Can someone provide review of AT FR-S?
 

Hi guys.

Can anyone link me to either videos or written reviews of the FR-S in auto trim? Almost every review I have seen had the MT FR-S. I want to see what reviewers are saying about the AT one. Thanks

The auto sucks up some energy. It is a joy to drive. I love my automatic despite being slower than the mt. When I drive it hard I always use it in manual mode where I control the gears. The auto does not drive very well in "D" mode in mountains, probably because low torque. That is my opinion.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6485

That's all you need to read to decide.

paging @whataboutbob. Bob autox's his with good results. Came in first last time out competing. Not too bad for flappy paddles. :respekt:

Bought the AT. It's awesome. I can hold hands in the car. Drive in bumper to bumper traffic without going crazy. Shift (faster) in manual mode when I want to.

After learning to drive a manual with the intent of buying a manual FRS/BRZ, I realized how over-rated a clutch and manually shifting all the time is.

^Seriously this!

I have the auto and I think I can best describe it like this...

For the last 24 years, I have only bought, built and raced manual transmission sports cars and muscle cars. After test driving both the manual and automatic FRSs, I bought the auto. The transmission is THAT GOOD!

I also autocross my FRS in STX class and last weekend I took first.
http://teamtac.org/archive/2013/autox/slalom4_fin.htm

One final note.
if you like doing burnouts, drifting or drag racing is your thing, get the manual. Period. While the auto has slightly taller gearing than the manual cars, the biggest drawback from having the auto is not being able to launch it at 4500RPMs and its acceleration suffers for it.

Scott

What these guys said. The Motor-P thread is the most worthwhile reads if you are considering an AT.

Every article that I have read or seen in the media pretty much dismisses the AT as an also ran. They talk about the rev-matching downshifts and its fuel economy and quickly turn their attention to the manual. After having owned an AT since August last year, I don't regret the decision at all.

My recommendation would be that if you can drive stick, try them both out and make up your own mind. If you suck at stick, know that this is one of the best automatics out there. I had an auto in my Corolla XRS and this transmission is light years ahead.

The reality is that the auto is slightly slower than the manual based on gearing and weighing more, but, it will accurately and consistently shift decently fast and you will never stall.

I had my MT for a year. I'm going to do some track events and see if I want to trade for an auto. I probably will. After driving it I really like it but I think I will never have enough time to properly learn to drive it fast. Like being in the right gear at the right time, rev matching perfectly, etc.

I'd say for pure fun on a DD manual is awesome and for most low cost cars a better choice. If you want to hit that apex and accelerate out every time on that favorite windy road and not a pro MT driver, the auto probably is better. Also pretty much can ignore that straight line speed tests because I don't know about you but I never dump my clutch/race in a straight line.

Yikes... Another 6AT vs 6MT thread. Oh well, i'll play :)

The AT is a joy to live with. It's much better at gear management than most of the manual stick-shift drivers I know (including myself). It shifts very fast and allows the engine to stay in it's power band longer... It almost feels like a CVT sometimes. This is for a DD.

At the track where you're always in higher rpms you'll get more out of the manual. I've driven both MT and AT. The AT will probably get you 85% there so for the novice wknd track guy it's a stress free "cruise" around the track which often times = FUN. If you're good enough to drive the car 10/10ths the 6AT will probably be holding you back. I have no problem drifting my 6AT at the track.

With that said... the 6AT at the track is awesome when you realized it never messes up a shift - it holds a gear when you want it to - it predicts and rev matches downshifts better etc... this is until your skills as a driver out grow it. Then perhaps you should buy a more serious track car anyway. The 6AT could use a shorter final drive if someone wants to get the most out of it on the track. It's fine for me as a DD.

There's one annoyance I have with the 6AT... when you're sitting in the slow lane (not in Sport mode) and you mash on the gas pedal because you want to squeeze in front of a faster car in the lane over... it takes it's good old time to downshift. I've since learned I need to downshift with the paddles to lock in the low gear prior to mashing on the pedal. It's easy just needed to retrain my brain how to drive it.

$0.02.

The AT is very smooth and stays in the torque band really well.

Another vote for this ^^. It helped me decide to go AT. My previous car was an MT and I couldn't stand sitting in traffic. For a DD its great. The paddles are the best I've ever experienced and the "Sport" mode really does a good job. If I had to choose again I'd make the same choice.

Moto-p's post/thread nails the explanation. I love my AT. A shorter final drive is an interesting upgrade. I don't feel that the AT is a hindrance for me in AutoXing. We'll see how it works this weekend in Vegas.

Hi everyone, I'm new here. Have owned two MT in the past, and have been driving a Toyota Matrix AT for the past 10 years. Getting a FR-S soon.

