Question for those who have driven FR-S/BRZ
 

A question about visibility...first an explanation:

A real peeve of mine are cars that have low windshield heights, meaning you have to lean forward to see any sky or even sometimes to see lights at intersections. I know some cars look better with gunslit-type windows (eg Camaro) but it's a deal-killer for me - as are window-roof junctions that brush your forehead because of an extreme degree of windshield slope.

If you have driven or even sat in the car, can you tell me how it might compare with say a current Corolla, or an Integra in these regards? Or even my own 1st gen Tiburon? (The latter is about as limited as I'd want to get.) For reference I am about 5"11", medium torso height. Thanks.

Ill check it out this week at NY auto show..

is camry good comparison? 2008 ver.

you should be fine, blind spots arent any worse than my celica, and i can see out that thing just fine

yea visibility is very good

blind spots
 

I drove it last Friday at the First 86 event. Headroom is great and I'm 6' 3" with a long torso so most people won't have an issue. I don't fit in either a miata or S2000 but found no problems here. The front seat can be adjusted down so if you did find the windshield too low in front, you have plenty of room to drop the seat. I did not notice any issue with seeing out the front. I stopped at some signals and didn't have to stoop to see the light, although all of them were across the intersection rather than hanging over the middle of intersection.

I was careful to check visibility out the rear quarters. I considered a CRZ but it has absolutely huge blind spots there (along with front wheel drive). The FR-S is great in that both rear quarter windows were fully visible and functional. Yeah, yeah, that is what mirrors are for but sometimes a quick check over the shoulder is still a good thing.

Also, the driver door is long enough such that the driver doesn't end up looking straight at the door pillar when looking left. That is a nice change for me as frequently when I'm in a sedan, the door lines up such that when I look left, I have to lean forward to look around the pillar.

Just my two cents.

I agree with hotlavaman -- overall headroom and visibility were much better than I had anticipated. However, I am 6-1 and I actually didnt even need the seat lowered all the way to be comfortable.

The issue with ingress-egress is purely a concern for people in the rear seat as the opening is small AND there is no headroom/legroom in the rear. If you think of the car as a 2-seater it seems even more roomy, hah.

Unfortunately Ive never driven any corollas, hyundais, or integras so I can not comment on any of those comparisons.

Thanks HotLavaMan for all the details, and mattles. Sounds like I will be able to see some sky through the windshield when driving, great news.

I also liked that the mirrors were mounted lower on the door and not up in the window glass area. This has been mentioned elsewhere but not here, and I think its important to the discussion as it helps visibility I believe.

are the rear seats really that tight to sit in, and uncomfortable for the heads??

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:thanks::thanks::thanks::respekt:

Well they look almost exactly like the back seats in my father's vintage 911, and those were agony for any adult possessing either a head or legs. If someone sat behind the driver, then rotated and put his legs behind a pushed-up passenger seat he might be OK for 10 minutes in the back.

Back seats are OK for short trips if all people in the car are about 5'8 and under. We had 4 guys in the car for 10 minutes or so all were about that height give or take an inch and everyone made it...any long trips and you'll have some issues. Most had to sit in the rear seat with their knees AROUND the seatback in front LOL but its not impossible if you're in a crunch

I drove it, im 5'10" and the seat height was adjusted easily for my height. One thing i dont think anyone mentioned yet is the fact that the hood is kinda short and angles down, so it is very easy to see over, and the windshield has plenty of room to look up at trafficlights and whatnot. For being a small sport car i think it has the best visibility in a car that i have ever experienced.

Visibility is great, im 6' 1" but an integra or eg civic hatch will to me always have the best visibility, they are like fishtanks lol


I would say a new camaro is a 2 out of 10, the frs is a 8 out of 10