The Nasty FR-S Review Part 2

[Mango22]

Originally Posted by Dezoris

Sorry it ruined your life today. I do have something that will fix it.

I have a feeling you need it more than me, Woody.

[SubieNate]

I think it's silly to worry about a car's "sports car" reputation. I don't street race. I don't drive my car for other people to see me in it and I don't need a car to reassure me that my penis is teh largerest. My last car was a 140 hp Impreza L wagon. I modded everything on that car but the engine. Bigger brakes, custom struts, swaybars, interior stuff, the list goes on. I had a ball wringing the piss out of that little engine around backroads with hardly any worry that I was going to overcook it.

Sometimes driving a car to it's limits is satisfying even when those limits are low. Sometimes it's good to keep those limits relatively low so that you CAN push them just a bit. I think this was the reasoning behind the 200 hp thing.

There are a number of sporty, sub $30k cars that would get spanked by most v6 minivans in a straight line. I'd still take any one of them over any minivan. Because I don't race on the street and the amount of straight line fun you can have on the street is incredibly limited.

You said that a car needs to be able to get to the next light quickly. Frankly, for some of us, it doesn't.

That said, once my warranty is up I think a custom SC setup may be in my future. Because racecar.

[Dezoris]

Originally Posted by Mango22

I have a feeling you need it more than me, Woody.

Originally Posted by SubieNate

I think it's silly to worry about a car's "sports car" reputation. I don't street race. I don't drive my car for other people to see me in it and I don't need a car to reassure me that my penis is teh largerest. My last car was a 140 hp Impreza L wagon. I modded everything on that car but the engine. Bigger brakes, custom struts, swaybars, interior stuff, the list goes on. I had a ball wringing the piss out of that little engine around backroads with hardly any worry that I was going to overcook it.

Sometimes driving a car to it's limits is satisfying even when those limits are low. Sometimes it's good to keep those limits relatively low so that you CAN push them just a bit. I think this was the reasoning behind the 200 hp thing.

There are a number of sporty, sub $30k cars that would get spanked by most v6 minivans in a straight line. I'd still take any one of them over any minivan. Because I don't race on the street and the amount of straight line fun you can have on the street is incredibly limited.

You said that a car needs to be able to get to the next light quickly. Frankly, for some of us, it doesn't.

That said, once my warranty is up I think a custom SC setup may be in my future. Because racecar.

You make a lot of good points, namely those about the limits of the car.

[BRZnut]

Great video but slighly on the negative side!! But I think you have concluded what most of us think......the twins are great value sports cars with some short comings but fantastic road manners and were made to be driven daily and not left in the garage.

[SUB-FT86]

Originally Posted by SubieNate

I think it's silly to worry about a car's "sports car" reputation. I don't street race. I don't drive my car for other people to see me in it and I don't need a car to reassure me that my penis is teh largerest. My last car was a 140 hp Impreza L wagon. I modded everything on that car but the engine. Bigger brakes, custom struts, swaybars, interior stuff, the list goes on. I had a ball wringing the piss out of that little engine around backroads with hardly any worry that I was going to overcook it.

Sometimes driving a car to it's limits is satisfying even when those limits are low. Sometimes it's good to keep those limits relatively low so that you CAN push them just a bit. I think this was the reasoning behind the 200 hp thing.

There are a number of sporty, sub $30k cars that would get spanked by most v6 minivans in a straight line. I'd still take any one of them over any minivan. Because I don't race on the street and the amount of straight line fun you can have on the street is incredibly limited.

You said that a car needs to be able to get to the next light quickly. Frankly, for some of us, it doesn't.

That said, once my warranty is up I think a custom SC setup may be in my future. Because racecar.

Reading the beginning of your post vs the end of it is weird. I was thinking since you didn't modify the 140hp car's engine(because of low limits) there's no way you would mod the FRS/BRZ's engine and then you throw a SC in the mix at the end(which would make the limits higher?).

[SubieNate]

Originally Posted by SUB-FT86

Reading the beginning of your post vs the end of it is weird. I was thinking since you didn't modify the 140hp car's engine(because of low limits) there's no way you would mod the FRS/BRZ's engine and then you throw a SC in the mix at the end(which would make the limits higher?).

The wagon was my college car. Engine mods on a car that needs a new bottom end to make ANY extra power get really expensive. Especially for someone with no dinero. Also, I plan to take the FR-S to the track at some point. Maybe a lot.

