Which front-drive cars did you consider when buying your FR-S/BRZ? - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

NWFRS · 12-01-2013, 10:17 PM

For myself, I was briefly drawn to:

The Hyundai Veloster and Veloster Turbo.
The Fiat 500 and 500 Abarth.
And a lightly used Volvo C30.

Apples and oranges. Just wondering if I was alone. I know the Civic Si and Golf GTI are popular, but I was never drawn to them personally. After being disappointed by the driving experience in both Velosters I just went ahead and bought an FR-S. I realized I wasn't going to be happy with anything else. I never tried the Fiat or Volvo.

MikeNYC · 12-01-2013, 10:32 PM

i thought about the Veloster turbo too also thought about an s2k but thats rwd

mrk1 · 12-01-2013, 11:18 PM

Mini Cooper S but I've already owned a Cooper so I thought it would be a step backwards in my car career

samisons · 12-02-2013, 02:57 PM

Gti, fiesta St focus St but I don't think I could have went from my 350z to any of them fwd doesn't work for me although I wanted something reasonably priced and quick

Frost · 12-02-2013, 03:14 PM

I am in the midst of acquiring information on a fun car so for FWD options for the same price range (ish) or under to a fully loaded BRZ (in Canada):

- Focus ST (loving it as a DD but as a weekend warrior... ehhhh)
- Fiesta ST (ditto)
- Mini Cooper S (feels not very value driven for price tag)
- Veloster Turbo (already written off after a test drive)
- Golf GTI (have reservations on this)

The first two are the most likely I would go for if the BRZ suddenly were not possible for reasons OTHER than financial.

OrbitalEllipses · 12-02-2013, 03:17 PM

None.

1Cor10:23 · 12-02-2013, 03:22 PM

Came from a MKV GTI so I naturally considered:

-MKVI GTI
-Golf R (didn't think the incremental $ was worth it to be honest)
-Veloster Turbo (didn't even bother to test drive, just was a thought)
-Focus ST (wasn't available yet in Canada, did some research on it though - looked like a proper platform for a hot hatch in stock form)

Still a big fan of the GTI, would like to get another eventually as a family/touring car.

RWD cars considered:

-Genesis Coupe 2.0
-FRS/BRZ

In the end, wanted to give RWD a shot (FR-S is my first) and the after market development for the platform was just insane...

ZionsWrath · 12-02-2013, 03:32 PM

Only one I looked at...

infinite012 · 12-02-2013, 03:33 PM

Veloster Turbo
Accord Coupe V6
GTI
Jetta TDI

I drove the first two (Veloster Turbo had a weird shimmy in the rear end over cracks in the pavement; Accord was nice, but meh and reminded me too much of my sister's TSX that was also meh) and drove a plain jane 2.5 Jetta and hated the way it drove and how the seats and wheel felt off center in relation to my body. I would imagine the TDI to just be a faster/more grunty 2.5 Jetta and the GTI to be a smaller Jetta.

m.wood0213 · 12-02-2013, 03:35 PM

refuse to own fwd

DarkSunrise · 12-02-2013, 04:00 PM

My other car is a GTI, but that aside, the only FWD car I consdered was a Mini Cooper S w/LSD. Fun cars.

USMC · 12-02-2013, 04:12 PM

Honda Civic Si. My before car was a Civic LE, 2008.

JNovo79 · 12-02-2013, 04:50 PM

I was looking at the Fiat Abarth & the Fiesta ST.

davidp · 12-02-2013, 05:01 PM

well i had both a BRZ and Fiesta ST .. they are hands down the 2 cars i liked the most .. BRZ driving position is better tho but in terms of handling the Fiesta out handles the BRZ and also has lots more torque... it doesn't really feel like a fwd car you can even get it to oversteer because of that torque vectoring thing ..
Keep in mind that with decent tires the BRZ will have the edge in terms of lateral grip
2 awesome cars, each have their pros and cons.. the fiesta is a much more quiet car on the road and well i thought the BRZ seats were awesome till i sat in the recaros of the fiesta :P
the cool thing about the fiesta is that there is actually useable trunk and backseats and pussies dont need to store it for winter

btw i test drove a focus st before getting the fiesta and found the focus to be boring .. the fiesta is just so much more nimble in the twisties

12-01-2013, 10:17 PM	#1
NWFRS Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Drives: ‘13 FRS Location: USA Posts: 1,298 Thanks: 3,946 Thanked 1,503 Times in 635 Posts Mentioned: 17 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	Which front-drive cars did you consider when buying your FR-S/BRZ? For myself, I was briefly drawn to: The Hyundai Veloster and Veloster Turbo. The Fiat 500 and 500 Abarth. And a lightly used Volvo C30. Apples and oranges. Just wondering if I was alone. I know the Civic Si and Golf GTI are popular, but I was never drawn to them personally. After being disappointed by the driving experience in both Velosters I just went ahead and bought an FR-S. I realized I wasn't going to be happy with anything else. I never tried the Fiat or Volvo. Last edited by NWFRS; 05-28-2014 at 10:26 PM.

