So finally test drove a FRS today in auto.  A few observations:


1-Interior has grown on me for sure, I really like the seat position, ergonomics and placement of everything.  The paddles need to be extended in length which the aftermarket is making as we speak for more aggressive driving.  Gauges are great and so is legibility.  Could use another gauge like oil temp and maybe EGT rather than a second speedo.  Brake pedal placement is decent for left foor braking but not as comfortable for long distance driving like the Subaru or other British cars like Jaguar.  I don't know what it is about Jags and Brits, but they get left foot braking position better than anyone.  So I'll have to likely add aftermarket aluminum pedals for better placement/comfort.  Rear fold down mechanism broke on the left side of one FRS but worked on the second one.  Not confidence inspiring.  Currently has more cargo room than any of my cars because the Legacy seats do not fold down.  12"-15"H x 27"W x 69"L With the passenger seat down if you want to haul planks from Home Depot or shelves from IKEA.  More L if you angle for a hypotenuse insertion.  Letting the ambiance settle around you, it feels more spacious but also larger than the exterior size would lead one to believe.  Ingress/egress easier than my MR-S.  More seat adjustablity but steering wheel could use another inch or two of extension.  Good enough, no clearance issues w/ legs like the MR-S.  Blind spot is pretty disconcerting behind the C-pillar.  None of my Broadway mirrors w/ likely help it.  Will need to attach those blindspot domes on the side views for serious driving.


2-Exterior brings size package back to normalcy for a true sports car.  Something that Civic, Fiesta, GTI, etc have all lost going in the opposite direction by getting FAT!  Ground clearance around 6.5" w/ wheel gap around 2.5" from fender to OEM wheel.  So a simple 1" drop w/ a Swift spring kit should be more than workable for daily driving.  Don't forget to adjust for roll-center if you do this.  Paint and orange peel seems better than normal Toyota/Scion standards.  Though some have remarked the Subie paint has been less durable than their Toyota cars, not sure about that.  I think it's a looker.  Been looking at aftermarket tails as I don't care muchfor the OE lights,  unfortunately the OE lights have an aero accent for a venturi, many aftermarket ones delete this.  I'd hate to loose that as I'm sure Toyota would not have wasted a single penny putting it there if it did nothing.  Keep in mind the aerodynamics w/ any mods to this car.  The OE exhaust works as an integrated diffuser so changing to a different one will incur an aerodynamic penalty in back pressure and downforce which is not what you want considering the F/R FRS (3.0/4.5) spring rates compared to the BRZ (3.8/4.5).


3-Drive is fun and precise.  It is a bigger type of sportscar than I'm used to in both weight and dimension.  Handling responsiveness is good, ride is supple enough for comfort over long distances in a sports car.  Extreme turns will take your hands away from the paddles so those should be upgraded.  Surprisingly more stable a drive than I was expecting, not as tail happy as I thought.  You can step it out but it's much more neutral and stable than I'm used to w/ the MR-S.  I pushed about 7.5/10 due to my unfamiliarity w/ the Prius tires on this chassis.  I know them on my friends Prius and can get them to squeel easier w/ hybrid sport torque and plenty of front end plow.  Auto was okay, reading suggested upshifts would be slow and downshifts spot on.  I felt the opposite.  Upshifts were comparable to the MR-S SMT but downshifts lagged by comparison by what felt li ke second but was likely only half that since driving at a certain rate has that effect on perceived time.  Also had no control over first gear.  It let me play from 2nd-6th but once in second the car determined first gear on its own.  Not sure if the ECU needs to do some learning, the SMT did.  All this was with VSC off.  Used full auto to only a couple figure eights in the parking lot and take her out.  Again, blindspot was an issue in traffic.  With the MR-S, I see just about everything at speed.  With the top down, I have God's omniscience at full speed.  That allows me to move very very fast in a safe manner w/ total awareness.  I don't think I'll ever be able to have that level of confidence in the FRS.  For driving through traffic, the MR-S is a scalpel, the FR-S is a paring knife.  While that sounds bad, I've gotten a bit bored of my Legacy being a broadsword, and is just not suited to my natural driving style.  Power was also not as bad as I was expecting.  I was expecting a dog w/ no low end grunt due to the torque dip between 3-4k.  It was perfectly fine, enough for speed and enough to not get in serious trouble.  You step on the gas and it goes.  I guess some people are just used to big ole V8s or boost rather than 100hp econoboxes.  Compared to a typical Japanese engine that used to get 34MPPG, the FA20 gets moving well enough. 


