worth more now than they were new, but it's more of an exception, than the rule. Supply/demand plays a huge role in this.

The future variants the US will see initially are going to be release Series Scions. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I can see Toyota releasing the GT-86 version in the US in the future if sales go well of the Scion/Subaru versions. If they do, I'm sure many people will do what they had planned with Scion which is to get a consumer to buy a Scion model, to later buy a Toyota model at a higher price. I think if the US gets a higher HP variant of the FR-S/GT-86, it will be under the Toyota badge. Subaru's will be under the STi name. This is all speculation and my semi-edumacated guessing.

Ruskymx :popcorn:

So if Scion wants to change stuff every year, I think I'll just get the Subaru STI which will have it all probably on it's first year. Anyways, I can't get the AS1 on its first year. Maybe, 2nd or 3rd year.

Edit: no matter what, whoever buys this first gen will always be known as having the MKI of the AS1 - and that's cool

I will NOT buy first year. probably 3rd.

why is everybody talking about the subaru STI? we have no idea if there will be one

^When Toyota releases its versions (leaked Modellista, TRD w/ duckbill, TRD w/ BFW) is Subaru gonna just sit there and not release any special versions? Why would Subaru go through all the trouble of displaying a modified concept at the LA Auto Show... and go so far as to name it "STI"?

"Planned obsolescence of desirability" is a pessimistic view... the more realist view is these tweaks extend shelf life (current business model for Porsche, Mustang, GT-R, WRX, EVO, LFA, etc.). Difference here is Toyota is *kindly* letting us know ahead of time instead of keeping it secret... that's great! Knowing what to expect somewhat > not knowing at all. It's also very unorthodox (when did a car maker ever announce things like this BEFORE their new model even debuts?). They have tons of confidence - almost arrogance - banking on this car to be an icon (well it already is in our circle :bonk:).

To increase the hype. It's just a marketing game. That's the reason most of us have stuck around this site for so long - hype. Will it have this feature? Will it cost this much? Let's see another teaser picture! etc.

That which we can not have, we want even more.

But we've spent so much time with the car on our minds, that we'll buy whatever they give us.

The STI concept makes it look more car than it is - cool, awesome. (makes me think wow the BRZ is nice!) Will we get one? Who knows. :iono:

I'll never own this car because next year it'll be completely different and cost $5k more... :clap:

I'll test drive this car when it comes out, but unless it completely blows my socks off (doubtful) I will be waiting for a more powerful version.

A lot of you guys act like we don't modify our cars.

If you get the first year model, and a better version comes out next year, go down to the dealer and buy the parts you want to upgrade. We are enthusiasts are we not?

I like modifying vehicles

I like new car warranties more.

Lol those two things mix as well as oil and water...

I read. I disagree with your claim that Scion is deliberately screwing the early adopters.

Yours new car warranty doesn't last forever you know. When TRD-spec scion comes out warranty can be gone already.

Besides, in europe toyota did offer TTE SC-kit for few toyotas and those kit's didn't avoid warranty. Could be same for scion?

The tC had a SC option w/ factory backing

I'm going for a first year model. Toyota has been dangling this FT86 concept in front of us for years - if you wait for their "special" models, it could be 2-3 years. They're not so good at the "every year" thing until they prove they can do it. The car is still 5-6 months away!

There's also the chance of losing some cool options in following years. I got a 2003 WRX. In 2004, they changed the seats. They look ugly and cheaper. Love my '03 seats. For all we know they could take away the red stitching, or drop the limited model, etc.

I wouldn't expect a sedan or droptop version too soon.

If Toyota offers a supercharged version, or some fancy TRD options, Subaru will do something similar. Remember Subaru is making ALL these cars. Toyota will literally hand them build specs for any model changes. Wouldn't be tough for Subaru to offer those options on their car. I'm guessing Subaru will share model changes with Toyota. I could see a lot more variations if Toyota were building their own.

Good thing is by next May we should probably already know what the first special release will be, before any of the early adopters buy the first model.

Maybe I'm reading it to it wrong, but to me it sounds like this.

2012: FR-S Coupe
2013: FR-S Super Charged (or w/e)
2014: FR-S Convertible
2015: FR-S Super Charged (or w/e) Convertible
2016: FR-S Coupe Refresh
2017: FR-S Convertible Refresh
2018: Nothing
2019: New FR-S Coupe

ect ect ec yada yada yada

I'd agree. I will say though that they are putting doubts in the minds of early adopters who wish a feature or two were available but aren't (which we don't know until we have full details).

For example, if I wanted an FR-S but wanted heated seats and alcantara, which if we figure 22k base + 2k seats would be 24k (providing reasoning for not going with the est 27k brz limited) and I couldn't get that, what should I do? Wait for a RS that might have it? Buy it and source the seats and such seperately, or spend more for the BRZ limited? I'd probably go with the spend more on the BRZ limited method because I'm lazy. But some will wait.. and wait.. and maybe scion will release it.. maybe not. During that waiting though (and especially if a RS comes out with the only differences being say automatic CC and monkey butt paintjob) that person's patience and opinion of Scion will be tested..

I'd much rather have Scion offer the base car year one with all the options year one. I do NOT see any benefit to this release series stuff.

being that most of the RS cars are just exclusive paint and body kits, or springs and exhaust, interior bits, etc. im ok with the idea of these kind of RS cars. but anything that greatly affects how the car drives, must be offered as an option to everyone else! besides minor yearly revisions to the base car, they should seriously concentrate on yearly PARTS releases. parts that they didnt want to put on the base car due to cost. offer them as options year after year. this way you can sell to both new car buyers, and those who already bought the car and want to update it as much as you can.

This isn't an iPod, I can't buy a new one every year :\

I am sorry, but these factory backed accessories/performance parts (or should i say ricer parts) are usually wack anyway..

It's easy to say that when you own a 1994 Supra (I know because I own one as well) :D


But I want this car to be.... a new car... I'm not about to start gutting it and modding it left and right. I want a fun daily driver. That's reliable. And has a warranty.

The IS-F has had improvements most years since it's inception. The debut car is still great. It doesn't really have anything that you cant do to the first gen (new dash display maybe the exception).

They debuted in 2007, added an LSD for 2010, then retuned the steering and suspension for 2011, then upgraded the suspension again for the '12 MY along with the interior. I don't think many early adopters to the IS-F are grumbling.