My FR-S test drive experience

bigdog1250

This is a few weeks late, so my apologies.

I had visited the Scion dealership that is 4 blocks from my house in early June to check out their first shipment of FR-S (which were all spoken for already) to observe the fit and finish and get a chance to sit in the car. (thread here). While I had no intention of buying one, I certainly wanted to see what all the hype was about and get a chance to drive another fun car. They told me they'd have a demo car in the next week to test drive and check back in then... so I did and I got to drive one around for 20+ min.

Here were my impressions:

Light clutch feel, very easy to depress - if you've driven a newer GTI its almost exactly the same feel. Gear shifts aren't as buttery as the hydraulically assisted GTI (which is a good thing) offering a more mechanical feel similar to the Z but to lesser extent. Car fired right up with a quick rise to about 3k before it quickly settled back down to the idling RPM. This car definitely revs faster than the Z which is nice, though the exhaust note was a let down/engine noise was a let down.

After giving the car a good minute to warm up, we headed out onto a busy street and immediately he tells me to get on it. Being a good pupil, I obeyed and stepped on it. Car wound up and it began to scoot along at a brisk pace for the 3 blocks we traveled before coming to a halt at a red light. He looks at me with a big smile on his face and asks "isn't this thing nuts?". It really wasn't; while not sluggish it doesn't feel quick at all. My parents have a '05 Cobalt SS that's supercharged with 200hp and just a bit more weight (2800lbs) and it feels world's quicker than this car. Same with the GTIs I've driven. You really didn't feel any pull until the motor was up past 5k on its way to the 7.5k redline. It also starts to make more noise again at those levels, but again not something worth noting. A throatier exhaust is much needed, but again you don't by a 4 cylinder for the sound. No offense.

Now things start to get more upbeat.

We take a right onto another busy road which is totally clear (3 lanes wide) so I goose it and break the rear end loose. Now I have a smile and he has an "oh ****" face going. A little counter-steer and we're back facing the right direction... now I know why this thing has 215s out back Steering ratio is tight and accurate, very well done. We proceeded on this road which dumps us into a federally maintained park of about 100 acres that has really smooth roads, lots of twisties and elevation changes, all to be enjoyed with little traffic.

I turn off the traction control and VSC and we begin to swiftly tackle the road ahead. Car feels great in the turns. More body roll then I thought there'd be, but it feels sure-footed and nimble. This is where the car belongs with its precision in the turns. Lighter steering than the Z (at least my Z with the Swift Spec-R springs). It was a blast driving through this 4 mile section. A much different feeling than the Z in the corners. Is it better? No, it's different. My Z really feels planted and sticky in the corners, but does so with a much heavier presence which I tend to prefer - very Porsch-esc.

In a few of the sweeping turns I got to get the tires to squeal a bit which was great, the sales rep could care less. He kept pretending to be on the phone to the manager saying someone was interested in this car and that I had to make an offer on it soon. My response, "I thought this was a demo car." He replies "everything has a price tag!"

After our fun in the park we had to get back into the city and drop the car off at their sister dealership which was another 5 miles away. Lots of stop and go traffic while climbing the steep hills of SF. Very livable stick, easy to adapt to while requiring lite clutch work. This seems to be a perfect entry car to the sports car market.

In the end, this car definitely met the expectations from the hype. It's quick enough and handles really well, plus the skinny tires make for some fun. Coming from a Z, it really feels lacking in the power department. Seeing that I really use the power in ALL of my driving, this car would never fit the bill for me. Plus, if you want to think about the economics of it, it doesn't make sense.

Base = $25k
Wheels would need to go as they really aren't attractive = $2k+
Cloth seats feel REALLY cheap, rest of the cabin is fine though. Would opt to do aftermarket leather (which this dealership offered) = $2k
Tires to fit the new wheels = $800

Now you're already over $30k and you don't have the interior quality of the Z nor the HIDs... And you can (or you used to be able to) pick up a base Z + sport package for $32k. Logic points me to the latter.

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350z / 40th 370z / C6 Z06 / BMW M4 / V10 R8 / C7 Grand Spot / 997.1 GT3 / S2K / Camaro ZL1 / 718 GTS / 991.2 GT3