Scion FR-S Reviews from Car & Driver and Automobile

[West]

Automobile: First Drive: 2013 Scion FR-S

Slide behind the wheel of the first-ever rear-wheel-drive Scion and settle into the Recaro-style seats. Severely sculpted, with black fabric, red stitching, and prominent bolsters, they immediately telegraph the performance intentions of this 2+2-seat coupe. Drop your left leg onto the clutch pedal. The travel is short but fluid, with a discernible engagement point just short of the floor. The gearshift has short throws and positive action. The steering wheel is all business, exactly the right thickness and with minimal padding. So far, everything feels just right to the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands, and the car isn't even moving yet.

We're at Sodegaura Forest Raceway, a 1.5-mile road course tucked into a forest in Chiba Prefecture, across Tokyo Bay from Tokyo. This is our first drive of Toyota's version of the all-new, front-engine rear-wheel-drive coupe it co-developed with Subaru. We drove the Subaru BRZ last week, and the Scion FR-S (Front engine, Rear-wheel drive, Sport) is virtually the same car, with some minor tuning and trim differences. Toyota will sell the FR-S as the Toyota 86 in Japan and as the Toyota GT86 in Europe, but only as the Scion FR-S in North America.

More on the Subaru connection shortly. Turn the key (other markets get push-button start) and the 200-hp, 2.0-liter Subaru flat-four engine, code-named 4U-GSE for those who care about such things, sparks immediately to life and settles into a quiet hum. Engage the clutch, select first gear, and we are off with a chirp of the rear tires, heading quickly into the tight right-hander that is Turn One at Sodegaura. Oh, wow, does this car turn in. The steering is super precise, and you have a good sense of the front of the car, even if there's not the sort of steering feel you get in a Lotus Elise or Porsche Cayman. The FR-S feels flat, balanced, neutral, natural.

"Natural" is the operative word with the FR-S, as every action and reaction feels like you expect it to. The car's chief virtue is its simplicity. It's a small, short-wheelbase, relatively light (curb weight is still unknown) car that does without turbocharging, large-displacement engines, all-wheel drive, trick transaxles, or big rubber. In fact, the Michelin Primacy HP tires are only 215/45R17's, in an era when 20-inch tires are commonplace. Yet the FR-S is a better and more rewarding car to drive -- at least on a handling course; we haven't driven it or the BRZ on public roads yet -- than many cars that have turbos, large-displacement engines, transaxles, big rubber, or all-wheel drive. Funny how that works.

The FR-S works very well indeed. A key technical achievement is the low center of gravity afforded by the compact horizontally opposed four-cylinder, which nestles deep down in the engine bay. Like the Subaru BRZ, the FR-S is offered either with a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic that locks up its torque converter with the goal, says chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, of "exceeding DSG gearboxes" in shift times. Although there is a manual shift gate for the automatic, plus shift paddles, we found it worked best on the track when it's simply left in drive; try to use the paddles and you'll likely have downshifts denied even when there seems to be plenty of space left on the tach. That complaint aside, this appears to be a very nice automatic, but why would you want one in this pure sports car?

Back to the track. The FR-S moves fluidly among Sodegaura's fourteen corners, and it's very forgiving if you misread a line and dive abruptly toward the apex. Oversteer is easily achieved and easily controlled, and if you don't have the nerve or skill to turn off the stability control entirely, the "VSC Sport" button gives you a lot of rear-end-out fun before the stability cuts in. On a wet track, this was a swell, giggle-inducing experience. The engine, which is fitted with Toyota's D4-S combined port injection and direct injection, isn't raspy like most Subaru fours nor a high-RPM screamer like, say, the Honda S2000's four. Yet it heads readily to its 7400-RPM redline and never seems short of breath. The redline itself is pretty forgiving, but the window between 7000 RPM and redline is exceedingly short, and an upshift-alert light blinks furiously if you're not efficient with your upshifting.

Furious track activity is clearly what the FR-S is for, as evidenced by a series of hot laps conducted at Sodegaura by Scion Formula Drift star Ken Gushi, who drove the car for the first time today just like us. "Drove" is perhaps the wrong verb, because Gushi launched, hammered, battered, finessed, coaxed, directed, and manipulated the Scion around the rain-swept road course in a nearly nonstop drift that was an equally violent and controlled maneuver, a dramatic display of this car's potential. Okay, so he did a complete spinout in one corner, prompting him to observe wryly, "It's a little snappy when you're driving it stock." Indeed. "And how will the drift FR-S differ from the production version?" we asked. "Well, of course we will put on huge rubber, and 200 hp isn't nearly enough for competition, so we'll have to turbocharge it," the California Drifter replied.
"Where will you wedge in the turbocharger?"

