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Finally took the FR-S for a test drive- first impression
I have spent the last few weekends looking around at local scion dealerships. Had some great experiences so far. I had one dealership tell me they had one on the lot, but when I got there 30 minutes later they didn't have one. Someone told me they sold the last one the previous day...so I was like who the hell lied to me? Have a nice day. See you never.
I had another dealership offer me about 50% of the kbb trade in value of my car and said have a nice day. See you never. Finally got to a place that is offering me a decent deal so I decided to go for a test drive. They tossed me the keys and said have fun...kind of shocked they didn't come with me. I was like :burnrubber: right out of the dealership. Actually, I drove like a grandma. It was tough to get used to the clutch and gears. Very High engagement. Drove it around for probably 10 minutes and quite honestly I wasn't that impressed. It's a sharp car and it feels like it brakes and handles quite well but I was let down by the accelaration. Seriously lacks any torque...I didn't redline it so I don't know if it's better higher up in the powerband but it has NOTHING down low. I feel like you'd have to dump it at 6k just to spin the tires. Maybe I'm expecting too much out of a 25k car...but the power isn't great and the mileage isn't great. I currently drive a 2003 mazdaspeed protege. Similar design (2850 lbs, probably at about 180-190 hp right now). The only real difference is that it is FWD. My 10 year old car gets better mileage and fees like it has more balls. Definitely got some looks. I was ready to pull the trigger but I am having second thoughts... |
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Second. Yes, at first it FEELS slow but that's because it is so well balanced and planted. At least that's my opinion. |
Yeah RWD, waay better balanced car, and an extremely stabalized chasis. Get a Mustang or a Gen if you want to be embedded in your seat I guess? lol :iono:
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The power in these cars is higher up in the rev range (5-7K rpm)...it doesn't have a whole lot down low.
These cars loosen up substantially after a couple thousand miles of break-in (as evidenced by the countless dynos of cars before and after they are broken in.) Dealer may have put in regular gas which will make the car accelerate like absolute rubbish. Even if the aforementioned issues are addressed, the car just might be slow to you, and that is something that might not be remedied without significant modifications. Different strokes... |
I said this in a similar thread a couple weeks ago....
If I wanted to be driving something that FELT fast I'd have kept my Jeep Wrangler. 80mph in that thing w/ some crosswinds is SCARY AS HELL. Compared to that I feel like I'm not moving in my FR-S. Except my FR-S would lap the Jeep on the Nurburgring about 40 times in 10 minutes. Edit: just to clarify. I'm not bashing your opinion. Just making sure you're looking at "speed" in the right light. You get a very different impression of how fast you are going when your ass is 13 feet above two live axles instead of 13 inches off the asphalt. |
my protege gets 25/30 where the fr-s stick is 22/30 I think. I could spend 80 books on a MBC, drop in coilovers for a G and blow the fr-s out of the water...but my car is getting old and I would like to trade it in before I hit 100k miles.
I told them I would return next weekend to go for another test drive. I don't think I went above 5500 rpm so this time I will push it. I was being fairly cautious as it had just rained and it's a car I've never driven. I used to drive a trans am and had some hairy moments =) I love the car...but I just don't know if I want to put myself back into debt to drive a similar car that just looks better. |
I'm at 1k miles. I don't do a lot of highway driving and yet I'm averaging 33 (per the car) with the MT.
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First of all...I don't think there is any way your car gets 25/30 mpg...My mazda 3 didn't get that and it was NA
Genius post above...the car doens't feel very fast cause it is very well balanced. It's so composed and in control that it's almost unexciting... When I test drove it, the dealer let me take it to redline...it doesn't give you the same torque pull as say v6 obvi...put I was getting into trouble quite quickly actuallly...it's surprisingly fast. |
i look down and before i know it im doing 60... i love the car
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Does it even run on regular? Will it throw a CEL or something? the specs don't say regular/premium like the Genesis does, it strictly states just premium. |
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I test drove 3 FRS's so far, 2 at the long beach test drive expo and 1 at a local dealership. I have to agree with the op, this car lacks torque,but Maybe I set my expectations too high. However it's a really fun car and I can see it as a huge upgrade in terms of performance for those that are coming from civics and corolla's. Can't match the performance to mpg that this car gets.
This forum gets very defensive against those who have anything negative to say about the FRS, very different from tacomaworld the op is just voicing his experience that's all. |
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The forum gets defensive because we have had numerous trolls come on here merely to put down the car and not voice anything constructive at all. So even the legitimate opinions are looked upon with disdain and suspicion, not too mention a bit of impatience. |
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30 mpg seems great, but you factor in that extra 20 cents per gallon and it's not as great. I have a turbocharged car so I'm used to the premium pricing but it does kind of suck. I like the platform of the FR-S, but a FR-ST would really be amazing. The other thing I like about my protege is that it is unique. It was only made for 1 year and you don't see too many of them on the road. I may just fix it up and make it an FRS slayer :lol: |
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And to the original post, everybody knew this car had lil torque in the lower rpm range, but that's also not what this car was built for. If that is a major concern for you, than this car is definitely not for you. I make up the lack of torque by stepping on the throttle a little harder than I normally do when accelerating.. It get's the job done. but I loooooove driving this car in 3rd/4th gear in the higher rpm ranges, especially on roads with turns and hills. Too much fun. :party0030: |
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The car lacks torque but I love driving it still, its great
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Though after the oil change that I'm going to do today... I plan in ripping on it some to REALLY get to know the car some more. :) |
Everybody that's saying the car feels slow because it is so well balanced I don't believe you guys one bit. I was in a more well balanced car that didn't feel slow and it's called a Honda S2000. The balance of this car is not ideal as a 370Z and Gencoupe is around 55f/45r.
