Test driving an AT in 2 hours, any tips?
 

I'm going to test drive an AT FR-S in a couple hours, and I was wondering if anyone has tips/suggestions on things to try out or features to play with. I am actually leaning towards a manual but I have minimal experience (couple hours on an old silvia about 4 years ago) and don't want to stall the car repeatedly. I've also heard some pretty raving reviews about the auto, so I figured I would give it a shot. Unfortunately, this test drive is in the flat and straight Chicago burbs so there's really no fun terrain to drive around in. :thumbdown:

Put it in manual mode and turn sport mode on. (Not NSC sport - thats a different function)

but try all 4 modes:

Drive
Manual mode
Drive with sport mode on
Manual mode with sport mode on

its 4 different personalities.

The pedal on the right is the gas.

test drive the auto....but buy a manual....it really completes the whole driving experience.....:burnrubber:

This is true - I've heard the same thing.

drive it like you stole it or at least exactly how you plan to drive it after break in

Drive it like you stole it.

EDIT: Beat me to it :[

Couple of suggestions:

Drive it in Full Auto in both normal and sport mode. You'll notice a big difference if you have a good stretch to accelarate in. Not going to notice a signficant difference if in traffic, and Sport mode can actually be a little rough.

In full auto/nonsport (normal driving mode) keep your foot in it, and downshift with the paddles after it upshifts into 2nd or 3rd. That will give you a feel for how well the transmission responds to your inputs and show you the revmatching. It takes a little getting used to remembering which paddle is which though, particularly if you are new to it.

Do a full manual launch (lever in pulled left into manual) in either regular or sport mode. Pick a higher RPM to switch (say 4000RPM unless it's over 1K miles) and try to match the tach with your shifts. Don't forget you have to shift in this mode, its not going to do it for you.

I wouldn't do anything too drastic in terms of RPMs because remember if you don't buy this car someone else will. I doubt its over 1K miles yet.

Rip the e-brake

There is another pedal on the left but I'm not sure what it is for...

The hell you say! 2 pedals? What will they think of next? :iono:

Shoo! I bet those crazy engineering fools will make a pedal we gotta press just to change a gear! :burnrubber:

That's the seat belt tightener. Hit it hard, seat belt tightens around your neck.

If you are in manual mode using the paddle shifters, be careful when you are turning. You can lose the paddle when the wheel turns and rev the car way too high (over 5k for me, 17 miles on the car).

LOL - the car will be fine dude. The manual says you can rev higher than 4 in emergencies, and I've heard SOME Ne'er-do-wells have taken their cars to redline on a regular basis even right off the dealer lot with no negative reprocussions.

Haha I’m not really worried about it, in that it wasn’t my car :)

I've done the research. That one is the anti-gas.

From experience with DC area drivers, everyone knows what that one does. Nobody has a clue what the one one the right does, though.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I just got back, and it's been hard to stop looking like this -> :drool:

In all seriousness, it really was a great idea to run through all the different combinations of D, M and sport on/off. I did in fact come across the issue of "losing the paddles" when turning from a red light, and took it up to about 5K. Otherwise I kept it pretty much in break-in spec.
The dealer took me to a small industrial area with some curves and I let it loose a bit. I was utterly shocked with how little roll there was in the chassis even at 60mph through a turn under power. The steering also felt extremely balanced, to the point where I *didn't* notice the wheel as I was driving. The word I would use to describe it is natural.

The FR-S was easily the most fun car I've ever driven (which isn't saying too much). Needless to say I'm super excited about this car, and if my BRZ pre-order doesn't come in by my deadline I will have no problem switching to the FR-S. As fun as that was, I also do think I would enjoy the additional control that comes with driving a manual.

As a note, if you're having problems with the paddle shifters getting lost in turns, you can also bump the shifter forward (up) and back (down) to force shifts as well in manual mode.

Hey, i see the 4 types... but i havent tried manual with or without sport ... what exactly is the difference ? i didnt think it mattered since in manual u are forced to shift anyways... ??

Glad you enjoyed your test drive. I drove an FR-S 6MT last week, but was astonished at the sheer amount of engine noise. Thrashy loud metallic noise and a lot of booming. Quite disharmonious. Put me right off the car, which after 6 months of anticipation kinda blew the big one.

Gonna give it a few more months and try again to see whether it's an anomally or really true.

I don't think sport mode in manual/paddle shift did anything in particular when I tried. For the AT I found the paddle shifters to be the most engaging mode, both for upshifting and downshifting. What is interesting though is being able to switch modes. So you can cruise on the highway in D and let the brain take care of highway shifts for hills & valleys and then switch over to paddles when you get to ramps and places where you want more control of shifting. Having been a manual driver since forever though it is still tough to get my head around switching. Rowing six gears with MT in the same space that I am used to five, and the lower FE of the manual just feels like a conundrum that doesn't quite add up.

If you don't see the orange "SPORT" indicator on the instrument cluster then sport mode is off. From what I could gather the car seemed to shift quicker (and as a result SLIGHTLY less smoothly) when in sport mode, but I never took the car up to high RPMS, so I can't be sure of its behavior when performance driving.

This boxer definitely isn't the smoothest sounding motor around, but to me the words thrashy and booming don't come to mind. Perhaps listen to some aftermarket exhausts, they might tune the note to something more desirable.

Hmm, did you happen to try putting it into neutral while in manual mode? I forgot to try it. I think putting both the + and - paddle shifters at the same time do that or am I wrong?

Didn't try both paddles, but I can tell you for sure that hitting (-) in first gear does NOT do it, contrary to what video games have taught me :lol:

There is a interior cabin resonator that takes induction air and noises to the inside via a tube.
The acoustic engineeres actually tuned this device well with a valve so you only hear the nice throaty sounds at high throttle loads by a valve system. This is used so that muffler noise or induction noise OUTSIDE the car wouldn't be too annoying for most neighbors in tight communities like urban areas of most countries.

This device CAN be disabled by removing the pipe that extends to the inside or taking the hose off the valve to keep it permanently closed. And you will not hear the intake sounds so much in the cabin.
If you are removing it, do take care to plug up the holes and vacuum lines.

To me its actually a nice classic noise of a old sports car and I like it, but it's not for everyone I suppose. :D

The comments like "Drive it like you stole it" usually give dealers a reason to be cheap with test drives. Someone will eventually buy that car-- how would you feel if someone drove your car like they stole it?

Sport mode in Manual shift mode makes a HUGE difference when driving in anger. Upshifts are much quicker, and the downshifts are also fantastic, and ti even blips the throttle to rev match. It also allows you to downshift into some pretty high RPMs for engine braking.

OK cool. :bonk:

Sport mode does shut off when you engage cruise control, I did notice that.

But why would you need engine braking? Brakes are for braking!

Engine braking is very important in certain scenarios. Easiest example is downhill decents on a long grade. If you depend on brakes alone, there's a good chance they will not be there when you need them the most. They will fade as they heat up.

I agree with you on that one Dadhawk, but I doubt you need sport mode to get that to work!

I am assuming you are still liking your AT? You've had another week or so to play around with its many control options.

True, I assumed the question was about it in general. You do need to be in manual to have it "stick". You can do it in full auto, but it will switch back on you after some time.

Yes, I'm still very satisfied with it, particularly now that I have some time with it and have learned my left/downshift from my right/upshift and don't have to think about it. I use it all the time these days.

Engine braking helps keep the vehicle ballanced and controlled when braking heavily. It also reduces the load on the mechanical brakes slightly.