FR-S First Drive Impressions

[Svend]

Had a 15 minute test drive in an Automatic FR-S last week. Thoughts:

1. Engine is LOUD, but it sounds GOOD. You want to wind it out all the time to just hear the motor.
2. It's pretty cool how the shift light flashes even in Automatic mode.
3. The stock radio isn't the most intuitive thing in the world.
4. The seats have great lateral support.
5. Driving position is excellent, and the cowl is low.
6. Great view from the driver's seat; wheel and gauges are nice to look at.
7. Gearing seems a bit high with the Automatic; if you punch it at around 30MPH it does not have an ideal gear to switch to.
8. The suspension setup is very Porsche like; it drives like a baby Panamera. Firm but rarely harsh. Excellent....
9. Brakes and Steering are flawless.
10. Less grip than I expected, and loads of tire squeal. I read about this in reviews, but it still surprised me a little. I guess because the car feels so much like a Porsche from behind the wheel you expect Porsche like grip and it is not there with the stock tires.
11. I miss the adjustable lumbar support. Pretty much all the competitors have this except the Miata.
12. There is no center arm-rest. I agree that the manual model does not need one, but I think you will miss it when stuck in traffic with an automatic model.

At least in South Florida, it is probably a more fun car than a Porsche. When you have 300-400HP on tap, most of the time you can only punch it for a couple seconds before another car impedes your progress. The FR-S sounds great when you wind it out, and it's slow enough that you can wind it out regularly. Overall, great fun!