Anyone Else Considering an Automatic FR-S?

[SL]

thanks guys, will keep an eye on those threads.. fingers crossed for a non-auto shift mode.

i guess this is the problem with Subaru/Scion/Toyota finally releasing something the masses want is we're all too impatient for it and demand is too high .. the hype around this car is unreal..

issue here in the uk is i had to order straight away (gone for AT.. on the assumption of non-auto mode), and if i hadnt i'd be looking at a september car! (my local garage has already sold out of the first batch they will receive.. luckily i'm in that)..
worse still is if you wait for a test drive.. then it's quite likely you're going to be in one hell of a waiting list! .. here in the UK all dealerships (toyota anyway, i've not spoke to Subaru) are expecting to sell out the full allocation of year 1 cars even before the first model has hit the showroom.
so its a case of ordering blind if you want it early.
..and the dealerships unfortunately know even less than me.. which isnt helpful!

[madfast]

Originally Posted by SL

thanks guys, will keep an eye on those threads.. fingers crossed for a non-auto shift mode.

i guess this is the problem with Subaru/Scion/Toyota finally releasing something the masses want is we're all too impatient for it and demand is too high .. the hype around this car is unreal..

issue here in the uk is i had to order straight away (gone for AT.. on the assumption of non-auto mode), and if i hadnt i'd be looking at a september car! (my local garage has already sold out of the first batch they will receive.. luckily i'm in that)..
worse still is if you wait for a test drive.. then it's quite likely you're going to be in one hell of a waiting list! .. here in the UK all dealerships (toyota anyway, i've not spoke to Subaru) are expecting to sell out the full allocation of year 1 cars even before the first model has hit the showroom.
so its a case of ordering blind if you want it early.
..and the dealerships unfortunately know even less than me.. which isnt helpful!

sold out?

well the good news is that the car seems to shift pretty darned fast. they got the basics correct: quick shifts and early TC lock, so even if it does turn out to have auto upshift, it wont ruin the car. how often does one bounce off the rev limit anyways? for me its a philosophical problem not so much a real world problem.

anyways, all of this can potentially be changed with a tune anyways so the point is kinda moot. also, potential hardware upgrades like the valvebody, etc may be in the future as well, if this car (in AT) takes off...

[SL]

Originally Posted by madfast

sold out?

well the good news is that the car seems to shift pretty darned fast. they got the basics correct: quick shifts and early TC lock, so even if it does turn out to have auto upshift, it wont ruin the car. how often does one bounce off the rev limit anyways? for me its a philosophical problem not so much a real world problem.

yeah not often off the limiter (rarely), but its just nice to know that if i want to i can .. its nice to push the changes right to the edge aswell and have to act on that..

thanks, i've seen that vid of an auto on a tight test road/track.. seems to change very quickly!.. brill stuff. fingers crossed it turns out well.

- yeah it's not sold out here yet .. but its strongly believed demand will far outstrip supply.. for year 1 anyway.. (all garages are expecting to sell out their allocation before its in) .. as production ramps up in 2013 it wont be an issue.. but i dont want to wait .. its a car ive waited far too long for (as so many of us have), and its also my first ever brand new car i've gone for.. so it would be great to pick it up on release day.. which thankfully as the deposit is down looks to be the case.. 24hours later and i'd of been looking at a september delivery!!.. crazy

[val_lixembeau]

Originally Posted by Ikaros

I had trouble starting an automatic on a hill, so that's gotta tell you how rusty I am, plus I'm not sure if I remember how to park anymore lol.

In that case, I change my mind and recommend you get the automatic after all haha. I didn't realize that you haven't been driving in a long time.

But if you're worried about hurting your new car, who says that an FR-S has to be the first manual transmission car you own? Couldn't you practice on a cheap, beater Honda for a few months first? It seriously is not as hard as you are making it out to be (for most cars... some performance cars are more finicky).

And really, Vancouver is a pretty easy city to drive in compared to many places.

