[Tcoat]

Looks are subjective and there is no "better" or "worse" looking version of any of them. It is all up to the individual.
I personally can hardly tell the pre and post facelift (cookie and zebra or whatever the hell you guys keep saying) without a close look.
The FRS vs 86 looks are much different and more readily noticeable. I was not a fan of the front bumper on the 86 but found that the license plate hides about 80% (that droopy nose below the hood of what I didn't like so am fine with it now. Colour also comes into play. I would not have bought an 86 in Lava no matter how much I loved the colour. The bumper made it to Jack-O-Lantern like for me. The dark colour of the Hakone actually makes the looks work though. Now it is more angry frog.

I came to the FRS from a run of top trim Lancers and am not ashamed to say I missed the niceties that the FRS lacked. I muttered curses under my breath every single time I had to reach into my pocket to get the keys to open and start it and don't get me going on the battle to try to maintain some semblance of a steady temperature with the manual HVAC.
Now I touch the door and it unlocks, push a button and it starts with no more digging a key out like it is 1952. I set the temperature to 70 and if it get's hotter the air comes on, colder and like magic there is heat.
I truly don't understand how this is something people don't like. The rectangle cut into the circles in the dash bothered my sensibilities for about half an hour when I got the Hakone. After that I didn't even notice it anymore. I have never used a heated seat in any car. Makes me feel like I peed my pants as the warmth slowly spreads!
I spend far more time in my car than many though so the little bit of quasi luxury means more to me. Somebody that uses it as a toy or has a 5 mile commute everyday may not appreciate the convivence of some of the features and I get that as well.