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Drove a Scion FR-S today/owner drove my car

jeff

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#1
Today I was helping a buddy paint and his buddy came over, long story short we finished painting and then started admiring each other's cars, he has an FR-S mostly stock and offered to let me drive it.

It's really a great car...I was shocked at how nice the clutch and gearbox worked so well together, great engineering there. Also the steering was as good as the FiST in terms of feedback and control/connection, different but just as good. The car feels like it sits a good bit lower which really leans to the driving experience. Interior is really nicely laid out, feels compact but not too much so, I was pretty comfortable in there at 6'2". The engine makes all the right sounds and even in stock form it's not horrible...torque is lacking but not awful. The fun of revving it up toward redline is a real thing, kind of like my Prelude only it feels faster and pulls harder. I can see why they didn't put a turbo on this car, it would probably ruin the character of it. Anyhow overall it was a joy to drive, I was quite impressed. And what a beautiful exterior.

All in all, it's obvious that much thought and feeling went into designing it. I'd say much moreso than the FiST...while I love the FiST we all know it's a better version of the base Fiesta, whereas the FR-S is a passion project that feels much more engineered. Both are great cars, just very different.

Then he drove mine, of course mine is modified so there's that and he didn't get into more than about 14 pounds of boost, but he was shocked at how well it felt, shifted, and accelerated, along with the immediate torque and sense of connection. He left thoroughly impressed even though he didn't hammer it too much, coming from such a less-powered car I think he was trying to be conservative which I appreciated...having said that he got to experience the best parts of the car which IMHO are the steering feel and overall connection to the road, and said he was now motivated to do a few performance mods to his Scion.

Anyhow much respect to the 86/FR-S, it really is a great car, reminded me of a lighter S2000, also a great car.
 


Business6

Senior Member
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Northern UT
#2
If I wasn't at 4500ft elevation I'd be in an GT86 or its ilk. NA engines are absolutely gutless at this altitude and even turbos suffer considerably in terms of power when in the mountains (7000ft+)

But I really love the idea of the platform and there aren't many cars that grab my immediate attention quite like a modded GT86. If I ever move back down to sea level to 1500ft I'll very seriously consider picking one up.
 


SrsBsns

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San Diego
#4
My friend had an FR-S and she let me drive it and my thoughts are very similar to yours.

It really is well sorted out and I enjoyed the experience of driving it. I really liked the lower seating position and the feel of the steering/shifting.

Honestly, the only reason I went with the FiST over the FR-S is because I have the hatch which was a requirement so that I could fit my big 70lb husky in there.

When I drove her FR-S, I was still in my modified E36 M3, so the power was really lacking but I was very impressed with the car and would absolutely love to have one in the garage.

I think I disagree with you about the turbo though. I felt like I was really revving it out and pushing it before I had any power and would love to see a little, quick-spooling turbo like the fiesta's on there. Maybe a supercharger to keep things completely linear.
 


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South Pole
#5
Always liked most everything about those cars, except that engine. If it had more guts I would have it instead, but half of my riding is mountains. At least on my motorcycle when you got the tachometer up you got that push of power, like coming on a cam. That car really didn't give me any reward for wringing it's neck, though. It felt like a necessity. I'm just not ready to supercharge it out of the gate. Then you're getting into 350/370Z territory.

Shame, it's better in most other ways, and I don't need the space of the FiST. I'm not too sad, though. I love my FiST.
 


PunkST

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#6
Id honestly have bought one if i could get heated cloth seats and mirrors without having to overpay for the subaru variant.
 


Mikey456

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#7
Nice review Jeff. I was curious how the FRS compares to FiST. The other car wouldn’t mind having in my garage is the new ND Miata. The new Miata motor is stronger than before. It”s also a convertible, which would be a plus for me.


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OP
jeff

jeff

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Thread Starter #8
Nice review Jeff. I was curious how the FRS compares to FiST. The other car wouldn’t mind having in my garage is the new ND Miata. The new Miata motor is stronger than before. It”s also a convertible, which would be a plus for me.


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Those are GREAT cars...haven't driven one but the people I generally agree with about cars love them. 2 seats is a deal breaker for me but it is undoubtedly a fine machine.
 


CarGuy

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#9
I test drove one before I bought my FiST and I was disappointed at how gutless it felt. At least the ST feels fast, even in stock form because of the way the turbocharger delivers the power compared to a naturally aspirated engine. I've been very happy with my decision. The FR-S didn't finish 6th in Motor Trend's best drivers car test against Porsche's and Ferrari's and the FiST did. That says it all!

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Last edited:

Dpro

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#10
Ya lots to like about the Toyoburu twins except in the end the power. For me coming from 240sx’s it was like a modern ay S13 Fastback without the torque . Which would have been a step backwards. They are actually rectifying that with next years model which is going to be either turboed or supercharged. Toyota has already spoken about it in the automotive press in Japan.
 


Mikey456

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#11
Those are GREAT cars...haven't driven one but the people I generally agree with about cars love them. 2 seats is a deal breaker for me but it is undoubtedly a fine machine.
To clarify, I would actually like to have one of each. I believe a FiST and a Miata would compliment each other well. The money part would be a different story, however.


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Dpro

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#12
To clarify, I would actually like to have one of each. I believe a FiST and a Miata would compliment each other well. The money part would be a different story, however.


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I could do it. I just have to shift my M3 and not get all focused on another S30 240z. lol
 


Ford ST

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#13
To clarify, I would actually like to have one of each. I believe a FiST and a Miata would compliment each other well. The money part would be a different story, however.


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That would be nice. I love the new Miata. Can't justify it financially though.