[madfast]

So there is absolute confirmation now that the AT is a beast:

We swap into the automatic car for a few laps and it's shockingly good, too. It's a conventional automatic with paddle shifters and two driving modes. We leave it in Sport and watch as the tachometer swings right to redline and then shifts with an instantaneous pop. There's probably a dual-clutch setup out there that's faster, but not by much.

Under hard braking it pulls off rev-matched downshifts, too, sometimes dropping more than one gear at a time. And in manual mode it'll let you bounce off the rev limiter all day without slapping your hand by upshifting for you. Other than the plastic shift paddles, there's little room for improvement.

from insideline's test of a USDM BRZ: http://www.insideline.com/subaru/brz...rst-drive.html

unlike the other tests, they tell you exactly what mode they are using. no confusion. sport mode will shift at or close to redline (under WOT i suppose) and manual mode allows you to bounce off the rev limit.

[SL]

Originally Posted by madfast

So there is absolute confirmation now that the AT is a beast

[BobbyBalaz]

uoooh, encountered this video of an automatic 86, getting worked on track, (sorry if this has been posted before) ... oh yea, most parts of the video has a pretty retarded 80's techno track, but some lets you hear the car!

I'ed say the shift times looks REALLY GOOD. Infact, right up there with a Dual Clutch box.

[BobbyBalaz]

-_-``, duh, forgot to add link.

[u2b]SJfIbQH-XGM[/u2b]

[Ikaros]

Wow sounds like the M mode for the auto is very nice. I think I made up my mid thanks guys.

[madfast]

more info:

Thanks to a throttle blip function, it also will accept downshifts up to 7200 rpm.

from: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...drive#fbIndex4

so i guess that's why some reviews says downshifts were ignored. the next lower gear might have been above 7200 rpm. not quite redline, but close enough. knowing how freely the engine revs, i dont blame them for making it this way. there more info that comes in, the better this AT sounds. IS-F based or the IS-F tranny with 6 speeds? heck yeah i believe it now!

[poormans_LFA]

glad i'm not buying the first model year. haha. anyway, while i can certainly see a three pedal being more fun to drive than a slushbox, I need the convenience and the everyday ease of use of an automatic. i do a TON of driving on congested SoCal freeways and having long legs i imagine my calves would be extra fatigued shifting around all the time. i'm also not entirely proficient enough at driving stick to want to own one. it's hard enough finding opportunities to practice with someone who's willing to let you use their car. the stick shift will no doubt be extinct soon one day with this reality. sorry.

[Ikaros]

Oh, for people who wants to learn about the IS-F auto transmission read this quick summary from Lexus:
http://www.lexus.com/models/ISF/feat...sion_Story.pdf

From all the reviews we have had recently it seems like the auto really was inspired by the IS-F. I think the only thing we haven't gotten conformation on is the TC lockup. If it has that then I really can't see myself buying a manual. Although I really never felt the joy of driving with the heel to toe method. Some of you who has driven in that way might be more reluctant to try the auto, cause that's what you see as fun.

EDIT: Oh if I ever get super rich or something I would totally get a cheap Honda and learn to drive manual on that, then buy a manual FR-S. Heck if I'm rich I'll just learn on the FR-S and if that one breaks I can actually afford to repair it. I had a friend who broke his transmission in a very old car, and still can't afford to fix it lol.

[Torquesteered]

I am considering the auto, but I'm still undecided. I like driving stick, and even more so in sports cars, but the older I get the less important shifting becomes and the auto sounds more and more appealing. I plan on keeping this car a long time. I am 38 with bad knees now, in 10 years I may have to have an auto just to drive at all. The fact that they made this auto with sporting intentions and from what I have read it shifts fast and feels good it makes this decision all the harder. I don't care at all what internet racers think of auto tannies. I drive what works for me.

[ryude]

Originally Posted by BobbyBalaz

-_-``, duh, forgot to add link.

[u2b]SJfIbQH-XGM[/u2b]

Gonna need to practice gaming to get my fingers trained for those paddles :P