Jump to content
Create New...
  • Drew Dowdell
    Drew Dowdell

    Quick Drive: 2013 Scion FR-S

      September 28th, 2012

      Drew Dowdell - Managing Editor

      CheersandGears.com

    Suddenly it’s 1986. There is a lightweight and nimble sports car from a Japanese manufacturer on the market that completely eschews what the American three are doing in the sports car segment. Only, it’s not 1986; vehicle weights have pushed upwards and outwards for past 30 years to the point where Chevrolet is now marketing its top of the line Camaro with a curb weight that makes a 1986 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight look positively anorexic. Sure, Chevy compensates for the chub by equipping the Camaro ZL1 with a tire shredding 580 horsepower V8 and an advanced magnetic suspension that does all the right things keep the Camaro on the tarmac, but eventually it starts to feel like you are piloting the world’s best handling 747. It is raucous and fun, but requires concentration and skill to keep things from going wrong.

    A full paragraph into a Scion FR-S quick drive and I’ve only talked about Chevys and Oldsmobiles. Back in the 1986, Toyota introduced a new Supra. It was not a muscle car in the tradition of the V8 powered pony cars from Detroit, but it had speed and agility from being blessed with a curb weight of about 3,000lbs and a 200 horsepower I-6. It was also intended to be a technological showcase for Toyota. As such, the price tag was relatively high.

    sml_gallery_51_475_1092099.png
    The FR-S is a return to this idea of light weight over raw muscle making the FR-S very refreshing to drive. The FR-S’ single biggest advantage is its low weight platform. At about 2800 pounds with an automatic transmission, the FR-S is a feather-weight in this class. The light weight also allows Toyota to equip the car with a 200 horsepower / 151 lb-ft flat-four engine jointly developed with Subaru to give the FR-S sporty performance without the raw muscle. The flat-four also lowers the center of gravity on the car to further improve cornering.

    During my drive of the FR-S, I found a light-weight, nimble, and carefree sports car with just enough kick to keep things fun. Low end torque is superb with more than a few instances of chirping the tires unintentionally at take off. Those of you hunting for raw V8 muscle will probably be disappointed, but the FR-S makes up for it with its willingness to be thrown around a corner and an engine note that will please almost any gearhead. Power is routed through a 6-speed manual or automatic to the rear wheels like its Supra predecessor. Steering is quick and precise with only a minor quibble with on-center feel; in either direction just off center, the FR-S doesn’t seem to want to pull back to center nicely. This leaves you making frequent minor adjustments on longer straight roads. Though quite sporty and nimble, the FR-S doesn’t punish you with a harsh ride.

    sml_gallery_51_475_207080.png
    Toyota pressed the reset button on the interior as well. The interior FR-S is at once modern and retro. My first thought when sitting in the car was the thought that this is what would happen if Toyota tried to re-create the spirit of the ’86 Supra without duplicating the look. This is not a bad thing; it is actually refreshing in an age of highly complicated interiors.

    Getting in is surprisingly easy for such a low car and I found a comfortable seating position right away. Toyota even equips the FR-S with an old school double-DIN head unit so the owner can swap in something more to his or her own liking if they wish. The head unit does include Bluetooth for hands-free calling, but that’s about the extent of the technology there. The version I drove was an automatic, but the look and gate of the shifter could fool your friends and neighbors into thinking you bought row-your-own. The rear seat is essentially unusable for adults unless the driver is very cramped or very short. Forward visibility is excellent, but I found visibility while backing up to be a bit more limited.

    Checking in with a base price of $24,955 and without high end technology or interior room, the Scion is not a Supra replacement no matter how hard the buff mags wish it. But that price makes the Scion an interesting alternative to the Camaro ($24,245 with steel wheels) and Mustang ($22,995).

    The Scion FR-S was one of my favorite drives during my time in Monticello, NY. It is just the car to hop in and go for a carefree ride on rolling country back roads with the windows down on a nice fall day. I hope to spend more time in one soon.