"That's the problem," came Gushi's grinning reply. "We don't know yet!" Rest assured, the Scion Formula Drift shop, among myriad other tuners, will be figuring this out soon.

Even with a far, far less talented driver behind the wheel, the FR-S dives into corners with enthusiasm and a minimum of understeer. We haven't had the same editor in both the Subaru and the Scion, but comparing notes, it appears that the Scion is less susceptible to understeer than the BRZ. Chief engineer Tada-San says that his goal in tuning the FR-S was agility, whereas Subaru focused more on stability, so this makes sense. "We have softer springs and stiffer dampers in front than Subaru does," Tada-San tells us. "At the rear, I chose the same spring rates as Subaru but different valves in the dampers."

Which brings us to the whole notion of this Subaru/Toyota partnership. How did this happen? Well, it's difficult to get the entire story from either side, but this is what we've managed to piece together:

By the middle of last decade, Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru's parent company, was no longer associated with General Motors. (You remember that association; it produced the Subaru WRX-based Saab 9-2. So you can see why the association ended.) Through some combination of national pride, Japanese government prodding, and goodwill, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) began a relationship with Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) after Fuji's divorce from GM. At about the same time, Toyoda family patriarch Akio Toyoda, who is now president, asked, "where is the passion in our lineup? I want to build a sports car." TMC established a sports car planning division, which quickly decided on a brief for the new car. Its styling would be inspired by the Toyota 2000GT supercar of the 1960s, its engine would follow in the footsteps of the flat-two-cylinder engine in the diminutive Toyota 800 (a.k.a. Yotahachi), and it would be conceived in the spirit of the famous mid-1980s Toyota Corolla GT-S, known to aficionadoes by its internal Toyota code name, AE86. (In Toyota nomenclature, the A referred to the 4AGEV engine, the E to the Corolla model line, and the 86 was a sequential number. "86," or "Hachi-Roku" in Japanese, has taken on legendary status among Toyota fans; hence the use of the two digits in non-USA models and even on a little fender badge on the FR-S.)

The project progressed for about a year, but Subaru rejected the first proposal. Here's where things get murky, but it's fairly apparent that Subaru was having a hard time stomaching the thought of a rear-wheel-drive car, since their entire brand identity is predicated on all-wheel drive. Subaru walked away from the table and the entire project was in limbo for about half a year. Subaru finally decided to make a prototype car with a very low center of gravity, which eliminated the possibility of all-wheel drive. That prototype both surprised and amazed Toyota, which enthusiastically supported its development. The joint project proceeded in late 2007 and now, four years later, we see the fruits of the two companies' work. Styling is by Toyota, development and manufacturing are by FHI, and each company, obviously, will be in charge of marketing and sales for their respective products.

At this juncture, it seems like Toyota might have gotten the better end of the deal. After all, the FR-S falls neatly into a historic lineup of rear-wheel-drive Toyota sports cars and should give the Scion brand a huge dosage of street cred. Subaru, for its part, has staked its entire brand on the concept of all-wheel drive, so it's not clear how the BRZ fits into the Subaru lineup. That said, these cars just feel right to us and are destined to shake up the world of affordable sports cars in a big way.

2013 Scion FR-S
On sale: spring
Base price (estimated): $24,500
Engine: 2.0L DOHC H-4; 200 hp @ 7000 rpm, 150 lb-ft @ 6400-6600 rpm
Transmissions: 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic

Car & Driver 2013 Scion FR-S First Drive – Review – Car and Driver

The U.S.-market sister ship to the Subaru BRZ, the Scion FR-S will go on sale this spring. It is an unusual car for parent company Toyota, or at least the Toyota of late. Before the creation of the FR-S, Akio Toyoda (president of Toyota, and grandson of the company’s founder) asked himself, “Where is the passion in our lineup? I want to build a sports car.”