So my FRS is coming, have to think about a few things...

Get real Dave, you should be smarter than that. Only one of those is on Prius tires for various reasons.  Always relying on poor benchmarking rather than actual physics.  Weren't you the same guy who said the LFA setting a Nurburgring record was BS and that the NSX was a better car?  HAHAHAHA! 

People that think a heavier, fatter, boxier, FWD w/ a turbo is a better sports car platform are just fucking stupid.  Serious people buy a sports car for it's chassis because that's physics you can't fix.  The GT86 has a superior chassis compared to any BMW M, Miata, Boss Mustang, Camaro whatever the fuck version, Infiniti G garbage, even the Evo and GTR which only get buy w/ AWD/power and electronics. 

Physics is physics.  Lightweight, chassis rigidity, center of gravity, suspension geometry, etc. The only comparable chassis in the same class is the Cayman and Evora for 4-5x the price.  I can drop 280-300hp of CARB legal power onto a GT86 for $4K on top of the $25K base price, change out the Prius tires to Bridgeston RE011s or Michelin PSS and smoke pretty much all those on a track except for Evo and GTR.  Make it 550hp for $10K and just stand the fuck by.

Somehow I think you would have completely missed the boat on the Supra too when it came out.  Probably slower than a Mustang GT 5.0 that shimmys at idle so the supra was a PoS.  


Oh yeah, your idol who does no wrong Jeremy Clarkson thinks the GT86 is the shit and gave it car of the year on Top Gear.

Fiesta, ROFLMAO.  You can keep such vids for the plebes, I can do my own math, thx.  Yeah, those pwn my MR-S too I bet!  Even though only a Lotus Elise is comparable.  I laugh at every Mini Cooper S that can't shake me or has to resort to blocking on the street because they are to fucking slow.

Here, this car will beat those cars you mentioned.  It's obviously a better sports car in every way: [size=78%]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxe2-e4-K_U[/size]

Ok, you wanna do this?  Fine.  I know I'm pretty much talking to a brick wall as someone who doesn't even get the correlation between a LFA and Aston Martin and thinks a Pagani Zonda or Koenigsegg is somehow relevant to the conversation (both of whom can't even design their own engines btw.  You could spend $16K on your Audi and never touch a GTR, not even the same thing. Moving on...

Lol, it doesn't need $4K in mods to beat those cars, just $400 in new comparable tires that those cars are already using.  This usually happens when you wear out your stock tires and buy  replacements.  It's not often the case that journalists compare low rolling resistance fuel efficiency tires to other cars using grippier rubber.  The fact the FRS can even do this and do it well enough speaks volumes to it's engineering superiority over a souped up econobox.  Everyone who did not fail Physics knows the FRS is hampered by tire grip.  Those tires were selected on purpose as explained in the video I have linked on this thread twice.  Why?  Because the car 86 was designed as a tuner car and designed to perform well and predicatably w/ some of the worst grip possible while providing drift potential which is what the original 86 was renowned for.  Drifting and Downhill Touges.  People who are knowledgeable of Japanese car history are aware and appreciative of this historical legacy even if you are unaware or caring of the fact.  There is a reason those tires were picked.  They are consumables, so when they wear out, then you can put whatever you want on, or keep the OE tires for maxing MPG on long trips and winter use.  Guess what, you can get R-compound replacements which are cheaper than the OE Michelin Primacy Prius tires.  Oh noes! How terribad! 

This is explained at 4:05 onward: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHVhaTNRk8E 

The $4K in a supercharger is not to be 'competitive', it's just my personal choice to kick the performance level up 2 more notches.  You will need a Porsche Cayman S to remotely keep up w/ me at that point and I'll still have better mileage and cargo room.

