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Safety & Practicality?

A couple of these topics have been discussed briefly, wanted to make a more dedicated thread to get some answers.

First up, is safety. How is this car going to compare to say the Miata, NSX, S2000 or other bigger cars like the Genesis Coupe, GTI, 4 door sedans. I realize a lot of people aren't purchasing this car for safety, however I'd like to know how it stacks up (even though official ratings aren't up yet). Theft wise, this will also be a desirable car.

Looking at practicality, what kind of space am I working with. The fold down back seat / trunk fit has been discussed and proven to hold a decent amount of luggage. What about a road bike, surfboard, hockey gear + sticks, etc? Pictures are worth more than words in this category. I have also seen bike racks for the Miata and similar cars, and I imagine something could be rigged up for the FRS/BRZ as well.

Let me know your thoughts, trying to see how well rounded this car will be for a 1st time buyer and hopefully longtime owner. I'm already onboard with the driving experience, just trying to soothe my nagging afterthoughts.

As of mid May, there is no crash test information listed on the window sticker, other than the car hasn't been tested yet. To my knowledge, no one (here) has reported any accidents involving their (or another person's) FR-S.

In a thread here somewhere, someone mentioned being able to fit their bike in the trunk/rear seat area. Probably with the front wheel removed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Re~Mix (Post 229620)

See my "Junk In the Trunk" thread for what I got in the FR-S this past weekend. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

As far as safety, it has a very strong cage from what I can tell. I posted some time ago about there being no plans for the FR-S/BRZ to be crashed tested this year.

These sorts of cars are unlikely to be big theft targets. They're relatively small-number enthusiast cars. Aside from amateur "joyrider" thefts, professional car thieves are likely to pass an FR-S by and steal the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry next to it. Cars are generally stolen for parts value.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Re~Mix (Post 229620)

Not be a downer, but this car isn't aimed at all, for all around practicality. Sure it may have it, depending on what you do, but that's a lucky bonus if your lifestyle and this car will fit. If you want performance/handling and ASSURED ability to carry your stuff, get thee down to a dealer and measure out what you would normally haul to see if that works out for you, otherwise you may have to look elsewhere, or give up some activities, which for this car, might be worth it!!!;)

Having said that, pretty sure a hockey bag will fit or a road bike with both wheels taken off, since you can fit 4 tires on wheels and a tool box to go track the car.

Toyota and Subaru are typically known for making safe cars. I would expect the safety ratings to meet or exceed government standards. But physics is still physics. This is a light sports car that is low to the ground....

Thanks for the quick opinions guys. The FRS does seem to have all the standard safety features and offers some piece of mind over a miata or S2K.

Moniz, I understand that this is not the perfectly practical car. The main segment I am looking at is these small sporty coupes, and I value the driving experience and ability to make it a hobby car over its capacity for people or storage.

That being said, its an added bonus to have it be able to carry things with the backseat folded down. I'd confirm this in person if I could find one to look at within a 100 mile radius. Seems like this weekend or next will be my first chance. Since this will be my only car, trying to cover all the bases the best I can while prioritizing my needs.

Safety should be pretty good. Subaru did the structural engineering and Subarus are some of the safest cars out there. When Subaru brought out the Forester they held special training events for emergency officials to educate them on how to actually cut the pillars successfully. So I don't have any worries on that front.

Besides, Subaru would be nuts to lose their Top Safety Pick on every model claim.

Safety for me is to be able to get out of trouble. This car handles terrifically, and has excellent brakes.

My 8' surfboard fit at a slight angle with the passenger seat slid forward and laid back as far as it would go. The trunk even closed! Surfboard was lightly touching the dash (I'm going to add a pic(s) to the junk in the trunk thread)