The Scion FR-S is that sports car. (It also will be sold across the globe as the Toyota GT 86, or simply 86.) Much has been made about the collaboration with Subaru. Toyota claims credit for the car’s existence and the idea itself, which is in direct opposition to what Subaru told us. Fight! Fight! Toyota says that chief engineer Tetsuya Tada’s original concept called for a front-engined sports car with rear-wheel drive. Inspired by the rear-drive Corolla of the ’80s that became the darling of drifters, the new sports car would be light, agile, and affordable. After some internal resistance within Toyota and Subaru, a prototype was built in late 2007 using a Subaru flat-four and rear-wheel drive. The prototype changed minds; by early 2008, a sports-car program was born.

Toyota readily admits that the lion’s share of the development was done by Subaru. However, according to Toyota, plans and objectives came from its engineers and were merely executed by Subaru’s team. (There’s that contradiction again.) For example, the all-new platform and chassis are from Subaru. Toyota made contributions along the way, such as adding its eight-injector direct and port fuel injection to Subaru’s 2.0-liter flat-four. Making the car look pretty fell to Toyota. The greenhouse is an homage to the Toyota 2000GT of the 1960s; the nose hints at the Lexus LFA supercar. Squint a little while eyeing the FR-S, and cars like the Supra and the Celica come to mind, too. Assembly of the FR-S and the BRZ is Subaru’s responsibility. A peek under the Scion’s hood reveals the “Subaru” name atop the intake manifold alongside Toyota’s.

Comparing Apples and Softer Apples

When asked how the two cars differ, the Scion folks tell us that the BRZ is about stability while the FR-S is about agility. The word “understeer” has surfaced in initial reports on the Subaru BRZ. The Scion doesn’t understeer. Its cornering balance is neutral—bravely neutral for a car that will be sold to young buyers. Scion claims that the only changes to its chassis are slightly softer springs and stiffer dampers.

Scion has certainly succeeded in making the FR-S agile. From the quick steering to the alert chassis, the FR-S responds to driver input in a way that reminds us of the Honda S2000. Holding the stability control button for three seconds removes the safety net. Although the chassis is neutral, it will slide should you turn the wheel abruptly or stomp on the gas mid-turn. Lift in the middle of a corner, and the rear end will step right out on you. It doesn’t do so in an “I’m going to ruin your life” sort of way; it seems more to say, “Hey, you sure you know what you’re doing?” In low-speed corners, power oversteer is easy to achieve. The tail swings predictably and delicately. The low weight—we estimate it’s around 2800 pounds—means the FR-S regains its composure without any drama. Akio Toyoda says of the FR-S, “[It] responds to good driving skills.” If you don’t have them, you may want to get some training—or leave the stability control on. Young drivers whom Scion courts should know that the FR-S is nothing like the front-drive, nearly error-proof tC. If you don’t know what you’re doing behind the wheel, the FR-S will make you look dumb.

Compared to modern sports cars, the FR-S’s 215/45-17 tires are skinny. There isn’t a huge amount of grip, but what’s there breaks away gradually. We asked Tada about the tires, and he told us, “They are Prius tires.” You might think he’s joking, but he’s not. The Michelin Primacy HP tires are identical to those in the Prius’s optional Plus Performance package, right down to the compound and construction. Although they don’t provide the stickiness that we’ve come to expect from modern sport machinery, the relative slipperiness gives the FR-S a lively, playful feel. So while it might not have incredibly high limits, its lower threshold is accessible and exploitable. If you want more grip, though, it’s easy to find by swapping for more aggressive footwear.

Flat Engine, Low Center of Gravity

Scion makes it a point to brag about the FR-S’s low center of gravity, and a lot of the car’s liveliness is indeed likely due to the location of much of its mass. The flat-four sits low in the engine compartment, and while Subaru stresses how far back the engine is compared to other Subies, it’s still surprisingly far forward. The transmission, either a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual, is right behind the engine, preventing it from being mounted farther back. A transaxle would allow for the engine to be placed more to the rear and would help better balance weight distribution, but transaxles cost a lot of money. Especially ones made specifically for one car. The transmissions in the FR-S are Aisin gearboxes that are similar to the six-speed units found in the Lexus IS. The manual shifts with a solid, no-nonsense feel. This is a great gearbox, one that should rally the “Save the Manuals” faithful. Although the manual suits the character of the FR-S better, the optional automatic with paddle shifters is a responsive and quick-shifting ally. On the track, the automatic proved clever enough to perform downshifts before entering a corner.

