My friends ask why I'm so interested in this car...

[KaliKev]

Its not very powerful, good looking, luxurious, or very practical but there is one thing this car will have.

Its the same as another Toyota "niche" car, the Toyota FJ which I own.

I can't tell you why exactly, but this car is very special to me. The way it drives, the way it looks, the dependability, and the amount of fun is unmatched by any other truck I have previously owned or driven. It fills the void other trucks didn't fill for me. Its different and does exactly what I want it to do.

The FRS/BRZ will feel exactly like this, even if its not fully or mostly from Toyota it will become a huge iconic vehicle because those who own it, will love it.

I want a car that makes driving fun and is economical enough to take on a day long road trip at minimal cost so I can get lost in the California back roads forgetting about anything other than shifting gears and hearing a sweet engine sound. This car will do exactly that.

I could not be more excited for this car, it will be special.

[Giccin]

Fun to drive.

Nuff said.

[Dark]

Originally Posted by KaliKev

Its not very powerful, good looking, luxurious, or very practical but there is one thing this car will have.

Its the same as another Toyota "niche" car, the Toyota FJ which I own.

I can't tell you why exactly, but this car is very special to me. The way it drives, the way it looks, the dependability, and the amount of fun is unmatched by any other truck I have previously owned or driven. It fills the void other trucks didn't fill for me. Its different and does exactly what I want it to do.

The FRS/BRZ will feel exactly like this, even if its not fully or mostly from Toyota it will become a huge iconic vehicle because those who own it, will love it.

I want a car that makes driving fun and is economical enough to take on a day long road trip at minimal cost so I can get lost in the California back roads forgetting about anything other than shifting gears and hearing a sweet engine sound. This car will do exactly that.

I could not be more excited for this car, it will be special.

It's affordable, fun, easy to go sideway, and reliable.

[Major Clod]

Originally Posted by KaliKev

Its not very powerful, good looking, luxurious, or very practical but there is one thing this car will have.

Gosh I think the FT86 is one of the best looking mass-market sports cars I've seen in a long while. Your friend is crazy!

[chopstickz]

This thing better be reliable lol.

[Sully]

Well neither Subaru, Toyota, nor Yamaha have any reliability problems. So that front should be covered.

[ZetaVI]

It is just one of those upcoming cars that a generation needs. A car that could be popular and remembered for a long time if it is right which I believe it will be. There are some cars that people love and iconic during its time. Some people don't understand and miss out. I don't feel sorry for them. This car could be one of them.

[Ikaros]

The FR-S kinda fits what I look in a car perfectly. Handling has got to be the most over looked component in car design now. It's always trying to squeeze as much horsepower out of a engine as the main goal and to make it handle beter they make it a AWD. Toyota is focusing on the opposite, they're trying to make the handling intuitive and most of all fun to drive not fast. Let's be honest even if you have a car with a lot of HP and a huge top speed how often are you gonna get to use it?

[keiri]

Originally Posted by Ikaros

The FR-S kinda fits what I look in a car perfectly. Handling has got to be the most over looked component in car design now. It's always trying to squeeze as much horsepower out of a engine as the main goal and to make it handle beter they make it a AWD. Toyota is focusing on the opposite, they're trying to make the handling intuitive and most of all fun to drive not fast. Let's be honest even if you have a car with a lot of HP and a huge top speed how often are you gonna get to use it?

This is my fiance's statement everytime I mention buying a high HP car or turboing my Celica - when and where are you going to use all of that?

I think the FR-S will be the right balance stock for all the fun and spirited driving I'll do and if I want [need] more power later than I'm sure the aftermarket will have something to offer.

[Ryephile]

Originally Posted by Ikaros

Man-Machine Oneness [aka steering and chassis communication] has got to be the most over looked component in car design now.

Agreed.

There are too many cars that knock out amazing lap times while the driver is simultaneously bored out of their mind.

[Ikaros]

Originally Posted by keiri

This is my fiance's statement everytime I mention buying a high HP car or turboing my Celica - when and where are you going to use all of that?

I think the FR-S will be the right balance stock for all the fun and spirited driving I'll do and if I want [need] more power later than I'm sure the aftermarket will have something to offer.

Exactly what I'm thinking you can always boost your HP using aftermarket things but a low centre of gravity? You can't do anything to change that, atleast not any that I am aware of. Plus where I live there are these really nice mountain road nearby with a great view on nature, man driving on those winding roads on the FR-S is gonna be so fun. Although I have to admit it would be nicer on a car like the S2000 since it's a convertible.

[Ikaros]

Originally Posted by Ryephile

Agreed.

There are too many cars that knock out amazing lap times while the driver is simultaneously bored out of their mind.

Lol that reminds me of an episode on top gear where Jermey was sitting in a self driving 3 series. Sure it was really fast and precise on it's turns but it takes the fun completely out of driving. The kind of turns the car made completely blew his mind. The experience of driving is to push your own limit and see if you yourself can make the turn not have a computer tell you what the exact limit of the car is.

I swear with the new self driving car technology like googles car and the increase in HP and speed "driving" if the industry keep headig in this direction is just gonna be like sitting on a bullet train, waiting to get from point A to B.

[Ryephile]

For what it's worth, there are too few reasonably educated drivers out in the wild, free to text/email/BigMac/lipstick while driving with little-to-no education or experience regarding physics or laws of the road. Most people would be better off in an autonomous commuter appliance [like the Metra in Chicago, Metro in DC, subway in NYC].

I would hazard a guess that most of us on this forum are going to be enthusiasts and actually care about driving and how our cars drive. We're likely in the minority, as sports cars don't sell in big numbers compared to the Camry's and F-150's of the world. Hopefully the FR-S/BRZ fulfill their promise to be an affordable sensual drivers' car.

[Ikaros]

I hope this community that revolves around the the fun of driving can grow due to this car. Like you said too many people are taking cars for granted and don't truly care about the joy or driving. Although many of those bad habits might have stem from how repetitive commuting from home to work is and how everyone feels like there's a need
to multitask because it always feels like we need more time. That's why we need a a car that can not only take us from point A to B but also remind us of how fun driving can really be. I think that's also why shows like top gear is so popular too cause of how it makes driving seem fun again.