Good comparison
 

A good shake down with the twins holding there own.

https://youtu.be/cLPxgW71k4c

Interesting, thanks for posting.

I just wonder how he got 38 MPG from the FR-S ...... ??


humfrz

He said it was based on highway cruising. I've gotten close to 36 mpg in steady driving (averaged over 3 tankfuls). Also he used the onboard mpg display which in my experience adds about 1.5 mpg.

Yea if you go all highways and run it at 1500 rpm's in 6th I bet you will get sensational gas mileage.

Pretty cool they were able to hold their own.




:D

He dissed the automatic FR-S for less fun to drive but the interior shots showed that the one he was in was an auto. Maybe that is where his mileage numbers came from.

"If you get the automatic FRS, the gearing is changed to be less aggressive and adds a little bit of weight, and pretty much ruins the experience"

Ouch lol. I'm a long time fan of Engineering Explained. He really does his homework on the cars he reviews, and he has great videos about automotive engineering. You can tell he really knows what he's talking about.

I'm a little baffled at how he equated steering feel to vehicle weight...

He explicitly said he did the 38mpg in a MT BRZ and had a few shots of him shifting it sprinkled through there.

Wow, he's so incredibly hyperactive...fortunately he doesn't live under my roof.

Please, oh please loan me that BRZ which gets 38.1 mpg. Mine has never, ever gotten anything close to that.
Oh, I've figured it out now. His BRZ must have been a different color than my car...thus way better mpg.

I do agree with him, it's the car for me, being as though I don't give a shit what others think...never have for that matter.

I need a nap now, after listening to him...maybe I'll get great mileage whilst my FRS is garaged during that nap.

And yet he came up with that baloney. Somehow sounds like he never even tried manual mode on the AT at all. Which is really odd, as it is really hard to miss that if you do any research on the AT 86.

And I really really hate the whole, "watch me blab while I drive thing." It is so stupid and someday I know one of these people will get into an accident while they are recording. Honestly I thought the video was rather bad, and mentioning all that crap about usefulness when the video was suppose to be about fun to drive is dumb. At least he admits it is stupid at the end.

I hate to break it to you. But my girlfriend has an auto FRS and i have a manual BRZ. There is a very noticeable difference between the gearing. If im in 2nd going around a turn it is waaaaay easier to bring the back end out then when im in the auto FRS. Paddles help, but when they are both in the same gear there is still a big difference. I drive them both almost every day and its definitly there and definitly makes the auto way less peppy. Still fun, but there is way different gearing. 6th gear in the manual going 70 is like 3kish rpms and 2kish in the auto. Its a significantly different gearing ratio.

True. Eg 5th gear manual is the same as 4th auto (1:1)

The automatic is geared differently, which is why it gets better mpg than the manual. I've also felt the difference in acceleration between the automatic and manual. One advantage of working at a dealership. Haha

so what you are saying is the automatic is more useful in the real world for daily driving.

Your kidding right? I have books that weight more than that tube frame human.

Until you want to enter a highway using a on-ramp and I wouldn't qualify slower as more useful for a DD

High MPG is easy on the auto on the freeway. At 65 mph (assuming you're going the speed limit and the highway is level) the engine is at about 2100-2200 RPM, and if you flip to real-time MPG display it'll be in the 40s/50s easy. Hit 70 and above and it definitely drops down to the 30s.

Remember, it's not slower. It's geared differently and you can still pick your gears. If you just let it shift itself, then yeah it will be less peppy. The sport mode does do more aggressive shifting though if that's your bag.

Meh....Not too difficult...

My mileage had been rock steady on 35mpg for a year now. I have little doubt that if I slowed down from my usual 75 or 80 mph on the highway I could squeeze a consistent 40 out of it.

Is the transmission in your car a MT or AT .. ??

hmmmm.......maybe so, however, with my MT car, I have a hard time getting above 33 MPG, driving on a course like the fellow in the article describes ....:iono:


humfrz

Yes, but .... but ...... your gallons are bigger ........ :slap:


humfrz

Manual. My last 10 fill ups averaged 37.7 mpg and 430 miles between fill ups.

I can also tell you that the ECU learns your driving style particularly the throttle position. When I reset my ECU, my throttle response increased and my mileage went down until the ECU relearned.