    The full gallery of pictures from the IMPA Test days is located here and will continue to be built as quick drive reviews are added:

    Year: 2013

    Make: Scion

    Model: FR-S

    Engine: 2.0 Liter horizontally opposed 4-cylinder with Direct and Port Injection

    Drive line: Rear wheel drive, 6-speed automatic transmission

    Horsepower @ RPM: 200 @ 7000 RPM

    Torque @ RPM: 151 @ 6400 RPM

    Fuel Economy: City/Highway: 25/34

    Location of Manufacture: Japan

    Base Price: $24,955

    Est. As Tested Price: $25,300

    Drew Dowdell is Managing Editor of CheersandGears.com and can be reached at [email protected] or on twitter as @cheersngears


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    I wish Oldsmobile were still around to build a sweet little ride like this. It reminds me of the Quad 4 Calais, another small, nimble, good handling car, only it came from GM.

    Sadly, GM seems to have abandoned the small coupe segment, and after raising 5 kids, I think I'm pretty much done buying 4 door cars.

    NICE review, thanks for writing it. This may well be my next car, although I like the Focus ST and the GTI as well.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I'm jealous you got to drive one without the begging drone of a salesperson in the passenger seat. While I'd purchase the Subaru on principle, the truth is, both of these are delicious throwbacks to a better era. I am thankful they're on the market.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I'm hoping that Subaru brings one to the MAMA meet on Wednesday. I didn't drive the Subi at IMPA because I wanted to try for a variety of cars and had limited time.

    I'm surprised I haven't had more reaction from this review, I believe it is the first Toyota product to actually be reviewed by a staff member here.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    So they have a stupid high HP motor with no Torque. Another ugly design like the Honda S2000. I see no purpose or use for cars like this other than stupid young people driving them with no skill causing more accidents.

    If they actually put some style into it like the Supra had from the 80's it would be far better, but the outside is a jelly bean to me which I hate that look and the inside is a blah layout.

    For having gone to college in Japan, I have seen much better auto's on the street over there compared to this. I do not understand why they think the American public is freak-in conservative in willing to deal with new technology and pushing the style envelope.

    Sadder yet is that the American car companies seem to ignore building a solid light weight commuter car that can have style and speed.

    Perfect option would be for Chevy to build the 130R with a Katech 285 Push rod V4. This would rock everyone's world.

    • Agree 1
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I don't have torque graphs handy, but this car is light enough and geared right for enthusiastic driving. I wouldn't call it torque deficient at all, it was right where it needed to be. Subaru boxer engines have always been good at low end grunt... that they added direct injection to it only makes that better.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Common wisdom tells us to never buy the first production year of any automobile, since that’s when all the bugs not found in pre-production testing tend to surface. In the case of a car as anticipated as the Scion FR-S (or Subaru BRZ), sometimes emotion wins out over common sense.

    As early buyers of the FR-S and BRZ are finding out, some cars aren’t quite flawless in execution. Autoweek reports that owners of early production models from both manufacturers are reporting intermittent rough idle and engine stalling issues related to ECU programming.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    This IS Junk. I also have an upcoming "road test" with this car and a Ford ...wait and see just how awful the Toyopet product actually is.

    Toyopet, huh? Are you Sixty-8 in disguise or something?

    Seriously though, I know you're entitled to your opinion, but the FR-S/GT-86/BR-Z has proven itself to be a good sports car and the issue you mentioned can be easily sorted out with a quick ECU reflash. It isn't like the engine is developing sludge issues at 5,000 miles or anything stupid like that.

    Edited by black-knight
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    It isn't like the engine is developing sludge issues at 5,000 miles or anything stupid like that.

    ....WAIT for it !!!

    Honest, It IS Just a matter of time before this too becomes another RECALL victim...and really Who wants another Celica anyway ??

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • google-news-icon.png



  • Community Hive Community Hive

    Community Hive allows you to follow your favorite communities all in one place.