I was mostly pointing out that I still loved and highly enjoyed driving the wagon even though it was a gutless wonder. I feel the FR-S is amazing to drive at 200 hp too. But since the FR-S at some point may become a track toy, all bets are off for raising the limits because I'll be using it at a place where raised limits are going to be usable.

Nathan

[wootwoot]

Originally Posted by Dezoris

I could never find a new WRX Hatch for under 26k.

That's what I thought. And the 2013 STI's are over 40K around where I live right now... I just don't understand the comparison. Oh well.

[wbradley]

I don't have the patience to read this whole thread. Thanks to Dezoris for an excellent critique that was funny too.

PS- your "brown" girlfriend is cute!

Being in Illinois, I'm surprised there wasn't a reference to there being no prestige driving the brand that supplies a big chunk of Chicago taxi cabs! (xB's, and one reason I felt the xB was a safe buy for a winter car).

[fatoni]

if you cant find a wrx for under 26k its because you arent looking. in less than 15 seconds i found three dealerships in my area for that price. the mrsp is only like 26500.

[Khyron686]

Originally Posted by Dezoris

I was in a similar boat. When I had my Exige..,

So Exige to FRS? You bought the wrong car. Why on earth didn't you get a Mustang GT or a used Cayman or something? I get the hassles you're having but the power stuff has been out on the table since day one. It's not like it's a surprise. And the ring time is right between a Type R and a S2000 - again, not a shabby spot to be.

I had everything on the table from a used 997 911, Evo, Boss, GT, GC, S4, 370Z - as long as it was RWD and could fit the kids in the back from time to time. I bought the FRS cause it hit all the right buttons, and I don't care if I break it. It's like owning a 2013 E30 M3 or a 2013 Porsche 944 or a Mk2 supra - all with modern safety and no hassles. Just sitting in it feels RIGHT. Like a mk6 GTI but lower and the go-fast wheels on the right end.

If 0-60 was a buying criteria... once again, have to say you simply screwed up. But for 3-5K you can fix that mistake. Others like me don't care to.

[Dezoris]

Originally Posted by fatoni

if you cant find a wrx for under 26k its because you arent looking. in less than 15 seconds i found three dealerships in my area for that price. the mrsp is only like 26500.

In less than 25 seconds I did a national search on Autotrader and Cars.com and found 400 listings, there were no Hatchbacks listed for under 26k new. (One Sedan at 25k) And in a large market like Chicagoland, you are not going to get one for much less than 500 under MSRP.

Originally Posted by Khyron686

So Exige to FRS? You bought the wrong car. Why on earth didn't you get a Mustang GT or a used Cayman or something? I get the hassles you're having but the power stuff has been out on the table since day one. It's not like it's a surprise. And the ring time is right between a Type R and a S2000 - again, not a shabby spot to be.

I had everything on the table from a used 997 911, Evo, Boss, GT, GC, S4, 370Z - as long as it was RWD and could fit the kids in the back from time to time. I bought the FRS cause it hit all the right buttons, and I don't care if I break it. It's like owning a 2013 E30 M3 or a 2013 Porsche 944 or a Mk2 supra - all with modern safety and no hassles. Just sitting in it feels RIGHT. Like a mk6 GTI but lower and the go-fast wheels on the right end.

If 0-60 was a buying criteria... once again, have to say you simply screwed up. But for 3-5K you can fix that mistake. Others like me don't care to.

0-60 is not really my concern, like I said most of the time it is ok. But when you really get down to it it's just a sheep in wolfs clothing. It looks the part and maybe in other markets like Europe or Japan it's more than powerful. But in America our mass market ho-hum cars from pretty much every company will wipe it up the car in a straight line. And in terms of overall grip on paper the FR-S also does not fair to well even against hot hatches in most tests. It's a car like you said needs about 5k to be an actual sports car. That's what I am getting at.

As mentioned I have been through sports cars that are toys, did not want that again which is why I went this route. It's a stop gap car to fill the the time from when either release an STI/TRD model or Mazda or Honda build their own version of this car.

Originally Posted by wbradley

I don't have the patience to read this whole thread. Thanks to Dezoris for an excellent critique that was funny too.

PS- your "brown" girlfriend is cute!

