Well then I guess I'm a "skilless, lazy, fake enthusiast driver". Owned a Civic Si and while it was fun when there was no traffic, 95% of the time I was stuck NYC traffic annoyed as shit. While not a DSG, this AT is fun! Blips the throttle for you as you downshift just like the manual, lets me shift when I want (unless its at an unsafe engine speed). No complaints here. Peace mighty manual driver gods.

I cannot believe how many "holier-than-thou" "enthusiasts" are on this site.
I say "enthusiast" because no true enthusiast berates others for their personal choice. They may discuss but this site is full of people who see that someone has something against what they believe and they are wrong.
There is no "well you raise a good point"...just "you're wrong".
I have owned my fair share of cars 15 at last count, including supercharged mr2, 2x GT4 celicas (normal and Carlos saints), 4wd, family wagons, utes, luxury sedans, several sports cars, and so on.
I have also been heavily involved in motorsports most of my life, though nothing more than for fun, including karting, hillclimbs, autox, track days, etc.
Therefore I would consider myself quite an enthusiast.
My original choice for my 86GTS was manual, however after events ensued, I ended up with a 2012 6AT 86GTS just after release.
Does this truly make me any less of an enthusiast? No.
I love the manual, and will never say otherwise...however, in this case...I love my AT more. I was in the situation to swap over my AT for a MT, and the loss of a grand or whatever notwithstanding, i just didn't want to.
The AT is simply easier when you want, in traffic,etc., and it is more economical. Do I truly care about these things? No.
But I have seen no situation where I have been disadvantaged against manual drivers in performance, as the difference in acceleration is minor (and I don't waste my time drag racing).
I drive in manual mode 99% of the time. I do a lot of kms, and a lot of mountain runs.
It is a truly amazing bit of gear and I have never once thought I would prefer at to mt.
But in this case I do.
But because 90% of the people on this forum are "true enthusiasts" I guess I am wrong.
Sue me.

This is a great choice for a car! I've owned many performance cars in the past, and this one continues to blow me away.

If you are really into getting the feeling of the car, and sports / performance cars in general... I think that an M/T will suit you quite well in the long run. I don't personally have any experience with the A/T in this car, so that will be something to really try to feel out in the test drive.

I came straight out of a 12' WRX into this car and have no regrets whatsoever! It's an excellent car, and you'll love it.

First learned to drive on manual...love manual transmission cars...have 6spd manual Lotus Elise for fun and FR-S AT as daily...love AT in NY traffic...just put on $20k+ worth of upgrades on AT FR-S...great first impressions from Supercharger/AP Racing BBK/Ohlins/exhaust/etc...will put up my Lotus Elise for sale soon...ready to take FR-S to at least 8 track days I already signed up for...

I've driven both, while the automatic is nice and does a decent job of impersonating a true flappy paddle gearbox, this car is meant to be had in a proper manual transmission. Do yourself a favor and get one in a manual. I did and have no regrets. Hold your head high knowing you are doing your part to keep alive a dying skill and option! :burnrubber:

I've been DD'ing my manual for a year and a half now with no regrets. Traffic is not an issue and even in the worst stop and go, it gives you something to do.

Every once in a while I'll get the notion in my head that I don't "feel like" taking the FR-S for a quick run to the post office or something and I'll take my wife's car... and then I wonder what I was thinking by the time I get to the first stop sign.

My only complaints are that I wish my garage was wider so I could open my door more. :D

Wind noise is a bit high, but as I came from older cars it wasn't a big adjustment for me. The speakers aren't very good so you do really have to crank the stereo when cruising at seventy, but that's easily fixed if I really cared. Truth is, I'm just as happy with the radio off listening to the car.

Just gonna toss this out in case it was missed. Make sure the stereo is set to FR-S and not TC as many were, then set it to DSP Loud and set the treble/bass to 3-4 which should work fine volume wise up to around 30-34 depending on your music type. Still no after market system, but it sounds much better.

I have found that setting it to xD over FR-S gives you a deeper bass, which I am all for a deep and loud bass. I actually felt that the FR-S setting was the weakest of all. Any specific reason that it SHOULD be set to FR-S though?

It's my understanding (which could be wrong) that the setting tunes it for the cabin shape/speaker placement. All the Scions have different numbers of speakers in different places with differing power, etc. This allows Scion/Pioneer to provide one head unit tuned for all the cars. If you think xD sounds better, go for it. Maybe I'll try out another one as well.

i'm also asian... and if i were you I'd tell my mom "no thanks", eat the cost and buy the manual transmission on your own.

it is worth it.

Well ... since this has turned into another manual vs automatic ... I'll give you my 0.02. To OP: get the manual. Because in the very near future .... there will be no more manuals. Most performance cars are going dual clutch transmissions. When it comes to performance .... dual clutch automated transmissions are faster than manuals. Get the manual so you can experience a wonderful aging technology. That way ... you can tell your kids that you knew how to drive a manual.

I bought an automatic...and regretted it. So now I have an AT FRS as a DD and a beater MT Miata for fun car :burnrubber:

I'm 21 and have an AT 10 series. I'll tell you what man, I'm a pretty lazy driver so AT is the way to go for me. For you, don't muck about. You're dropping a lot of money on something you're going to have for a while. Get what you want. You'll be extremely happy man, I'm sure. Because.. who's going to be driving it more, your mum or you? Who will appreciate it more? That's just my logic. My mom wanted me to get a prius and I politely said piss off. I explained to my parents I'd be taking the brunt of the payment and am willing to cover the costs. Made sense to them. Hopefully it all works out for you bro. Good luck.

Off topic but lol are you really from cali? You talk like a Brit lol

Haha man, I've been watching the Ricky Gervais show lately. I think it's wearing off.

Never drove the automatic version, but I guess it gets around a couple issues I have with the car (second gear crunch in the cold, and a vague feeling clutch). The automatic won't be as fun on winding back roads, but chances are, you'll spend more time navigating traffic and parking lots, where an automatic is just easier.

It really depends on your personal preference, the roads you'll be on, and the climate you live in. If I was driving around the Bay Area, I'd probably go with the automatic.

I think these cars are about the perfect daily drivers. Lets face it nobody drives to work with passengers. On Friday when you go the grocery to buy the stuff your old lady "forgets" it all fits. It handles the country backroads like a champ and it great on the interstate. It does well in the snow with snow tires.


The only question mark is how long the engine will last before becoming a PITA. A lot of people here are optimistic so I hope they are right, but I would be more comfortable with a Toyota engine.


There are already some with 50k miles no issues, but that's easy interstate driving. The chainsaw sound of the engine struggling up hills isn't quite confidence inspiring, neither is the tip-in knock, or the vvt sound. But I have my hopes up better now that there is a domestic TSB for a better factory tune. Every dd should get that dealer flash.

Get the automatic. The paddle shifter and manual control as well as the higher miles/gallon than the tc.
I drive mine 30 miles per day, use the manual shifting with the sport mode. It's a perfect wind down from work, and you feel like a new person when you get out of it. It's also a good way to train how to properly shift.
You should expect instant power when needed, and set you warning shift light at a good rev. Good luck.