Thinking of an FRS - Question and Impressions
 

Well, I took an FRS out for a test drive. Very nice car. Impressions below..

I have a few questions.

1) I turned the Traction control off, but as soon as the car wheels slipped, the traction control turned itself back on. This is really dangerous! Is there some trick to really turning it off? This is a must for the track.

2) Other then the actual head unit, is the BeSpoke system any different? Are the speakers etc. the same?

3) Is the head unit a standard double din? Is it pretty easy to put an aftermarket system in?

--- Impressions --
These are my impressions from the 20 minute test drive!!

The car drove much better then I expected. I found it a bit under-powered off the line, but pretty responsive once it got going. If it had an additional 20 or 30 HP (still naturally aspirated) it would be fantastic! A supercharger and a different cam would really liven this up. (By the way, I am a former Lotus Exige S owner). A turbo will probably help a lot, but may be a bit twitchy.

I really liked the stock suspension. Was comfortable, but still predictable and had very little roll. The car felt very planted, but I think the front to back weight ratio could be better. That being said, it is more fun the way it is. I did not drive the car that hard.

The shifting was bang on. Really liked it. Seating position and general interior ergonomics are great.

It took me a while to figure it out, but the car drives like an older Subaru. It does not drive like any Toyota I have driven. You get a great feel for the car, but it is not killing you.

I bought a Miata last year (2012). I was considering a 370Z, but the could not stand all the buttons. It was like being in a cockpit of a passenger jet. Had the FRS been around then, I would have gone for one. I like a simple car that makes you feel connected to the road.


-- History (if your interested) --
Previous cars (in the last 4 or 5 years!) are:
Lotus Exige S. Fantastic car, just a real pain and not so reliable !!
Camaro 2SS RS. Comfy, Tons of Power, goes straight very well !!
Miata. Yea, should have remembered the lesson from Goldilocks. Fun, reliable.

My plan was to put a supercharger in the Miata. The problem is that I am just a tad too tall for the car. The convertible is great, but I ride too and on a nice day, I would prefer to be out on the bike.

If you hold the traction control switch for 3 seconds it turns it totally off. It will turn back on as soon as you turn the car off and on again.

The headunit is a toyota specific size not exactly double DIN. It is wider. The trim kits make it so you can put any double din in the car, you just have little fill strips on the left and right.

Not sure about bespoke.

For what it is worth, the FR-S is not a car that gives a very accurate first impression. If you test drive a Camry you "get" the car in the first five minutes. But the FR-S is a car you get to know over many months. I think this is because we are so used to cars that give you a kind of pleasant robotic experience from first to last. The FR-S on the other hand, rewards your interaction, your experience with the car and knowledge of the car over time. So the first ride is kind of like a particularly awkward first date. You have to give it time.

Never thought of that, but its true .. longer you're with this car, the more you constantly learn .. :wub:

as far as I can tell. the bespoke upgrade is only the head unit. none of the speakers are touched.

As a former Elise and Exige S owner myself, you'll like the FR-S. It reminds me quite a bit of the Elise, but gentler.

I owned an Elise for 2 years. I preordered a BRZ that will show up in currently an unknown date. Hopefully soon that later. The handling of the BRZ is up there with the Elise plus it's more comfortable, practical, and affordable, which is why I'm getting it instead of going back to an Elise. Drive it hard around an off ramp oval during a test drive and you'll see why. That's what sold me on it. :)

Also I agree that if it gets forced induction later that it should be a supercharger and not a turbo considering it's a car that's all about handling. A supercharger is so much more linear which is much better for handling. Plus I love the supercharger whine and I hope it's loud on the BRZ when it comes!

I also second that I think if forced induction is in the future for this vehicle is should be a supercharger. Very rarely have I ever went for Super Charger over a Turbo, but throttle response has to be very good in this vehicle for it to retain it's super sharp handling characteristics within a turn. Unless it's a smaller turbo which kicks in somewhere between 1500-2000 RPM, I don't know if I'd want it.

But given that both Toyota and Subaru are behind this vehicle's existence, it can lend to either a SuperCharger (Toyota) or Turbo (Subaru). Either way, if it's executed properly, I'd love to get one of those bad boys too. I could sure use another 50-80 HP. Not that it's terribly needed though. Just want a little more straight line Oomph.

yeah, supercharger

There was a report that TRD was working on one. But it could add cost 20% of the car's original cost. Worth it?

If it's 20% more expensive then maybe..... Let's do the math real quick. $25000 base price, add 20% which is $4000. $29000 base price for a supercharged FRS. Hmmm..... Really depends on how much more power I'd be getting with a Super Charger and let's be real about how much it would be with accessories and TTT. From factory I'd estimate about a 40-60 HP increase. Let's just say 36k OTD for a 260 HP FRS with minor suspension and body modifications. That just might be worth waiting for.

Just a note on the BeSpoke head unit. The aux input loses its auxiliary capabilities and acts strictly as an input for an iOS device. The BeSpoke upgrade, currently, is only worth it if you have all your music on an iOS device.

Any auxiliary device like a Zune or other MP3 player would only work on the base unit. You could also use the USB input but if you do that, you may as well stick with the base unit since they both have USB.

Another thing to note on shutting off the traction/stability controls...the car must be sitting still when you do the hold the button for 3 seconds thing. If you do this while the car is in motion, the lights on the dash may come on, but the nannies are still active.