12-01-2013, 11:18 PM	#3
mrk1 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Drives: Sterling BRZ Ltd Location: New England Posts: 1,702 Thanks: 403 Thanked 1,389 Times in 671 Posts Mentioned: 21 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	Mini Cooper S but I've already owned a Cooper so I thought it would be a step backwards in my car career __________________ The Build Thread GT28RS - eBoost2 - 3.91 Final Drive - Supra LSD

12-02-2013, 03:22 PM	#7
1Cor10:23 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Drives: '13 Whiteout FR-S (M/T) Location: GTA Posts: 1,205 Thanks: 492 Thanked 392 Times in 238 Posts Mentioned: 14 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	Came from a MKV GTI so I naturally considered: -MKVI GTI -Golf R (didn't think the incremental $ was worth it to be honest) -Veloster Turbo (didn't even bother to test drive, just was a thought) -Focus ST (wasn't available yet in Canada, did some research on it though - looked like a proper platform for a hot hatch in stock form) Still a big fan of the GTI, would like to get another eventually as a family/touring car. RWD cars considered: -Genesis Coupe 2.0 -FRS/BRZ In the end, wanted to give RWD a shot (FR-S is my first) and the after market development for the platform was just insane... __________________ \|1Cor10:23 \| Whiteout FR-S \| Form Follows Function Build\|

12-02-2013, 04:00 PM	#11
DarkSunrise Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Drives: 22 BRZ (Previously 13 FR-S) Location: USA Posts: 5,797 Thanks: 2,186 Thanked 4,243 Times in 2,221 Posts Mentioned: 48 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	My other car is a GTI, but that aside, the only FWD car I consdered was a Mini Cooper S w/LSD. Fun cars. __________________ "Never run out of real estate, traction, and ideas at the same time." 2022 BRZ Build 2013 FR-S Build

12-02-2013, 04:50 PM	#13
JNovo79 Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Drives: '13 Ultramarine FR-S Location: Chicago - Edgewater Posts: 31 Thanks: 7 Thanked 11 Times in 8 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I was looking at the Fiat Abarth & the Fiesta ST. __________________ '13 FR-S Daily Driver -- '11 Sierra 1500 Tow B*tch -- '07 Suzuki SV 650 Race Bike 2011 & 2013 CCS Midwest Thunderbike Champ

12-01-2013, 10:32 PM	#2
MikeNYC Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Drives: Ultramarine Scion FRS Location: NYC Posts: 68 Thanks: 0 Thanked 20 Times in 15 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	i thought about the Veloster turbo too also thought about an s2k but thats rwd

12-02-2013, 02:57 PM	#4
samisons Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Drives: 2013 Raven Fr-s, 2013 Versa Sedan Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 167 Thanks: 128 Thanked 42 Times in 25 Posts Mentioned: 2 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Gti, fiesta St focus St but I don't think I could have went from my 350z to any of them fwd doesn't work for me although I wanted something reasonably priced and quick

12-02-2013, 03:17 PM	#6
OrbitalEllipses Banned Join Date: Jan 2012 Drives: Attitude Location: MD Posts: 10,046 Thanks: 884 Thanked 4,890 Times in 2,903 Posts Mentioned: 123 Post(s) Tagged: 4 Thread(s)	None.

12-02-2013, 03:32 PM	#8
ZionsWrath Thanks Join Date: Apr 2013 Drives: BRZ Location: NY Posts: 4,163 Thanks: 5,989 Thanked 3,100 Times in 1,498 Posts Mentioned: 38 Post(s) Tagged: 3 Thread(s)	Only one I looked at...

12-02-2013, 03:33 PM	#9
infinite012 Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Drives: 13 DGM BRZ Ltd Location: Williamsburg, VA Posts: 974 Thanks: 294 Thanked 470 Times in 255 Posts Mentioned: 17 Post(s) Tagged: 4 Thread(s)	Veloster Turbo Accord Coupe V6 GTI Jetta TDI I drove the first two (Veloster Turbo had a weird shimmy in the rear end over cracks in the pavement; Accord was nice, but meh and reminded me too much of my sister's TSX that was also meh) and drove a plain jane 2.5 Jetta and hated the way it drove and how the seats and wheel felt off center in relation to my body. I would imagine the TDI to just be a faster/more grunty 2.5 Jetta and the GTI to be a smaller Jetta.

12-02-2013, 04:12 PM	#12
USMC Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Drives: 2013 Scion FR-s Location: Fort Lauderdale ,Florida Posts: 147 Thanks: 1 Thanked 36 Times in 31 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Honda Civic Si. My before car was a Civic LE, 2008.

12-02-2013, 05:01 PM	#14
davidp Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Drives: BRZ Limited Location: Quebec Posts: 54 Thanks: 18 Thanked 23 Times in 16 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	well i had both a BRZ and Fiesta ST .. they are hands down the 2 cars i liked the most .. BRZ driving position is better tho but in terms of handling the Fiesta out handles the BRZ and also has lots more torque... it doesn't really feel like a fwd car you can even get it to oversteer because of that torque vectoring thing .. Keep in mind that with decent tires the BRZ will have the edge in terms of lateral grip 2 awesome cars, each have their pros and cons.. the fiesta is a much more quiet car on the road and well i thought the BRZ seats were awesome till i sat in the recaros of the fiesta :P the cool thing about the fiesta is that there is actually useable trunk and backseats and pussies dont need to store it for winter btw i test drove a focus st before getting the fiesta and found the focus to be boring .. the fiesta is just so much more nimble in the twisties

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