As for the Evo review from that little pudgy buttplug who keeps losing challenges to Tiff 'Tourettes' Needle.  FFS, stop turning off VSC/Traction control on cars that are either designed for drifiting or cars you don't have the skill or finesse to manage.  He probably would have beat the Fiesta w/ VSC on instead of driving like an ass to make a sensationalist point.  Not to mention the BRZ is usually a couple seconds faster around a track because it's spring rates are more neutrally tuned.  3.8kg/4.5kg versus 3.0kg/4.5kg.  So why did they choose to use the drift version of a car rather than it's more balanced brother?  Hmm...I wonder.  Actually, no I don't.

Hyundai is a big fat cow w/ a V6 that can't turn or react.  10 laps?  What a load of BS, the Genesis can't even last two laps before it's brakes are fried and the front tires are gone.  It's a Korean Mustang, and a poor one at that.  Btw, the Genesis is soooo very ugly on the inside and outside to my eyes.  The lines look like they were penned by an eight year old who took a summer class in art.  I can't stand how they look and feel.  I see you you've already realized the stupidity of the example by mocking the preference of drivers for physics (because they are brainwashed by Internet group think  ) and moved on to the current Miata. 

Guess what, many or most drivers don't prefer the current Miata!  That's why a lot of former owners have sold them and bought an FRS.  The Miata is less rigid, less controlled, less accurate, w/ worse steering feel and feedback, worse seating position, worse ergonomics, and a taller center of gravity.  The FRS has worse visibility out the back but better visibility over the front and at the corners.  It has a lower sloping hood due to the boxer so you can see more.  Unlike the Miata's fat smiling [redacted] front end.  You don't need better rear visibility to see a Miata in your rearview mirror disappearing in the corners.  Between the two, guess which one was designed to carry it's own set or track tires and wheels, jack, tools to an actual track for racing?  Which one was designed to allow clearance for wearing a helmet while in a comfortable seating position?  Not the Miata.  Your view of the Miata is an ancient one, it's gotten rather fat and portly whose glory days are about 5-10 years long gone.  It is waaay long in the tooth.  Even Mazda knows it, which is why they are trashing the whole car and starting over.  Hell, it was never even as good as the MR-S, it just had more aftermarket support and love from guys w/ pink IZODs and sweater vests who were too scared of driving an MR or 'needed' a trunk.  Speaking of which, for a DD, the FRS destroys the Miata for cargo volume, interior volume, and comfort while being very close to the same exterior dimensions of the Miata.  Yes, the Miata is lighter but less rigid, until you add the retractable hardtop and now the weight advantage is largely gone. 

I guess these guys are all full of shit right?  They aren't portly enough or have a British accent perhaps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ronU4dyK-8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD3hgleEOXA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDYaSwd4mmk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzTTx__QRcg

The only car you should be talking about to compare w/ the GT86 is the S2000 which was almost double the price and can only be found used.  The Miata can't keep up w/ either no matter how much you want to believe in nostalgia.  On the track, put the same rubber on a Miata and GT86 and the current Miata is overwhelmed by superior physics.  Oh, btw, the Hardtop Miata costs as much as an FRS w/ an aftermarket supercharger and a new set of R-spec tires combined.  Yeah...wonder how close it is then.

Tbh Dave, I was looking at the new Miata retractable hardtop.  However, I just can't stand the interior environment and the way they drive.  Just not as versatile or efficient as a FR-S and not as purposeful and sharp as a MR-S.  The Miata is what you get when you are fine w/ compromises.  The next Miata will have my attention though.  This is why if I get the FRS it will likely be only for a few years when the magic cars come out in 2015/16.  IF Toyota comes out w/ the FRS using KERS then I'll just transplant my supercharger on top of it.

"While Volkswagen claimed to have had a business case for the car, it wasn’t quite a done deal for the 7th generation Golf. VW is on track to sell 100,000 TDI cars this year, and thinks that the $27,000 GTD could account for 5-10 percent of diesel Golf sales. The GTD will go on sale in the summer of 2014."

Odds now?