Subaru’s flat-four engine still gives off a bit of the characteristic boxer thrum at lower rpm. Above 6000 rpm and to the 7400-rpm redline, though, the four begins its chainsaw impersonation. It’s a bit uncouth, but it feels and sounds like a machine with purpose. On paper, and in the face of the ever-escalating pony-car horsepower war, the FR-S’s 200 hp may seem inadequate. It’s not. We’re guessing at a 0-to-60 time just a shade over six seconds. Clearly this isn’t a car that should pull up to stoplights with much ambition. This is a car for playing on back roads, for track work; engaged in those pursuits, the engine feels perfectly strong and nicely matched to the chassis.

Every part in the FR-S works harmoniously. Sure, we might switch to a grippier tire, but the lower-grip rubber allows for accessible explorations of the FR-S’s behavior at the limit. That is just the sort of exploration that makes driving fun. Just remember to bring some skill.

[flow]

Good stuff. Here's some more:
2013 Subaru BRZ and 2013 Scion FR-S: A Study in Comparison and Contrast - Feature - Car and Driver

Subaru
2013 Subaru BRZ and 2013 Scion FR-S: A Study in Comparison and Contrast
The biggest distinction between these two hot Japanese twins is the way they drive.

February 2012
BY MULTIPLE AUTHORS
MULTIPLE PHOTOGRAPHERS
ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS PHILPOT

From two brands, a single vehicle emerges: an affordable, basic, rear-wheel-drive Japanese sports car. Twenty years ago, this sort of vehicle was commonplace. Japanese carmakers had been giving us inexpensive, *reliable, rear-drive sports-car catnip since the 1970 Datsun 240Z. After effectively killing off their Italian and British inspiration in the U.S., though, the Japanese were left to battle themselves.

The 1980s and ’90s became a technological . . . well, let’s just call it “urinary Olympics.” First came turbochargers and intercoolers, then four-wheel steering, four-wheel drive, electronic shocks, adjustable aerodynamics, and variable exhaust systems. Tires and wheels got bigger, suspensions stiffer, wings more absurdly wingy. Weight, horsepower, and prices skyrocketed as swiftly as sales plummeted. With the exception of the Mazda Miata and the Honda S2000, simple, affordable Japanese sports cars peacocked themselves into extinction.

The Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S—which go on sale in the U.S. this spring for about $26,000—mark a return to the Japanese sports car’s roots. As with any good idea, everyone wants the credit. Toyota claims that the whole thing came from the top, that Akio Toyoda surveyed his showrooms and said, “Where’s the passion? I want to build a sports car.” Subaru says that it approached Toyota, basically asking the larger firm to underwrite its project.

Both agree on who handled what tasks once development got under way. Subaru did the engineering and development of  the chassis and powertrain, and Toyota handled the design. Subaru’s fingerprints are everywhere—most obviously on the 2.0-liter flat-four, code-named FA. In case the layout isn’t enough of a giveaway, there’s a “Subaru” label on the intake manifold. *Toyota’s contribution underhood is its D-4S combination port- and direct-fuel-injection system. More Subaru markers are hidden away beneath the car, on the inside of the fenders, and on the muffler.

Powertrain

More than Toyota’s injection system separates this engine from Subaru’s other flat-fours. The FA is radically different from the 2.0-liter FB found in the new Impreza—a Subaru spokesman tells us the two share “maybe a few screws.”  The FA is more compact and slightly lighter. Compared with the FB in the Impreza, its oil pan is shallower and its intake manifold lower, allowing the FA to be mounted with its crankshaft 2.4 inches closer to terra firma. It sits 9.4 inches farther rearward than the FB, too, although there’s still a sizable gap between the back of the engine and the fire wall. It’s rare to see open space beneath the hood of a modern car; in the BRZ and FR-S, you can look down on the top of the transmission. A transaxle would have allowed the engine to cozy up to the passenger compartment a bit more—and would have shifted the 54/46 front/rear weight balance a bit aft—but transaxles are more expensive than separate transmissions and axles. The good news is that some of the extra underhood space should be filled by a turbocharger and intercooler within a few years.

