FR-S Trim levels...
 

Here's what toyota needs to do in terms of trim levels...

Copying straight from the Hyundai page (have you see it by the way, looks like it was made in the 90's, come on Toyota if Hyundai can make a sports car, you can do it), here are my proposed trim levels:

Base: Basic FR-S, no turbo, 5 speed or auto, no frills, just a basic sports car for the average joe going through a mid-life crises or any girl who wants to look cool, yet knows nothing about cars

Premium: Same as base but with bluetooth, sat-nav, and other creature comforts. Better for 40yo+

Track: turbo!, 6 speed ONLY,possible lip/aero kit, no fancy stereo, sportier suspension, no power seats, basically a car for any tuner who plans on replacing most of the stock parts anyway and drives a car for the experience, not for transportation

Turbo plus: (possibly auto) Same as track but with a mix of the premium version. More creature comforts and such.


Toyota usually seems to have around 4 trim versions (ie: Corolla CE, LE, S, XRS), so this is what I came up with. We all know any spoiled teenage girl and 50 year old man will be driving these things, but I figured most of us car guys are gonna want something that makes us stand out and perform. As for me, if toyota makes a track version like I listed, I will be saving my money starting now, leave straight from college graduation in Dec 2011, go to the dealer, and pay in cash for the first one they have!

Let me know what you guys think and what you would add or change.

Toyota always make road-friendly Turbo sport car.
I vote for:

FR-S base model: cloth seats, 6 spd MT or 5 spd AT, and so on like common sport car on market( Scion tC??)

FR-S GT model: premium leather seat, dual exhaust system, an inch bigger wheels, and slightly different headlight and taillight over base model. (nav, handfree, and other technologies are optionals.)

FR-S Turbo( based turbo and GT turbo) or FR-S G's :Turbo (TMIC), bigger brakes, new intake system, wide body kit.

FR-S track: 6 Spd MT only, Roller cage, no rear seat, no premium options, big brakes for track, no cosmetic changes over base, no AC, no cd player system, 4 speakers, and sway bars.

well why have 4 speakers and no CD player?

Radio man. I can live without cd player, but not radio.

you have a Satellite radio to hook up to it? otherwise I'd go nuts with Just a radio lol.

EDIT :: deleted my last post and edited it in here --
could I get bluetooth in my track car, so I could call people while I'm racing and be like "DUDE, THIS IS $#@!ING INTENSE!"

LOL, no way... no premium options, no handfree, no nav, and.... er get aftermarket cd player. Wait... are you going to buy it as track car or daily driver?

DD, and weekend toy. I just don't want a bunch of options I won't use lol. I'd like a CD player, stereo doesn't need to be crazy, the 4 speakers would suit me fine.

I'd use the Bluetooth if I could get it, but for what it'd cost to have it in the car, you could get a really nice external bluetooth speaker / mic for the sun visor that works awesome for $80 or so. I haven't decided on A/C. I don't use it very often, but I'd need heat for winter.

I think I'ma get Turbo with nav and handfree(maybe not). I'm always lost when I drive my dad's car. :( Fortunately, mine has Nav. To me, adding 25-35 lb is okay because I will give it a diet in other ways.

Why complicate it?

A base model, turbo model and track model are all they need. Add leather and sat-nav and amenities via package to whichever you want (except the track model). No 5 speed bs round here.

Im with you, just keep things simple. I'd take that turbo model and just the basic layout.

I know what you mean, but more availability means more appeal. Not only us enthusiasts are going to buy FR-S, but high schooler and business people are probably going to buy it too. Toyota maybe go back to their fun-to-drive root, but they also see profit, that's why they are doing it. Like the Nissan Z, what did Nissan do to their Z?
Base, Base+sport, Touring, Touring+sport, 40th Anniversary, Nismo.

Turbo + whatever creature comforts they have. I want it fully loaded.

I don't need a turbo, if I get it heck I'll take it, but seeing as I drive a 130hp 2900lb car :P n this base is coming at 200hp and 2600 lbs its gona be faster than mine anyway.

I'll take the extra umph for the passing lane though as long as I'm not paying out the rear for it

Actually, I have handfree on my current car, but I have never used it. Fully (TRD) loaded for me if I want a fully loaded.

As long as it has power windows, mirrors, seats, steering, air conditioner/heater, cruise control, MP3 CD player, ABS, and anything else that is pretty much 'standard' these days, I will be fine.

I don't want too many gadgets. Don't want many buttons on my steering wheel and not too many buttons on in the dash.

Less is more for me.


I don't recall there being anything ever about a turbo model was there? If there is one, I will have to give a hard thought about it. Turbo model isn't happening though, right?

I think they will because they showed G sport.

haha, FR-ST for the turbo version. Very proper!

My wish is simple like Scion web site. They have the base price and just add what you want and don't add the stuff you don't want... so like this
*FT86 NA base
*FT86 Turbo base
*FT86 TRD/G-Sport Limited
and from there, you add TRD option stuff that you want.

Don't forget the convertible & hatchback options, lol. So IMO:

Coupe- NA/T(pak) -Cloth/Leather - audio options - etc

Hatch- NA/T(pak) - Cloth/Leather - audio options - etc

Convertible- NA/T(pak) - Leather - premium audio - etc

G-Sports- T - etc.

The turbo pak designates the typical sport pack we see nowadays.

I'd go coupe, turbo, leather only if two toned, & prem audio.

Feel free to add to my speculation.

Maybe they'll go with a set up like a civic:

FR-S: Basic non turbo with options to go fully loaded with power leather seats, BT/nav, etc, 5 speed man/4 speed auto

FR-ST: Turbo, 6-speed only, no power seats, better brakes, etc. (closer to a track model)

That would be my guess but I doubt a roll cage would make the cut.