Oh, OK, that's good.......:thumbsup:

However, since you're from "Amish Land" ...... you most likely spend a lot of miles behind horse drawn carriages ..... going about 7 MPH ...... and your car's ECU has learned that ...... :D


humfrz

I think I should be ashamed of my 11.2L/100km fuel economy (21 MPG) at this point with an automatic transmission.

Then again, I only do city driving below the speed limit and use 91 octane.

Not slower, in fact faster and more useful. Remember the auto has a full manual mode that will let you shift yourself and will never auto shift for you. The manual gearbox is frankly too close ratio. No idea why 5th or 6th need to be geared like that. ( note that the link has the at/mt labels swapped.) I mean it is like they set the MT gearbox up for fastest mile or some other such idiotic thing. There is a reason so many boosted people swap the final drive ratio. They'd swap the entire gearbox if it wasn't so insanely expensive.

Note that the first 3 gears, you know the ones that would be used most off highway, are extremely close in both transmissions.

hmmmm..........that's pretty low ....... :(

You can increase your MPG by using the old @Tcoat trick ....... and use Imperial gallons ........ :happyanim:


humfrz - let's see ..... did I take my meds today or not ..... :iono:

Along those lines, a small van is even more useful, or at least a car with a real back seat. I doubt too many of us bought an FR-S for its practicality.

Ahhhh but I don't use imperial gallons but litres (proper spelling by the way)converted to U.S. gallons.

The FRS is 100% practical for me. My laptop and I do not need a 4 door, van, SUV, pickup truck or anything else any larger. I chuckle every single time somebody says "but the XXX is more practical" since the definition of what is "practical" can be radically different for every person and their needs.

Now, Tcoat, don't try to confuse me with that L/100km stuff ....... nor that weird spelling of that metric unit ....... nor the confusing Canadian dollar vs. the US dollar ........ I didn't fall off a pumpkin wagon and hit my head here in Puyallup ...... I fell off a HAY wagon on my head and it was in OHIO ..... :barf:


humfrz

Well you apparently didn't hit your head too hard if you retained enough sense to get the hell out of Ohio! (Sorry @HunterGreene )

I don't know what 100% practical means, and certainly definitions are somewhat different, but if the FR-S is practical for anyone based on their definition, there are cars that are more practical.

100% practical means exactly that. It meets 100% of my needs all of the time. As far as being "more" practical goes I consider 100% as far as you can go. Just because some others may want it for more uses does not make it more practical for me.

So however practical your car is for you, are you saying there is no car manufactured that is more practical?

In what way would any car be more practical for me? You are missing the point that I am saying that it is my use. I am not for one second saying it is a generally practical car for anybody and everybody.
If I had 12 kids nothing but a full size van would be practical. If I hauled around lumber nothing but a truck would be practical. If I needed mega mileage nothing but a hybrid would be practical. I need none of those things so it is completely practical to me.
I am sure that there are many thousands of people that agree with me. If you buy any vehicle that does not meet your needs then it is impractical but that does not mean the same vehicle is not 100% practical for somebody else.

Define practical. Then maybe I'll get the point.

And, could the FR-S be more practical for you?

Practical:
adjective
1. of or relating to practice or action
2. consisting of, involving, or resulting from practice or action
3. of, relating to, or concerned with ordinary activities, business, or work
4. adapted or designed for actual use; useful
5. engaged or experienced in actual practice or work
6. inclined toward or fitted for actual work or useful activities
7. mindful of the results, usefulness, advantages or disadvantages, etc., of action or procedure.

I suppose it could have a switch to set it on auto pilot so I could nap during my 2 hour commutes. That would be more practical for me.

I'd like you to define practical. None of those help me understand what you are saying.

I'm at a loss how something as complex as a car can be 100% practical. To me, 100% practicality in an automobile, with its ergonomics, myriad of user interactions, and user expectations is an ideal, and unless you can hire Lexus to design and build you a one off vehicle, there are compromises. Lots of them.

One example, if you lock your doors when you drive, it would be more practical if they unlocked when you pull on the door opener. Ours don't. Therefore, not 100% practical.

You might be 100% happy with the car, but it can be more practical, and that practicality is likely found in a different car.

OK so at this point I think all we can do is agree to disagree. If you wish to delve to that level then we are exceeding the definition of practical. I would love to have self healing paint, run flat tires, oil that lasts the life of the car, etc. but that does not change the fact that the car, for my use, is " adapted or designed for actual use; useful". Being better does not necessarily make it more practical.

:cheers:
Cheers, mate.