Being in Illinois, I'm surprised there wasn't a reference to there being no prestige driving the brand that supplies a big chunk of Chicago taxi cabs! (xB's, and one reason I felt the xB was a safe buy for a winter car).

Yeah Scion owns the transport market in the city for sure, never thought of that. I don't care about the badge but I know plenty of people cant wait to rip off the "tag". Tks

[wootwoot]

Originally Posted by Dezoris

In less than 25 seconds I did a national search on Autotrader and Cars.com and found 400 listings, there were no Hatchbacks listed for under 26k new. (One Sedan at 25k) And in a large market like Chicagoland, you are not going to get one for much less than 500 under MSRP.

THANK YOU!!! Exactly right. Not sure where these people's heads are... But I can guess.

Originally Posted by Dezoris

0-60 is not really my concern, like I said most of the time it is ok. But when you really get down to it it's just a sheep in wolfs clothing. It looks the part and maybe in other markets like Europe or Japan it's more than powerful. But in America our mass market ho-hum cars from pretty much every company will wipe it up the car in a straight line. And in terms of overall grip on paper the FR-S also does not fair to well even against hot hatches in most tests. It's a car like you said needs about 5k to be an actual sports car. That's what I am getting at.

Not sure I agree there.

According to Edmunds regarding the FRS:

Scion FRS STOCK:
Skid-pad: 0.89g
Slalom: 67.5mph

Scion FRS Upgraded Tires ONLY (Yokohama Advan Neova AD08 sized 245/40)
Skid-pad: 1.0g
Slalom: 70.3mph

So how does that compare to other sports cars? (All Stats are from the Sands Mechanical Museum)

The Z06:
Skid-pad: 0.94g
Slalom: 68.5mph

Porsche 911 GT3:
Skid-pad: 0.92g
Slalom: 68.7mph

Viper SRT-10
Skid-pad: 1.04g
Slalom: 68.6mph

Will the FRS compare in 0-60? NO WAY! But in 60-0.... Hell yes! I am not saying it is the most amazing car on the planet, but at 25K I think those numbers are impressive. People keep saying the car doesn't add up on paper and I just don't get it. Based on these two data points the closest competitor is the Lotus Elise with a skid-pad of .98g and a slalom speed of 71.1mph. Again, not bad if you ask me.

I say it is a sports car just as it comes from the factory. Suspension, brakes, forced induction, and taking some weight off will just turn it in to a better sports car.

My 2 cents. If I am delusional please let me know. Input welcome.

[Dezoris]

Originally Posted by wootwoot

THANK YOU!!! Exactly right. Not sure where these people's heads are... But I can guess.




Not sure I agree there.

According to Edmunds regarding the FRS:

Scion FRS STOCK:
Skid-pad: 0.89g
Slalom: 67.5mph

Scion FRS Upgraded Tires ONLY (Yokohama Advan Neova AD08 sized 245/40)
Skid-pad: 1.0g
Slalom: 70.3mph

So how does that compare to other sports cars? (All Stats are from the Sands Mechanical Museum)

The Z06:
Skid-pad: 0.94g
Slalom: 68.5mph

Porsche 911 GT3:
Skid-pad: 0.92g
Slalom: 68.7mph

Viper SRT-10
Skid-pad: 1.04g
Slalom: 68.6mph

Will the FRS compare in 0-60? NO WAY! But in 60-0.... Hell yes! I am not saying it is the most amazing car on the planet, but at 25K I think those numbers are impressive. People keep saying the car doesn't add up on paper and I just don't get it. Based on these two data points the closest competitor is the Lotus Elise with a skid-pad of .98g and a slalom speed of 71.1mph. Again, not bad if you ask me.

I say it is a sports car just as it comes from the factory. Suspension, brakes, forced induction, and taking some weight off will just turn it in to a better sports car.

My 2 cents. If I am delusional please let me know. Input welcome.

I probably should not have brought the on paper comparison because we know that does not mean much.

Every outlet tests differently, no launch is exactly the same, tire pressures driver weight, alignment skid pad pavement and size, 300ft? 200ft.

How about this?

[wootwoot]

Not sure what point you are getting at with the above post. The FRS and BRZ held their own against all those other cars with the stock tires.... If it had extreme summer tires on it, like most if not all of the other cars, it would have done better. In the numbers I showed earlier the FRS went from a .89g to a full g on the skid-pad with just a change of tires. I imagine that would equate to a large drop in lap time around the track.