How's the throttle response?
 

In comparison to this botched up job Honda did with the '06 to '11 Civic Si?

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr9uOsiBYN8"]2007 Civic Si throttle response comparo - YouTube[/ame]

I owned an '07 Si Coupe for 41,000 miles. I can only compare the Si to the automatic FR-S, but I would say in a nutshell, "significantly better, but by no means perfect."

I used to have a modded RX-7 and there's no way any of the responses -- steering, weight transfer, throttle response, braking -- of the stock FR-S can match that car's natural and direct dynamics. I doubt the manual transmission of the FR-S can match that car either. But everything I listed is better than the Si (the Si was better at audio, storage, comfort, and lack of internal rattles though).

The Si was like trying to play a first-person shooter on crappy dial-up. The FR-S (even the auto) is like playing the same game with decent broadband. Is it instantaneous like offline or LAN gaming? No, you can notice a bit of lag, but you don't have to work around it like with the Si.

The other thing the Si had was moderate to severe "rev hang" (moderate if the AC was on, severe if it was off, a little better with the Hondata reflash). That was another thing you just kind of had to work around and get used to in the Si. Unfortunately I can't speak to the rev hanging situation of the FR-S since I have the auto.

curious about this too. i'll be going from an 07 si and i'm looking forward to losing the rev hang and having a more direct responce.

I personally think it's better than the 8th gen Si's, but you will always have some lag and rev-hang with DBW.

Found these two videos that give you a nice idea of the throttle response. I would say it's 75% to 80% better than the Si.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a3rBVXTs9g"]2013 Scion FR-S 0-60 mph speedometer (3k launch & 2nd gear chirp) - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhshjDMfcto"]FR-S First Dyno and Top Speed - YouTube[/ame]

Nice to know there is not speed limiter.

The BRZ has the best Drive By Wire (DBW) throttle I've driven. It's even more responsive than the DBW pedal in my STI.

But it does suffer the same quirk that the STI, and I suspect all DBW Subarus, have. If the ECU is cleared, it has to re-learn the pedal/throttle plate relationship or something along that line. Immediately after clearing the ECU the throttle pedal will be laggy as hell. But after 20-50 miles it'll be fully responsive again. So the BRZ/FR-S will feel sluggish and unresponsive right off the dealer lot since the ECU appears to get cleared during PDI. But after driving it for a day or two it'll be much more responsive to throttle inputs.

Maybe it's just me being OCD, but isn't trying to simulate a cable throttle with DBW just as bad as what BMW is doing with "synthetic sound" in their M5s? If you want responsiveness and feel, DBC is the way to go. I'm wondering if you could convert to a cable throttle but keep the TPS intact so that you could still keep gauges and traction control, but it's still unknown if that's even worth it or not. :iono:

No you cannot convert it. And your M5 example isnt very fitting. This car isnt trying to fake DBC (its doesnt have fake cables running through it), it merely strives to be on par with the performance DBC can provide.

And those FRS videos show nothing pertaining to the engines throttle response in relation to gas inputs.

Exactly, that's why I said I was being OCD. lol

Manufacturers have switched to DBW because it's more efficient for the ECU to work the throttle. They can better control the engine and smooth out pedal input. They can also use multiple maps to change the responsiveness of the pedal, going from slow and efficient to direct and responsive.

The used to have a bit of lag between moving the pedal and having the engine respond. My STI has a small bit of lag. But the BRZ is very direct with almost no lag at all. SO in that respect, I don't car if a car is DBW as long as it responds quickly.

But I do miss the physical connection between my right foot and the engine. With a cable, I can feel the vibrations of the engine in my foot and have a better awareness of how it is running. I miss that on my DBW cars.