Checked out the new scion frs
 

I stopped at the local Scion dealer in Vegas and looked at the new FRS it was an automatic version, and immediately after pulling up in the 370Z, three salesman decend upon me.

One asked me if I wanted to test drive it and I said yes if it wasn't to much trouble.

After sitting for 10 minutes in the FRS and checking out the interior, for its quality, design, layout and equipment , I arrived at the conclusion that the car is really to cheaply made, from the fake carbon dash, to the corolla style center console. The car basically reminded me of a 2010 corolla rental I had last month in Hawaii.

Overall I like the outside of the car except for the massive black lower bumper panel, it looks horrible on any color except a dark gray or black model.

The 200 HP engine is really to low and makes the car feel like driving 2.5 liter nissan compact.

If toyota fixed up the interior and gave it a 300 hp plus car it would be a great car.

For the price of this car a buyer would be better off just getting a base model V6 , camaro,mustang or challenger.

BRZ>FRS imo :driving:

I agree for the most part. The one I saw yesterday was black, and while the exterior was nice, I didnt even bother them to test drive it. it didnt help that it was on the showroom floor.

What were your thoughts on the automatic transmission in the car?

This will be my strategy for getting a test drive.

Apparently they turn away a lot of younger guys and girls -- which is mind blowing to me. If someone shows up and wants to buy it, you don't turn them away from a test drive.

BTW, read this review on it -- TTAC are not fans...

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...ce-scion-fr-s/

younger guys and girls + their parents will probably net them a test drive.

retail is tuff. customers can be very stupid.

IMO, I like the car, but not the price when it comes to shopping for new cars. Maybe some day I can find a used one for under $10k and strip it down. That won't be the case as long as I have my Z hehe.

I haven't seen one up close or test drive one yet.... same with the BRZ... but base on what I had been hearing from other people reviews on those two cars. I would rather get the new Mazdaspeed3.

Yeah and 10k more $$$ thus no longer a Scion.
Scions are geared specifically towards low income individuals and youth... my ex had a TC and all the plastics were cheap but it was a 17k car.

Anything more than what it is will get the Toyota or Lexus badge.

Moved to the right section

I thought this was going to be a constructive test drive thread???

:facepalm:

What a bummer. It's a nice looking car though. (minus the wheels)

Though i sense some bias from the author... I can agree that the FR-S does not appeal to me in price. If this car started at $19,990 like it was supposed to while in its thought stage? It would be a drivers dream. If they met the increased expectation of $22,000 while the car was a prototype. This car would have been a good value for the money and excellent bang for buck factor.
Sadly, @ $25k, you're buying a RWD novelty, that pulls off seriously good handling with no thrill. I'm sorry, you can justify true sports cars are handlers and don't need to be fast all day. But, if a sports car can't minimally hit 6.0/14.5 on a NA out the gate??? Why waste your time??? If the FR-S was a turbo that did 6.7/15.1, i'd say fvck it and get one, Only because modding the turbos would make it that much more fun. 7/15.6 is pathetic and making that kind of power on a non-turbo SPORTS car makes the car useless. I'd rather slam and mod a juke awd. Which happens to be 2890lbs on an awd.
The FR-S has some kind of value as a sporty fun car as an auto simply because, the huge jump in mileage. 25/34 auto vs 22/30manual. i would buy the auto to go back and forth to work to have fun in the corners and twisties.
With 22/30 fuel econ, there are better or more powerful cars to drive and have fun that match econ.

FWD- mazda3, volkswagen gti, altima coupe 3.5sr, can all be bought and provide more power for the mileage.
RWD- mustang v6, camaro v6 and gencoupe 2.0TURBO provide either over or pretty close to 300hp while maintaining rwd

Then there's the mazdaspeed 3. even though its fwd and guzzles more gas than all these cars combined. it provides an incredible driving experience for the money... And upcoming cars like the focus st are crowding the $25k with interesting FAST performance...
There's no real replacement for rwd in the overall performance spectrum. but a proper low-slung fwd can be just as fun in the right drivers hands.

THE FR-S IS OVERPRICED... And it will feel the grip on the competition by 2014 if it doesn't, lower pricing by @ least $1500 (something the mustang has done in a competition crunch) and introduce a turbo model.
The interior may look cheap, but thats the least of it's problems. Also, after all the enthusiasts buy them up and normal buyers become the main market... They will have to consider at least squeezing out 24/33mpg's out that manual. 300hp cars can do the same or better than the manual fr-s? Not a good selling point OUTSIDE of the enthusiast world where econ is secondary or third.

Did not work for me. I pulled into a Toyota dealer with my Z, and the salesman denied me a test drive cuz he thinks I had absolutely no intention to buy it.

Agreed I just got to see one this past weekend as well. Arhg that inerior is hideously cheap looking. Lol! I thought same thing! I rented a cheap econo box in Hawaii too and that was first thing it reminded me of inside. Power is ....well .....pathetic..

My 2006 Miata was nicer inside with tons of leather and it was way cheaper. What the heck was Toysubi thinking???

Handling is spot on! Awesome suspension tuning but it takes more than just handling to make well rounded car. I couldn't live with one unfortunately. I'm looking for nice used Porsche Boxster S now.

Umm, I may be biased, but a brand new 2012 mid trim level MX-5 (touring) has a higher base price than the FRS with a similar feature set. The top trim MX-5 tops 31K. Whatever the MX-5's advantages over the FRS/BRZ twins, it is not price.

The top of line standard convertible top Grand Touring is closer to $25 k but I guess your right mx5 is more of a premium high quality sports car compared to econobox FSR. Lol! However at dealer your going to get much better deal on MX5. They rarely sell for MSRP. Mine was $1500 under invoice. Fully loaded etc.

2012 Mazda MX-5 Miata Reviews, Pictures and Prices | U.S. News Best Cars

For me, if it came down to Miata vs. FRS/BRZ, it would be fun vs. practicality.

The Miata is more fun, because it's a drop top. The experience of performance driving is magnified with the top down. You're more in tune with the environment around you.

The FRS/BRZ is more practical because of its deeper boot and small back seat.

In all other facets, I find the cars practically identical. The FRS interior may be cheap, but it's well laid out, and I think the BRZ is a step up from it.

This is copied from the link you provided

Avg. Paid:$22,785 - $28,963
MSRP: $23,470 - $30,050
Invoice: $22,188 - $28,403
MPG: 21 City / 28 Hwy

MSRP -- 23.4k - 30k

So it goes from slightly cheaper than the FRS to more expensive than the BRZ.

Note I've never seen the inside of an FR-S, so it may be a pile of crap. I was just bringing attention to the fact that it is similar to the MX-5 in price not, in general, more expensive as Shamu stated

The FRS interior is almost exactly laid out the same as the BRZ, but imo, Subaru uses slightly higher quality materials.


And actually, I like the seats better in the twins than the Miata. Regardless of materials, they're better performance seats.

I actually liked the seats in the FRS better than the ones in my Nismo.