I'm opting for AT because indeed the technology seems "good enough", and because of the paddle shifters....those paddle shifters are going to make me feel like I'm playing Gran Turismo 5 on my PS3. :) So it offsets any loss of the occasional fun of a MT since this will be my DD too.

The additional gas mileage is also attractive.

I've driven both and while the AT is quite nice for a automatic, it really feels like it drains some of the life out of the car. As others have stated, it sucks a bit of power out of the car and in a car that has just adequate power, it really makes it feel a bit less fun overall. I think in a car that's lightweight and low on power such as this, a manual transmission helps significantly due to the driver engagement that it offers.

On another note...when I was shopping for my FR-S there was only one automatic on the lot. They had 11 other manual transmission cars with various options/colors, but only one automatic. I really wonder if that's just my dealership catering to average enthusiast who would typically buy a FR-S or if significantly less automatics are made compared to manuals.

Definitely not just your dealer. My dealer told me that 70-80% of the allocation so far has been manual transmissions, and that they tend to sell faster than the autos. Between two Subaru dealerships that me dealer owns within 10 miles there were only 2 autos available (1 premium, 1 limited) out of about 12+ cars they had available to buy. Two other dealers near me only had manual Limited's available as well. I thought the auto (bought a manual) drove pretty well. It was a little down on power vs the manual, but not significantly. If you watch the Everyday Driver comparison video between the FR-S (manual) and BRZ (auto) one of the two drivers was faster around the track with the auto BRZ vs the manual FR-S (the other guy was faster with the manual FR-S). I think has more to do with the suspension setup than the transmission (the guy that was faster with the BRZ felt the FR-S moved around more than he would like in the backend and I am guessing he drove it more conservatively to compensate vs the other guy who preferred the suspension setup of the FR-S).

I have to say that this is a one of the smoothest manuals I have ever driven. If anyone is on the fence about getting a manual because they are worried about the learning curve, don't be. With a little practice and experience you will be a pro in no time. The transmission practically shifts itself :)

:D <-- my face when driving my AT

If your looking for which car is faster then the auto

[ame]http://youtu.be/IMwk8l60xkE[/ame]
[ame]http://youtu.be/Qde3TcynFAI[/ame]

I've drove both as I have the AT, and am the one that loses both the races in these vids.. I've spent awhile with the MT.. In the end I don't regret my decision. I'm 3secs down on randy pobst at streets of willow in my at equipped FRS.. So it's fast enough and still a ton of fun to drive.. It takes a bit more effort to drift and unless its wet its not doing a burn out.. The MT was just as fun, and easier to act like a hooligan.. But the people that say its night and day difference I just don't get.. It's the same car.. Your just using your left leg.. Both are fun to drive.. Tons of fun.. And you won't go wrong with either..

Like others have said.. Test drive both and see which you like more.. And for the record I don't use the paddles unless at the track.. Every other time I use the shifter and always leave it in M mode..

Its simple as this, its one of the best Autos under 50K, only other near price competition is the DSG you get in the GTI which is really good as well.

Mustang Auto? Pretty bad.
Genesis Auto? Pretty bad as well.
Miata Auto? The fuck is this?

I found the same issue too

Just out of curiosity, were you in "D" mode , Sport "D" , or shifting manual?
Thanks

My wife WONT drive a manual...she has before and just cant get it right...she refused to let me get a manual...so thats kinda what lead me to the 86...I researched a bit...and the auto seemed OK. Went and test drove it in Manual Sport mode and was sold. Had to comprimise a little...I didnt get my STI wagon but got a sick 86 instead...Im happy shes happy. WIN.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZzU2MxGa7A"]2013 Scion FR-S - Drive Time Review with Steve Hammes - YouTube[/ame]

Found this today. I think it is pretty close to what you were looking for. Hopefully this works (first time posting a YouTube video).

Shifting manually.. To be honest.. I don't notice a difference in shifting myself, in regular D or sport D.. It all seems to shift about the same speed

my last 2 sports cars were manual with no nannies what so ever. I got an auto because I got enough of driving manual and started to feel it is overrated. Sure it is faster than this auto but only if you're shifting like you're racing, otherwise the auto shifts plenty fast and smoothly.

Downshifts with rev match are pretty good too. I never got the heel toe thing right with my old car, plus I'm used to doing double-clutch downshifts to minimize the wear on the synchros, it makes downshifting while braking for a corner quite slow. I prefer this auto for my limited manual racing skillz.

Mr. Moto Ps' post that was linked to is IMO the BEST most realistic thread on this topic there is period. :w00t:

what? im sorry... what?

same reasons why i wasnt upset when all i could get was AT. makes the fiance happier too. i really like my AT, but theyre both good.