[Rayme]

Originally Posted by MVJ1975

The FR-S/BRZ is built to a price. I'm sure Subaru and Toyota would have loved to put a DCT in the car, but it wasn't in the budget, and the only fancy sequential automatic Toyota has is in the LFA. Even the IS-F uses a torque converter. The amount of time they've spent working on the 6AT and making it as little of a detraction from the car as possible instead of just dropping in a Corolla or tC autobox and calling it a day is pretty indicative of who they think is going to buy the car.

Look at the ads Toyota has put out - what do they show the car being used for? Hooning. Drifting. There's no mention of the backseat or any practical features. One commercial even alludes to the fact that it'll annoy your significant other with its immaturity. The car is marketed to people who enjoy the fun of driving.

Let's say you're an average "A to B" driver who wants a sporty inexpensive car. You don't care about FWD, AWD, RWD, or no wheel drive. You're comparing on specs, price, and practicality for a daily driver. What would make you choose the FR-S/BRZ over things like the Si, MS3, WRX, GTI, or Focus ST? Absolutely nothing. The FR-S is slower 0-60 and around a track. It has less interior room, and the interior is decidedly low-rent as compared to the GTI or MS3. There's no hatchback or four-door option. I'd suggest that the only thing that'd make you choose the FR-S over those cars is that it's more fun to drive, and if fun-to-drive is the reason you buy a car, well, you might just be an enthusiast.

I don't know about how other people shop for cars, but everyone has a budget and money talks more than comparison. I bought the FR-S not only because I wanted it, but it was the cheapest, by far of all it's competitors that I couldn't afford EVEN if I really wanted them (believe it or not the 2013 SI is more expensive than the FR-S right now here)...or else I'd have to go get a used one. I mean a cayman is very close to be a competitor performance/experience wise but nobody will cross shop them, the price gap is just stupid.