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21
Location
Independence, OR, USA
#15
I have owned a BRZ for more than 4 years now, and just got a Fiesta 2 weeks ago, though I've already put 1k miles on it.

The BRZ is ok stock though the Fiesta is probably a bit more engaging, or at least 'playful.' Steering in the BRZ is fantastic. The stock shocks in the 86 aren't great, but are still better than the Fiesta.

All the complaints about the power, in my mind, are gone once you do a header and tune. The fa20 has a pretty significant torque dip between 3500-4500 rpm but that is remedied with a header and tune. It could still use more power, but given that it's pretty light I don't think it's terrible. The key to the car is balance and it has that.
 


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Central CT
#16
My buddy had a FRS and it was a lot of fun. He had it modified, but nothing crazy and I would have a blast driving it. There is something to be said about a purpose built car. As many have already said, issues with power/ torque dip, but after a few bolts ons and tuning it wakes it up just enough that you probably won't go to jail driving it hard on open roads. Maybe I'm old, but cars today are getting so much hp that you can't really enjoy them otherwise you'll be paying some hefty fines. Sure the 992 is a fantastic car, but I find after 3rd gear I'm already hitting triple digit speed.
 


Clint Beastwood

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#17
Today I was helping a buddy paint and his buddy came over, long story short we finished painting and then started admiring each other's cars, he has an FR-S mostly stock and offered to let me drive it.

It's really a great car...I was shocked at how nice the clutch and gearbox worked so well together, great engineering there. Also the steering was as good as the FiST in terms of feedback and control/connection, different but just as good. The car feels like it sits a good bit lower which really leans to the driving experience. Interior is really nicely laid out, feels compact but not too much so, I was pretty comfortable in there at 6'2". The engine makes all the right sounds and even in stock form it's not horrible...torque is lacking but not awful. The fun of revving it up toward redline is a real thing, kind of like my Prelude only it feels faster and pulls harder. I can see why they didn't put a turbo on this car, it would probably ruin the character of it. Anyhow overall it was a joy to drive, I was quite impressed. And what a beautiful exterior.

All in all, it's obvious that much thought and feeling went into designing it. I'd say much moreso than the FiST...while I love the FiST we all know it's a better version of the base Fiesta, whereas the FR-S is a passion project that feels much more engineered. Both are great cars, just very different.

Then he drove mine, of course mine is modified so there's that and he didn't get into more than about 14 pounds of boost, but he was shocked at how well it felt, shifted, and accelerated, along with the immediate torque and sense of connection. He left thoroughly impressed even though he didn't hammer it too much, coming from such a less-powered car I think he was trying to be conservative which I appreciated...having said that he got to experience the best parts of the car which IMHO are the steering feel and overall connection to the road, and said he was now motivated to do a few performance mods to his Scion.

Anyhow much respect to the 86/FR-S, it really is a great car, reminded me of a lighter S2000, also a great car.
I get not adding a turbo, but man - just.. .something to add a bit of midrange. I always thought the FRZ/BRZ would be great with one of subaru's flat sixes - and it'd sound amazing :p

My feeling on it was that I'd own a BRZ/FRS/etc. if I didn't have to be stuck in traffic all the time (the only place the torque dip really bothered me), and didn't want a hatchback.
I found the two to be very similar in concept (low weight, low cost fun commuter), but diametrically opposed in execution (fist heaps of midrange torque, fwd, lots of torque- BRZ, high redline, low seating position, rwd).
 


Clint Beastwood

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#18
My buddy had a FRS and it was a lot of fun. He had it modified, but nothing crazy and I would have a blast driving it. There is something to be said about a purpose built car. As many have already said, issues with power/ torque dip, but after a few bolts ons and tuning it wakes it up just enough that you probably won't go to jail driving it hard on open roads. Maybe I'm old, but cars today are getting so much hp that you can't really enjoy them otherwise you'll be paying some hefty fines. Sure the 992 is a fantastic car, but I find after 3rd gear I'm already hitting triple digit speed.
I test drove a ton of cars, and that was one of my reasons for not buying a mustang GT. to enjoy it I'd have to be driving it really hard, and those are jail-able speeds. The roads here are too crowded, and my secret driving places are all tight twisties where the mustang is out of it's element.
A super powerful car is all well and good, but it's just wasted sitting in traffic, especially at 15mpg.
 


jmrtsus

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#19
I test drove a ton of cars, and that was one of my reasons for not buying a mustang GT. to enjoy it I'd have to be driving it really hard, and those are jail-able speeds. The roads here are too crowded, and my secret driving places are all tight twisties where the mustang is out of it's element.
A super powerful car is all well and good, but it's just wasted sitting in traffic, especially at 15mpg.
You don't have to run a Mustang to 95% to enjoy it in the twisties. Is it like an ST? No! Is it lot's of fun? Yes. Just because you have copious Hp does not mean you must use it all IF you can control yourself, LOL!
 


Clint Beastwood

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#20
You don't have to run a Mustang to 95% to enjoy it in the twisties. Is it like an ST? No! Is it lot's of fun? Yes. Just because you have copious Hp does not mean you must use it all IF you can control yourself, LOL!
I mean.. I daily drove grand nationals for years and had to let them go because it wasn’t fun unless the front tires came off the ground.
I was more honestly interested in the eco boost mustang with sport suspension, but the type of driving I enjoy... the Stang was just too big.

a 70’s Toyota Celica screaming through individual carbs, super light with manual everything? Every drive feels like a racetrack!

twisties are more fun in a small car where you can move around in your lane - I think that’s why fiat 500’s (even the non abarths tbh) were so fun :)
 




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