    Follow on Community Hive
  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • First seen at the Shanghai Auto Show (see article: Polestar 4 - The New Breed of Electric SUV Coupe), Polestar brought the Polestar 4 to the New York International Auto Show for North Americans to see in person. Polestar calls the Polestar 4 an "electric SUV 4-door coupe". Outside of that marketing speak, the Polestar 4 is a slightly lifted four-door hatchback about 190 inches in length, or roughly 2 inches shorter than a Toyota Camry.  Built without rear glass, the Polestar 4 makes use of a rear camera for visibility astern. Polestar 4 features a plethora of standard content, including 20-inch 5 V-spoke black diamond cut alloy wheels, panoramic glass roof, adaptive cruise control, 360 parking camera with 3D view, energy saving heat pump, front-illuminated Polestar logo, e-latch doors, power-operated tailgate with soft close, Polestar digital key, wireless phone charging, and 8-way electrical driver seat and 6-way electrical passenger seat. The fastest production car the brand has ever developed to date, Polestar 4 can accomplish a 0-60 mph sprint in 3.7 seconds and in top spec can produce 544 horsepower. Long-range single-motor variants have 272 horsepower and a targeted EPA range of over 300 miles. All long range variants have a 102 kWh battery capable of 200 kW charging on a DC Fast Charger and 11 kW on home level-2 charging. Google built-in is ... built in and includes Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play. Polestar continues to offer a leading connected in-car experience. As with all other Polestar cars, regular over-the-air updates allow for new features and improvements to be sent remotely to all vehicles. Pricing starts at $54,900, with orders opening in April for deliveries in the latter half of this year.   View full article
    • At the New York Auto Show this week, Hyundai unveiled the 2025 Hyundai Tuscon.  This mild refresh modernizes the Tuscon and brings it more into alignment with the rest of the Hyundai lineup, including their EVs. The exterior styling updates, largely consisting of a front fascia update, are subtle. Inside, Hyundai made the interior more open and airy with a new, lower-height dashboard featuring a panoramic gauge and infotainment screen. The screens consist of twin 12.3-inch displays with crisper colors and graphics, as well as faster processing speeds.  While the screens can control all functions of the car, Hyundai still included physical buttons for the most frequently used controls.  Wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay are now standard across the line. A new steering wheel features a much more open design, and on premium trims, the gear selector is now an electronically controlled stalk on the right side of the wheel, much like in the Hyundai Ioniq 6. On some Tuscon models, a new 12-inch color heads-up display with premium graphics is available, and for the first time, navigation directions from Apple Carplay and Android Auto will appear in the display. Proximity key with push button start is now standard across the 2025 Hyundai Tuscon lineup, while an available Digital Key 2 allows for fob-free driving and access via the driver's mobile phone. For 2025, Tucson adds Forward Attention Warning, which utilizes an infrared camera mounted on the steering column to help track the driver’s eye gaze and monitor attention levels to help ensure safe driving. Available Smart Cruise Control 2 continually assesses driver alertness. If the driver is found to be unresponsive, the system can even help safely bring the vehicle to a stop, activating the hazard lights and the electronic parking brake once the vehicle is stopped. Additionally, rear outboard passenger seatbelts now feature standard pretensioners and load limiters. The powertrains largely carry over from the previous model with a standard 187-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder at the entry level end. Also available is a 1.6-liter turbocharged hybrid with 231 horsepower with a slightly more powerful electric drive unit (47.7-kW, up from 44.2-kW), and a 6-speed automatic transmission. The plug-in hybrid model features the same 1.6-liter unit, but now paired with a larger electric drive unit with 72.0-kW of output rather than the 66.9-kW motor from the prior year. The plug-in hybrid boasts 268-horspower total system power. With a 13.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the 2025 Hyundai Tucson plug-in hybrid takes less than 2 hours to charge on a level 2 charger.  All hybrid models come standard with all-wheel drive. 2025 Tucson 2.5L models will arrive at U.S. dealerships in June, while 1.6L turbo hybrid and plug-in hybrid models will be available late summer. View full article
  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings