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  • William Maley
    William Maley

    Interactive Review: 2013 Scion FR-S

    William Maley

    Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

    December 21, 2012

    This week in the Cheers & Gears Detroit garage, I have 2013 Scion FR-S coupe. Its the car that a lot of people have been talking about this year. A lightweight, rear-wheel drive coupe that costs under $30,000..? Where do I sign up?

    Drew has briefly driven the FR-S back at the IMPA Test Days earlier this year and my test FR-S is pretty much the same vehicle aside from the color; a base model equipped with the six-speed automatic transmission for an as-tested price of $26,099.00 (includes $730.00 destination charge).

    The good: The steering is amazing. Its precise, has a good amount of feel and weight, and is very direct. The engine has a nice sound and doesn’t mind being pushed. The handling is really good around corners as the light-weight and nimbleness makes a fun car throw around corners.

    The bad: I can’t seem to fit into the front seats due to my shoulders being a just shy too wide for the bolsters. Also, I really don’t like the radio in this car because a good amount of the buttons are too small and trying to accomplish simple things like trying to setup the bluetooth system is a pain the butt.

    I’ll will be giving some updates of the Christmas holiday about my time with the FR-S. In the meantime, if you have questions on this orange coupe, drop them in.

    William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.


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    dash plastic looks cheap. is that the case? did you try to fit in the backseat?

    My cat won't fit in the back seat...but then he is a maine coon, and they run large for cats....

    Dash plastic IS cheap, and the details, fit and finish of the car are indeed substandard.

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    dash plastic looks cheap. is that the case? did you try to fit in the backseat?

    No.. The way I have the seat setup, there is no legroom at all. (I'll get a shot of it sometime over Christmas.)

    Yes the plastic are on the cheap side. But in the FR-S I have, good build quality.

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    So a 6'6"tall 300lb person like me can forget even trying to get into these crackerjack cars.

    So entry level plastic, too small of seats, do the metal surfaces have rust on them like how ford auto's come, a bit rusty all over in the engine bay, brakes, etc.

    Can you tell where the corners are?

    Does the car have any blind spots that are just massive?

    Would a backup camera be a good thing for this car?

    Does the tranny have short or long throws?

    Any spong in the brakes?

    When sitting in side, does the dash have a logical layout and ease of reach to buttons, dials and feedback?

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    So a 6'6"tall 300lb person like me can forget even trying to get into these crackerjack cars.

    So entry level plastic, too small of seats, do the metal surfaces have rust on them like how ford auto's come, a bit rusty all over in the engine bay, brakes, etc.

    Can you tell where the corners are?

    Does the car have any blind spots that are just massive?

    Would a backup camera be a good thing for this car?

    Does the tranny have short or long throws?

    Any spong in the brakes?

    When sitting in side, does the dash have a logical layout and ease of reach to buttons, dials and feedback?

    Yes.

    No.

    Yes I can tell where the corners are.

    No massive blind spots.

    It would help out in certain situations.

    Can't say since its an automatic

    spong?

    Yes.

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    1.6T

    2.0t before the 1.6 in the camaro.

    ats has the 2.5 standard, i see them continuing that with the stablemate. the 2.5 might only be 5% of production for a loss leader ad car. the 2.0t will likely be 30% or more of Camaro production. I could see the 3.6 still being pretty large. Alpha Camaro might only have 30-40% of sales as a v8.

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    and if they make a turbo standard for the camaro, it will be the 2.0, not the 1.6.

    Not exactly sure why they say the 2.5 don't have grunt, it's a pretty lively motor. The 1.6 might have more torque, but that small of displacement will really put off a musclecar buyer. 2.5 is already adapted for RWD and Alpha chassis.

    There is some precedent for the four cylinder Camaro, a 2.5 would only make about 5% of production. Perfect for airport rentals and cheap loss leader ad specials. They won't bother making the 1.6 work in it if the 2.0 is all good to go.

    If they put a 1.6 in it, then folks will start comparing the Camaro to Velosters and such. Chevy does not want that. I doubt Chevy wants to even be compared with Genesis coupes and these Toyota / Subaru dungpiles.

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    4-cylinder Mustang is coming. The Tib and FR-S are both 4 cylinder. 3 series is 4 cylinder.

    Hopefully a new 4 cyl Mustang won't be as dreadful as the last time Ford put a 4cyl in the Mustang. 6 years with one left me with permanent distaste for 4 cyl engines.

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