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It's a 2-liter NA engine - how much torque did you expect? You do have to be in the upper rev ranges to maximize acceleration, similar to a Honda 4-banger. That said, I don't consider 0-60 in 6.5 slow. The car is not about pure speed, as has been mentioned many times....
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Cars are actually one of the primary reasons north americans have so many debt problems these days... EDIT: Also I guess I am alone in that this car reminds me of my 1973 Mini...being so close to the ground I find it feels like you are going fast all the time! Additionally, I've already spun the wheels twice at low RPM's completely accidentally, so, not sure where your torque concerns are coming from... |
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http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TZ60-72xZZ...og_yawning.jpg
I cant even hold back on this one... The 2nd shittiest thread ever...... Congratulations on wasting 2 minutes of my time.. 10/10 for originality..........http://www.cracked.com/blogimages/2009/09/22.jpg |
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I used to have an 03.5 MAZDASPEED Protege many years ago. It had a SRI, Corksport exhaust and catless DP, and an AFC tuned at 8 psi. The speed protege stock on paper is still slower than an FRS. Even with all of those mods, I was only putting down around 170whp which is what these things are putting down stock. And of course the low end torque seems low. You have a quick spooling, but extremely small T25 turbo that gives great low end a midrange power. But I also came from an AP1 S2000. Not sure why someone above said that car felt fast? You think the FRS has no low end torque? Go drive an AP1. That thing was a turd around town. The FRS has a huge amount of torque below 3k than most small N/A 4-cyl that I have ever driven. I still don't understand why people keep saying this. Maybe they feel the torque dip and think "this thing is slooooow". And lets not forget the main point. The FRS was designed with performance in mind from the ground up. The MAZDASPEED Protege was an econobox with some performance suspension bolted on, and one of the shittiest turbo designs every created slapped on an engine that couldn't even handle it. The FS engines were bending its puny rods on stock 6 lbs of boost. What about the glass LSD? Those things couldn't make it even 100k miles before exploding on people going 35 mph. He is right about the MPG's. I could average 28-30. But I am getting a constant 30-32 in my FRS. Don't get me wrong, the speed was one of my favorite cars I have ever driven. It is a ton of fun and handles extremely well for a FWD car, but I think there is no comparison...
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I have a test on how well a car handles. It is a particular left hand turn that most of my cars required me to brake before completing. Only my previous Mini Cooper and now my FRS allow me to make the turn without braking, and the FRS at a much higher speed. Some of you may remember the Lotus Élan which was an anemic powered sports car built in the 60's. It used to beat higher powered sports cars on road courses because it handled so well, including Porsches. The FRS is the spiritual successor to the Lotus.
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Unfortunately so. Your exige must be a blast to drive. I've gotten to ride in my buddy's elise several times and love that car. He has since sold it and picked up a boxster spyder which is equally as awesome. Both examples of well balanced cars. |
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Don't buy the FRS, your one year run only Mazdaspeed is obviously better in every way...
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Sure, lets factor it in. Using my fuelly account I found out I average a 10.1 gallon fillup. A 20 cent difference in premium brings us to $2.02 per fill up. My fuelly says I average 6 fill ups per month but I've only had the car for a month and I did a LOT more driving than I usually would in a month. Nevertheless, that high average brings us to 72 fill ups/year. Over a year I spent $145.57 more in petrol so I could have premium (going by averages here on prices too). Now that's not a big difference, I'm paying an extra $0.40/day to have premium. No offense but this would basically make you a complete cheapskate if you think paying an extra 40 cents a day is something that is even worth these calculations. But hey lets look at it like this, my previous car averaged 21mpg under significantly less aggressive driving than how I drive my BRZ. My average fill up was 15.5 gallons of regular old gas which I've seen at around $3.33 in my area right now. Assuming I still drove the same amount in my old car, I am saving about $700/year by putting premium into my BRZ that I have FUN driving. Check my stats if you're interested, I don't do ANY highway driving. My drive to work is from 6:50-730am and home is around 4:00-4:45. Pretty high traffic times in my area. These numbers would all be even better if they weren't for traffic. http://www.fuelly.com/driver/laika/brz |
$.20 a gallon is a 5% difference in price, or equal cost wise to getting 28.5 mpg on regular vs 30mpg on premium. Nbd
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Maths. I'm getting 32 MPG. 93 Octane is currently $3.30. Low Octane s $3.00.
If I go 320 miles, I use 10 gallons. That would cost me $30 if I were in a different car (still getting 32 MPG) and could buy Low Octane. $30 will only buy me 9.091 gallons of 93 Octane though, for the FR-S. With 9.091 gallons I can only go 290.91 miles in the FR-S. So having to buy 93, at current prices and fuel consumption, is like dropping from 32 MPG to 29.1 MPG for me. My Si got in the 23 MPG to 26 MPG range for about 95% of the 130 or so fillups I did in it. Of course, the actual effect will be negligible given I will probably put 5000 miles/year on the car. 156 gallons/year x 30 cents = $47/year = $3.90/month = 90 cents a week. |
You also would get lower mileage with lower octane. When I had a maxima I would get 3 more mpg on premium than on regular, so it would cancel out the price increase. That's why I never care if a car requires premium, and I sort of feel bad for anyone who is pinching pennies so bad that $3 more at the pump when you fill up is a big deal.
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Never really did the math out. I guess it's not that bad. Maybe $150 a year with the mileage I am doing.
Not sure why this forum is full of such whiny children. Merely voicing my opinion after taking it for a test drive. Like I said, I will go for round 2 and push it a little more. Maybe find an onramp to test out. Sorry if I hurt anyones feelings :thumbsup: |
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