My review: 2013 FR-S
 

A subjective review of the 2013 Scion FR-S. Let me preface this by saying I come from a long line of RWD American V8 sports cars. This includes all the Mustangs/Camaros/Firebirds from 1989-2007 (5.0 engines, LT1s, LS1s, Coyotes). I have also owned and driven a variety of Hondas (no S2000s), Hyundai (Tiburon and Gen Coupes), and other boring commuter cars not worth mentioning here.

My first experience with the Scion was the numbers, which are not flattering. The one number that stuck out to me is the weight. I was overjoyed to not only see a sub 3k number, but ~2700 was just awesome to see. I am a huge fan of the new Mustang, but what a friggin pig that thing is; having driven one it feels fast, but in a Cadillac kind of fast. The car is just too heavy to feel pure. I have ridden many 600cc bikes which had very low torque numbers and would still put a smile on my face, so I was willing to look past the torque figures of the FR-S and hope for the best. 200HP and 150 ft/lbs or torque? I hope this thing is fun.

My current car (which I will not reveal Make/Model as I don’t want this to become a specific bashing thread) has bolt ons and is around 400HP/TQ (340-360 RWHP), RWD, 6 speed, and weighs about 3,400lbs. This car is very fun to drive, and handles decent with the few suspension tweaks it has.

Local dealer had a Hot Lava 2013 6 speed FR-S which I was able to drive today, with the above information in mind, here are my impressions: It is so damn small (huge plus in my book). They had dark blue and the Hot Lava. I have seen the Lava inside the showroom before and was worried it was dark and more copper than orange, but outside in the clouds and sun, it looked great. I have always been a huge fan of orange (current car is orange). I am extremely disappointed that the interior only comes with an option of red/black. The red is too close to orange and simply clashes (maybe some red Brembos or Wilwoods would help). This alone would deter me to buy Red or White. The taillight bulge is quite noticeable in person and kind of lost in pictures online…my first mod would be new lights. The Bug Eyed design along with the flashy chrome seems to take away from the car. A dark or smoke colored would look best here. The front end is aggressive and well executed. The grill is lacking some 'flash' but gets the job done, would look aftermarket for sure here. The lines on the side of the car flow nicely, the roof to me is the best looking part of the car (I know, like saying ‘Damn that womans nose is nice’ just a strange body panel to enjoy looking at) but the lines are just perfect. The interior is just as nice as the exterior; I like interiors to be simple, dark colored, and plain. This one is perfect. As the roof may be my favorite non-moving part of the vehicle my favorite moving part of the vehicle is the steering wheel. Small, thick, soft, and overall just a pleasure to hold and point the car with.

On startup the car is louder than I thought (this is subjective, but I mean for a stock car it is loud, I promise my current vehicle with no cats/mufflers and some bullet resonators is much louder) but has a nice tone to it. As the dealer employee steps out, I sit down in the vehicle. The first major ting I notice is how firm the seats are, now I like that, however I think I may be a little big for the car, and I am not a big guy. I am about 5’10”, 215lbs, and have a 32” waist, so I am not big in the midsection, but instead of sitting INSIDE the side bolsters, my back and shoulders seemed to rest ON them. Not good (for me). The passenger who came with me was delighted with the seats, she fit right in them and felt ‘secure’ as she described it.

The clutch pedal was light, lighter than I wanted, then again this car is small and doesn’t have a ton of power, but it felt smooth and solid. The shifter is great, short throws with a satisfying notch and clunk to each gear.

Driving around on main roads, it does the job. Suspension is stiff, you feel the road. I love it, I am the kind of guy with a loud exhaust, harsh suspension and interior gutted. I like to feel the car and the road. This had a nice raw feel to it cruising in traffic. The engine sounded decent at best, not quite sure why. It has a very mid-range kind of tone. It doesn’t sound like a high revving 4 cylinder, but doesn’t have the low end grunting noises of some 4 cylinders. It is somewhere in the middle, my ears would rate the engine noise at mediocre.

I pulled off into a parking lot and threw the car around; this is when I caught myself smiling. I have NEVER done any AutoX in my life, or anything other than straight-line racing but this was a blast. Reminded me of racing a go-kart (which I have done). The car went right where I wanted, when I wanted and felt so damn solid. I loved it here.

Pulled out onto the main road, put the fun pedal to the floor, brought it up to around 6,000 RPMs and shifted hard…my smile disappeared. I know, I know, ‘this car isn’t supposed to be fast straight-line’ but it had this linear pull until 4k rpms, hung, and then picked up again. Just a strange dip, as if there was VTEC kicking in, with a big lag between what I would consider the Bottom and Top of the power, the middle had this awful lag.

Car looks incredible (sorry BRZ guys, the FR-S looks much more aggressive) inside and out, feels great, handles great, just lacks some kick in the midrange. I am fine with the power, just not sure where it goes mid-rev.

I am so thrilled someone made ‘this’ car; light, nimble, precise, accurate, and quick. It is by no means fast, but coming from me, a true torque and power addict, this car is fun. Really well executed (I like the tires too, even though they are absolutely tiny, letting the car slip a little was quite fun). In a perfect world I would own this and my other car, but the budget and driveway says I only have space for one.

I hope to see this community grow and the vendors here figure out how to smooth that power dip out. I think an intake, exhaust, and maybe a mail order tune and this car would be spot on. Maybe some big sticky tires for the track would help with lap times, but I like those little rubber bands and their willingness to slide rather than grip.

lol perv.

Good review!

Headers + tune should fix most of that torque dip. Nameless headerback looks to fix it in a great way, gives it a huge boost in lower-mid RPMs.

I'm going e85 myself, which I'm looking forward to.

EDIT: I'll also say I find it not too hard to "avoid" the torque curve when you need a power boost. Downshifts help a lot, just gotta wring the car out ;)

tl;dr

should I buy one?

No e85 up here in Maine/New Hampshire.

I don't mind a downshift to grab some power, just so weird how this one really bogged down for a moment around 4k RPMs. I will take a look at the headerback system...seems strange eliminating a cat, some bends, and the stock muffler will show some increase in power.

I am not sure what tl;dr means?

Heh, what can I say, no other way to describe how something I enjoy, feels. Although in general those adjectives would not cross my mind for something I like.

This was a great objective first drive review. With a few bolt-ons and a tune, you can really deminsh the torque dip. The best thing about this car is you can use E85 with a proper tune and really make some nice power. Combine that with an intake, exhaust, and headers(when more start coming out) I bet this car would transform!

too long; didnt read

And no pics


Thenittis.com

Sparknotes: I like fast cars. The FR-S is not fast. The FR-S is small, handles well, feels 'quick' (not fast). Has an awful drop in power around 4k rpms. I like it overall, would hesitate to trade current vehicle for it.

I agree that the FR-S looks better than the BRZ, still buying the BRZ for a few reasons.
1) Options, namely leather, keyless start, HIDS, and fogs.
2) I've owned several Subaru's and have a sweet spot for the brand whereas I actually dislike Toyota quite a lot.
3) When you buy the Scion you have to say "the Scion over there" For some that doesn't matter, but I just can't do it. Stupid I know.

Had they brought the Toyota GT86 over I suspect the Subaru wouldn't be selling quite as well. The Subaru does have the nicest looking headlights IMO.

I test drove both MT and AT, and I have to agree that AT has this 1 second lag between the shift when you floor it. That's one of the reasons I got a MT, and I LOVE IT

bolt-ons and tune will make you happier from what I read