I got to drive an FR-S today!!!

[Bristecom]

Finally, I got to see, sit in, and even drive an FR-S today!

I was waiting for a client but he ended up rescheduling so I decided to stop by the Subaru and Scion dealer. Subaru said they already have buyers/deposits for all 8 of their car allocations for the year. So I decided to stop by Toyota again even though I went there a couple weeks ago and the guy said they wouldn't get any for a while. So I started looking carefully through the lot and then right in front of the main entrance, I saw an FR-S poking out!

I walked up to it, sat in it, and a sales guy comes up and asks if I want to take a spin in it! I didn't expect that! He said it's actually going to be used as a demo car. However, it was an automatic and I almost didn't want to drive an auto in fear of it giving me a poor impression of the power. But I couldn't pass up an opportunity like this!

So on to the first impression review:

It feels compact! Which is how I like my cars. I am 6 foot, 150 pounds, thin but wide chest/shoulders. The seats hug tightly and are clearly not made with fat Americans in mind (no offense). So I like the profile of the seats. The cloth is fine for cloth but I still really want leather/Alcantara. Everything on the inside is indeed low down. I always lower the seats to their lowest in cars but in this car, it started getting so low that I didn't bother lowering it any more. The telescopic steering wheel gave me plenty of adjustment too and was a good size and felt fine but it was thicker/longer towards the middle which was a little bit awkward for me.

So anyway, I put it into manual mode and nervously set off. I noticed the front hood was somewhat high in comparison to everything else. You can actually see a lot of it (if you're tall enough I guess) and it makes the front end appear bigger. It kind of reminded me of a Corvette. So I slowly got going on the road and in traffic but I quickly realized that it was pushing along just fine with minimal throttle. Even with the automatic, it does have a pretty decent amount of pick up at lower RPM's and it never felt like it was struggling. Then I went over a few bumps and thought, "Yep, this is definitely a new car." It's smooth, comfortable, and refined as opposed to my more raw sports car of the 90's.

So then I took my first turn. Again, the front felt wider than it actually is which gave it a sense of stability I suppose. I purposely took a route with a few roundabouts to get a much better idea of the handling balance. I entered the first roundabout and the car showed minimal roll. Then I accelerated a bit out of it and I felt the rear end get loose! It hardly took any effort to get the rear loose! That was my first big smile. I'm not sure if the traction control/VSC activated (I didn't notice the light flash) but it did feel like something was holding it back a bit. I can tell that the suspension is actually pretty stiff (but again - still comfy) and that the tires really don't have much grip. The steering is surprisingly not as direct as I was expecting, meaning, if you yank it a little in one direction, the car won't jerk over so that makes it more stable as well.

Then I went through another roundabout which led to a highway on ramp. It kicked out a bit again and got up to speed quickly enough. Here I decided to floor it around 3000 RPM. It responded about as well as my current car does. You do feel a little lack of power but it still moves at least (compared to the AP1 S2000 in low revs from what I remember). I let off the throttle abruptly a couple times to get an idea of the response and it's pretty quick but I did notice a slight hang. However, it was as if it immediately closed the valve most of the way and then closed it fully milliseconds later. So it's acceptable to me. And it might have actually had something to do with the automatic transmission. The automatic shifted alright and the paddle shifters clicked solidly but it was still a little jerky sometimes and not as impressive when downshifting as a dual clutch transmission (not that those are perfect by any means either).

After I got back, I started reassessing the interior. The controls all felt and operated well although the HVAC controls were a bit heavy/hard to turn. The Pioneer speakers sounded great and I was so happy to find that my Galaxy Nexus fit perfectly in the slot below the HVAC controls and in the phone/cup holder! I took a look in the backseat and realized it has even less room than other 2 door coupes I've been in but oh well. I also started feeling/pushing on everything and nothing creaked so the build quality is impressive. It really does remind me of a quality Japanese car from the 90's.

The sales guy was hoping I would put down a $500 deposit for the next manual they get in but I told him I wasn't quite ready to plunk down money for one but let him know that I will almost certainly buy one at some point within a year and when I do, I'll come back to see him. BTW, he says they will sell them at MSRP.

So in conclusion, I am so glad I got to test this car to get a true impression of everything. What I realized today is that this car is not in every way better than my current 99 Eclipse which was my original hope or expectation. But rather, it is a very different car which makes it all the more worth wanting. Buying this car would be like entering a whole new stage of driving development for me. It's a new challenge like when I first started driving or when I first got a manual transmission or rode a motorcycle. This car actually gave me a somewhat-intimidating sense of huge potential whereas every other new car I have driven either made me feel instantly bored or made me focus on speed and grip. But this thing truly offers a different concept to driving.