But—and it pains us to say this—it’s debatable whether the FR-S and BRZ need more power. The FA feels perfectly attuned to this car’s spirit. With an eye-popping 12.5:1 compression ratio and a 7400-rpm redline, the 2.0-liter FA makes 200 horsepower at 7000 rpm and 151 pound-feet of torque at 6600—as well as a tremendous amount of noise. Above 5000 rpm, it’s loud enough that you have to scream to converse. It isn’t the most seductive thing this side of a Ferrari V-12, but the 2.0 sounds and feels like an engine with a purpose. It pulls forcefully  throughout the power band, and we figure it should take six seconds to get to 60.

Two six-speed transmissions are available, a manual and an automatic. Following drives of each model in Japan, the manual had us seeking a temple at which we might offer thanks. The clutch pedal is a touch light but snaps to attention right off the floor and engages smoothly. The stubby shifter snicks its way between the gears. Heretics who spec the automatic get paddle shifters and rev-matched downshifts without the ego gratification.

Chassis

The strut-front and multilink-rear suspensions have been adapted from the Impreza, and both cars have the same electrically assisted steering. Throw large inputs into their quick racks, and the cars ricochet back and forth, your body held in place by supportive seats. Both cars demonstrate remarkable body control and change course so quickly that you’d think they could slalom the lane-marker lines on an interstate at 85 mph. They probably couldn’t: The charitable among us would describe the Michelin Primacy HPs’ grip as underwhelming. Toyota chief engineer Tetsuya Tada tells us, “They are Prius tires,” and he’s not joking—they’re identical to those in the Toyota hybrid’s top trim level (outside the U.S.), right down to the compound and construction. Mark that down as Toyota’s second big donation to the project.

Those wimpy tires, however, contribute to the fun. Their deliberately tenuous grip encourages drivers to explore the cars’ limit behavior. Tada boasts that these cars are largely a reaction to the advanced technology and high-grip tires that have become synonymous with the modern sports car. The Primacy HPs’ easy breakaway characteristics make for a playful demeanor.

At the limit, you’ll find the key difference between the Subaru and the Scion. Go screaming into a turn or hop on the gas too early exiting one, and the Subaru simply understeers—perhaps for the benefit of drivers familiar with the brand’s all-wheel-drive products. The Scion uses softer springs and stiffer shocks, and it has a sensitivity to driver inputs that makes it feel alive. Too much or too little throttle upsets the Scion’s balance, sending the car into an easily controlled drift. Its behavior reminds us of the dearly departed first-generation Honda S2000. It’s not impossible to get the Subaru to oversteer—deliberately timed and moderated inputs will coax the tail out—it’s just not going to catch you by surprise. In either car, though, the transition from cornering to drifting is gradual, and the low curb weight—about 2800 pounds—helps make it easy to rein in a slide before you tailwhip your neighbor’s mailbox.

Design

Visual distinctions are arguably more subtle than the differences in the two cars’ cornering attitudes. The front-bumper design is specific to each brand, and each has its own treatment for the scallop at the top of the front fender. On the Subaru, it houses a fake vent; the Scion features a funky “86” badge whose design pays homage to the boxer engine. The cars’ headlight housings are the same shape, but the Subaru’s lighting elements are bordered by LEDs. That’s about it. The cars we drove even wore the same wheels, but ease back from your keyboards, ye fanboys: Each manufacturer fitted its own center caps.

Toyota says it drew styling inspiration from its classic 1967 2000GT, and there are echoes of that car’s proportions and greenhouse here. The company took advantage of the low-slung boxer engine to draw a front end that rises gradually from its knee-high leading edge. A fast roofline looks like it might incorporate a hatchback but ends in a short trunklid. Both brands make a point of telling us that, with the rear seat folded, a complete set of tires will fit inside the car. (It helps that they’re just 215/45-17s.)

The interior is as straightforward as the bodywork. Inside, you’ll find analog gauges, a thick steering wheel, and toggle switches for most secondary controls in the Subaru and conventional buttons in the Scion. Materials in the prototypes we drove are richly grained. The front seats provide excellent comfort and support, although rear-seat occupants aren’t as lucky. Back there, adults will find very little leg- or headroom.

Who cares? The folks at Subaru and *Toyota should be proud of what they’ve built and the stand they’ve taken. Both companies resisted the urge to put technology ahead of simplicity. We see why they’re squabbling over whose idea it was.

p.s. dont read the visitor comments at the bottom unless you want to become angry and/or stupid

[Cal]

Good post flow. I meant to post that up earlier.