Maybe mild Bilstein suspension setup, close ratio gearbox with that 6 speed, lighter wheels (hopefully forged aluminum at least) w/sport tires.

I really, really, really hope they have a turbo version

I really don't care for close ratio gearbox. Wide or normal or what ever you wanna call it will be perfectly fine w me. Close ratio gearbox is awesome, but that's not the always the case (ex: Fuji Speedway).

If it came w lighter wheels w sports tires might help w my budge more. lol

edit: 1k post bitches~!!! lol

Just for you, it will have a close ratio gearbox since 95.987452% of FR-S owners will race at Fuji! :bellyroll:

Your 1,000th included my quote so I feel somewhat dignified! ;)

These are all wishful thinking but if they were to label it a "track model" it better have at least the following: upgraded suspension, bigger brakes, lighter wheels, some type of gearbox, no power n electronics and cheap interior.

Personally I like what Mitsubishi did in Japan (Europe too?) with the Evo. Can't remember which trim (MR?) but it was stripped, came with steelies. Basically you bought it because you were going to turn it into a rally car and didn't have to pay for all the extra stuff that was just going to get tossed or replaced anyways.

they did it too in US...not as common as GSR or MR...its the RS trim. I didnt have radio, AC, or the rear spoiler.

I'm going to go on the record right now... I don't think there will be, and I hope there will not be, a turbo version.

I'll go on record to say that they better make a turbo version.

Amen to that! :thanks:

Transmissions and blocks are usually stronger on OEM turbo equipped Toyotas than NA ones were!

IMO, the less trim levels the better. There is no need for 5-6 different trim levels. IF the turbo is made, no more than 3 trim levels are necessary. An NA model, a Turbo model, and a stripped down track model if that's what the people want. But NA and Turbo as your two choices is just fine. If you want different things on the car, do it with options and accessories. Especially for a car that's supposed to be an entry level sports car... keep it simple.

A lot of Toyota's other enthusiast cars did just fine with just a few trim levels. Supra is either turbo or non turbo. MR2 is turbo or non turbo, SC or non SC. Of course there are some different roof options in there and other feature options but a Supra turbo is a Supra turbo. There's no need for a Supra turbo and Supra turbo targa.

5-6 trim levels are for Corollas and Camrys and stuff.

Then again, the JDM Supras had many trim levels with RZ, GZ, SZ, SZ-R, Twin turbo R, Twin Turbo limited, etc but really 2 or 3 is enough for one car which is how they were in the US.


That's just me. I'm just not caught up in the importance of so much nauseating nomenclature. I couldn't tell you the difference between a Civic dx, hx, fx, ex, XXX nor do I really care.

Sometimes less is more.

Excessive trim levels may be a good way for Toyota to bump up the price from the 'base' model to a trim level 2-3 trims higher and have a bunch of people paying a lot of money for a loaded up model. :shrug: I will probably be buying a base model anyway if I get one. Or if it's turbo, the basic turbo package.

Why would you say that? :confused0068: I hope they make a turbo version and a n/a version, that way you can have your cool car, and I can have my fast, cool car lol.

Cuz, some ppl want this car only in NA. I kinda want this car NA & buy STI coupe in Turbo... but that doesn't mean, they shouldn't make Turbo. I'm all for Turbo... at the same time, high rev NA. If Toyota sell it like that, they'll make tons of money again!

I was just messin lol. I hope it comes in both trims since people have different needs and approaches to tuning. I know a lot of die-hard N/A people, and others who will never own a non turbo car. I've always been N/A, but I'd like for this to be my first turbo car.

Amen

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^

I wonder if they'll adapt to the BMW/MB euro style. Instead of offering different trim levels, have a NA and turbo version and you build it from there. It would be so much easier...

That's how Scion do w their site. They have their base price and you built as you like.

I mean... I have a WRX (turbo, of course) and love it.

But I want this car to be anintensely pure, lightweight, simple car and if I buy one, it'll be a superlightweight track car, street legal but jsut so.
The other option that very seriously may happen after college, that I would really like to do, is build a flyweight car... for now, my favorite being the Ultralite S2k.

I'd just rather the people looking for big forced-induction power go to the bigger, bigger-engined cars (Genesis, 370, Mustang...) and Toyota focus on keeping this lightweight and precise.

Now... I think that then, Toyota could do like an early Supra and make a model re-engineered for more firepower. Either an H6 or beefed-up H4, turbo, and a strong tranny (hopefully rear transaxle to let the bigger / heavier engine sit even further back), a lil more weight in tha chassis to hold ridicilous amounts of power, feel more solid / planted rather than lightweight and flicky, and some more luxury (as needed for a more expensive car).

So there you go... My vision for the FT-86/FR-S and what I think a new Supra should be - a redeux of the First supras, not the MkIV - and why. Enjoy.

If Toyota or Subaru made FR H6 NA coupe w 280hp/290tq (& it's possible hq/tq w 3~3.3L), I'll buy it in heartbeat!!!!!

@Craig.
1- MKIV > MK* Supra.
2- Buy your NA version and be happy, don't hate on the people who want a turbo version of a lightweight car at a low price too. It will only mean more sales, more years of production and more sports cars in the end.

^ Yeah...

The thing I hate is that every car manufacture thinks they need to make their cars bigger; so that means more weight, and a bigger engine to push all that weight. You don't need big displacement to have big power. Think of the popular RB26dett: 2.6 liter, twin turbo, and can easily make 600+ reliably. A lesser know example is the 2rz from the 01-05 tacoma: 2.4 liters, and one guy boosted it and made over 1000hp on stock internals (swapped it into a rwd corolla for drag racing). We just need something light weight, small displacement, and turbo to bring the numbers up.