[raphymartinez]

please tell me you pressed the "Sport" button for the transmission.
I took an auto out yesterday for a quick spin and right away was like meh.... then today I tried it again and made sure to turn on sport mode for the transmission. Took a few quick on/off ramps and nice turns and I gotta tell you, the combination of the transmission and the fantastic composure this car has is just great. i had a blast and that was all while still staying under 4,000rpms. I can only imagine it gets better after that.

[Bristecom]

Originally Posted by raphymartinez

please tell me you pressed the "Sport" button for the transmission.
I took an auto out yesterday for a quick spin and right away was like meh.... then today I tried it again and made sure to turn on sport mode for the transmission. Took a few quick on/off ramps and nice turns and I gotta tell you, the combination of the transmission and the fantastic composure this car has is just great. i had a blast and that was all while still staying under 4,000rpms. I can only imagine it gets better after that.

I was in manual mode the whole time. Does it still make a difference? But to answer your question, no, I didn't turn the sport mode on. But I didn't get to drive it too fast or hard because I was in traffic for the most part.

[csaba]

Nice review
I also noticed to turn the HVAC controls felt heavy maybe because you actually moveing wires to open and close things. I guess no servo there.

[raphymartinez]

Originally Posted by Bristecom

I was in manual mode the whole time. Does it still make a difference? But to answer your question, no, I didn't turn the sport mode on. But I didn't get to drive it too fast or hard because I was in traffic for the most part.

night and day

[rikdrt1]

Originally Posted by Bristecom

I was in manual mode the whole time. Does it still make a difference? But to answer your question, no, I didn't turn the sport mode on. But I didn't get to drive it too fast or hard because I was in traffic for the most part.

EXCELLENT Review, but YOU DIDNT really drive the AUTO like it was meant to be driven. the std way just puts it in the way my Dad would drive it. Hitting the little sport button and going for an agressive drive in the mountains you will see a grin on your face for days after that.. .maybe weeks. i bought the AUTO and it wasnt till about 9days after that i found it by mistake.. (I dont read owners manuals- who does) -- But omg. Now i am so sure i made the right choice. The SPORT mode and the availability to hit the paddle shifters is the best of both worlds. Try it.

[Touge_ninja]

Sport mode is a must if you own an AT. Every time I drive my car I ALWAYS go sport mode.

[rice_classic]

6' and 150lbs?! Try not to blow away in the wind!

[carbonBLUE]

Originally Posted by Bristecom

I was in manual mode the whole time. Does it still make a difference? But to answer your question, no, I didn't turn the sport mode on. But I didn't get to drive it too fast or hard because I was in traffic for the most part.

The transmission shifts faster the harder you driver it, off throttle itll take a whole second to shift, on throttle itll shift as fast as you blink , vsc sport and sport activated, shifts are twice as quick

[Books]

I also have a Galaxy Nexus (it's quite a big phone) and I was impressed that my phone fit in the "phone slot" in the center. I was even more surprised that I can plug in my car charger and it wasn't pushing up against the connection! I'm glad the dealer made it a designated demo car. One of the dealerships I went to tried to sell me one with about 150 miles on it. Needless to say I ordered one instead at a different dealership.

[FRiSson]

Originally Posted by rice_classic

6' and 150lbs?! Try not to blow away in the wind!

Rude. Not cool.

[rice_classic]

Originally Posted by FRiSson

Rude. Not cool.

OH PUHLeeeeease.

You don't pick on him for saying the seats are designed for the typical fat American (which is funny as well). It's all in good fun as illustrated by the smiley face, but I guess you missed that.

Nobody's getting bullied here, you can take your childhood insecurities and impose them on others elsewhere.

[Bristecom]

LOL, this review is pretty old. But kudos to rikdrt1 and all of you for still reading it and commenting. And yeah, FRiSson/rice_classic, it's ok, I don't take offense to things like that. I am a bit thinner for my height compared to most Americans. I think I have more of a European build.

But yeah, I'm not too worried about my minor complaints of the automatic transmission. The sport mode would have been interesting to try though. I since drove the manual and got some second impressions as you can see here: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8203

[Sully]

Originally Posted by rice_classic

6' and 150lbs?! Try not to blow away in the wind!

Nah, he isn't that skinny. I was 6'4" and 155 when I was 14.

I kinda did blow away in the wind, actually. But only if the wind was coming from in front of or behind me. From the sides, it was like I wasn't there at all.