Drove the Scion FRS = impressions inside

[fnkngrv]

Originally Posted by why?

so you seemed to leave out the most important part - how does it handle?

most of the other stuff you mentioned isn't important if the car can do what it is supposed to do better than any car in its price range.

You seem to be judging it as if it were a daily driver or a luxury car.

The shifter can and probably will be modified, I'm not interested in a luxury type ride, i want the damn car to handle.

Basically the only two parts you commented on that really matter are what you called steering and overall quality. And then you mention options like it is a lexus or something.

By your review the only thing that has any chance of coming out good is in the Porsche and above price range.

You are right in that the handling department is a big key factor, but to say that his comparisons and the rest of the review don't really matter is a bit skewed. He provided his comprehensive impressions. How does that not matter? A very valid point is raised if on many levels if the other cars in its price range provide more/better quality/options.

Case in point is the shifting. Handling doesn't mean too much if the shifting is less than what it should be especially where spirited driving is concerned. There has been tremendous hype about the car and what it should do and what it is designed/intended for. If a competitor at the same or similar price point is providing something better that is critical right off the lot then to say
"The shifter can and probably will be modified" is silly in some regards. Why the hell should I pay for something inferior just because it can be modified at that price point? The baseline should be at least something sufficient. In this case from his review it appears that it is very possible that Toyota has failed just as they did with the manual Yaris. The difference here is that the car costs 10k more than what I paid for my 07 S!

I haven't driven the Genesis yet, but I have the Miata. I have ridden in the Genesis 2.0T with a friend who owns it and he is pretty good at very spirited cornering, etc. Granted the 2013 of the Genesis has gone up by 2k so that the base model is sitting at 25k, but if it comes better equipped with the important aspects then you could very well have a better platform to start from. This is of course not always the case, but can still be easily applied.

He makes a point to discuss the fact that he has driven cars from the lower end to the top and that is all. At the end he states that he would not have an issue with purchasing something else which he lists in the same price point, "
For the use that 95% of owners will put it through (slightly aggressive and "sporty" daily driving) , personally I'd take a Veloster turbo / Focus St / Civic Si Sedan / Genesis Coupe 2.0t etc... Especially when you consider that all of those cars absolutely SMASH the FRS as far as equipment is concerned (NAV / Heated seats / Full bluetooth / