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Scion FR-S: ‘Funnest Car I’ve Ever Driven’

May 30, 2012 | Posted to: Scion
http://toyotadriverseat.com/pr/tds/a...rlMalone-c.jpg Fit for a Family Guy—Rob Davy (second from right) and his family take delivery of a new 2013 FR-S from General Manager Andrew Madsen (second from left) and Karl Malone (center), former basketball star and owner of Karl Malone Toyota in Draper, Utah. Davy was one of the “First 86” owners of the snazzy sports car, which provides an escape from his 15-passenger family van.

When Rob Davy embarks on a family outing, he climbs into his 15-passenger van. After all, he has a wife, a daughter and six sons.

But when he’s on his own, he slides into his sporty Scion FR-S.

“It doesn’t fit the practical family model,” he says, “but it does fit me perfectly.”

So perfectly that Davy was one of the first 86 customers to snag the sportster as part of Scion’s “First 86” FR-S early buyer program. In April, he flew from his home in South Jordan, Utah, to participate in a First 86 event at Scion headquarters in Torrance, Calif. In May, he took delivery of his FR-S at Karl Malone Toyota in Draper, Utah, before the sports car goes on sale to the general public in June.

Davy became a Scion fan after buying his first xB in 2007. After selling that car, he bought a 2008 Gold Rush Mica xB Release Series 5.0. He also attended Scion events.

“Scion makes you feel part of a bigger community,” he says. “It almost feels like a car that pays you back.”

So when he learned about the First 86 program, he didn’t hesitate to put $500 down on a car he knew very little about and had never driven. “I liked the brand, and the FR-S hit my demographic perfectly,” says Davy, a 42-year-old data base manager at Brigham Young University. “I’d seen the concept, and it blew me away in terms of how gorgeous it was.”

He did have one concern: whether he could fit inside an FR-S. “I’m a big boy,” says Davy, who is 6-foot-7-inches tall and weighs 360 pounds. “I can’t fit in most sports cars. I can’t close the door when I sit in a Viper.”

He can close the door of an FR-S. “My knees are one inch from the dash, and my head is one millimeter from the roof,” he says. “In comparison to other cars, I fit very well.”

Not only did the First 86 event enable Davy to try the car on for size, it also convinced him to change his car color to a new shade of pearl called Whiteout. “It blinged out when I saw it in person,” he says. “With the sun out, it had a sparkle to it.”

He also decided it was more fun to drive a manual than an automatic. In fact, he says, “The FR-S is the funnest car I’ve ever driven.

“Cornering is exceptional,” he says. “Because of the low center of gravity, you feel planted. Acceleration is exhilarating.”

And styling? “For the price, there is no better looking car on the market,” he says. “I have to keep it real in terms of finances. This is a car I can actually afford to drive.”

In addition to driving the FR-S himself, Davy watched Scion driver Ken Gushi debut the FR-S race car at a Formula DRIFT race. “Seeing the cars come drifting around the corner was the experience of a lifetime for me,” he says.

Davy shared his experiences with his 2,500 Facebook friends. Today, his FR-S is getting even more exposure; he parks it in a prominent space at BYU so hundreds of students can see it every day.

Despite his enthusiasm for his FR-S, it’s difficult for Davy to part with his xB, which he personalized with thousands of dollars’ worth of accessories. “I don’t know if I can bear to let it go,” he says. “It makes me feel like I’m in my 20s. I might keep them both.”

By Susan Pack