Test drove a '15 BRZ, bought a '13 FR-S ... WAY DIFFERENT
 

Decided I should get an '86 used, just in case the car turns out not to be my cup of tea. Boy was I surprised at the lack of ride quality in this FR-S after driving it around a little more.

Intended use: Daily driver, mixed city/fwy. Some days 10 minutes, some days 60 minutes each way. Grocery beater, something that I won't mind bringing to the gym as my other cars are just too rare to beat on.

I'm actually pretty APPALLED that the suspension is so dang brutal in the (older) FR-S. When I test drove the '15 BRZ it was firm but not rough. I actually LOVED it and that's saying a lot. The tire grip, the motor, the interior noise level, it's all to my satisfaction but wow that rear suspension reminds me of my lowered Miata on GC track suspension. It's totally different... set up for sharp handling and auto-x but probably not as good of a daily driver. Hats off to you guys (and your butts) that can handle this all day err day. Maybe I'm just getting old.

AM I CRAZY or is this drastic difference real?

Edit: Car has 22k miles and previous owner only drove it for 1.5 years... car was babied.

Are you sure it was babied? Private sale or from a dealer?

Barring having the previous owner swear on his mothers grave and take a blood oath yes, it was babied. I used to be a buyer for a car dealership and this car is legit.

One thing I didn't think about is perhaps the difference in seats. I test drove a '15 BRZ limited and this thing has cloth seats.

You did know that the FRS and BRZ suspensions are different spring rates right?

Are you sure it is on stock suspension??
The FRS aint no glide on a cloud ride but with stock suspension it shouldn't be as bad as you are describing either.

I knew but had no idea it would be so drastic. Lots of people talk about how the two cars feel almost the same. They feel very different. I feel like the front is good but the rear needs more rebound damping.

I need to also make a confession that I'm coming from very German cars so my butt is probably used to the luxury.

Mine (FRS2013) could use more damping on the rear, but that's above 80-90mph... At that speed also need brake upgrade to avoid heat soak/overheating.

Maybe you should go test drive a 2014/2015 FRS at a dealership and see if you still have the same opinion about the suspension. I dont think there were any changes made to the suspension between model years for the FRS.

For the BRZ I think the 2015 improved ride quality even more, not sure how, its just what I've read a few times around here.

EDIT: I saw your WTB thread lol. Might want to look at this: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84230

They did tweak the suspension a bit on the 2015 FRS... it was really the only "performance-oriented" upgrade they made since the first model year.

Apparently, they made the FRS ride similar to the BRZ. Not quite as tail-happy and a touch softer for daily driving.

That's what they tell us anways... @Tcoat broke down the differences in this thread: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73739

There's some pretty good first-person, real-world experience impressions in there if you're interested.

The only other performance upgrade in the 2015 FRS/BRZ that I know of is the factory turbo... Should've opted for the new one man.

:lol:

So the OP's best bet for a good comparison would be to find another 2013/2014 FRS owner, or find a dealer that still has a 2014 on the lot I guess.

And a lot more weight. German cars are bloated and heavy now. That makes for a much more luxurious feel and smoother ride. You have to do a total mind wipe once you get used to and start enjoying that in order to appreciate the light and tight that you get from the FR-S. A lot of the early adopters could not adjust and scurried back to the lap of luxury.

Is the fr-s still on stock wheel and tire size ?
Many owner went with 18" and that would make it harsher

And as mentioned already the spring rate are not the same for the frs and brz

Spec from a quick search from 2012 post (not sure if its still accurate but it should):

Front OE Spring Rate:
Subaru BRZ 27 N/mm (153 lbs/in)
Scion FR-S 23 N/mm (131 lbs/in)

Rear OE Spring Rate:
Subaru BRZ 34 N/mm (195 lbs/in)
Scion FR-S 37 N/mm (211 lbs/in)

So there is a difference but I'm not gonna try to elaborate any more on this (already plenty of info on this forum about that)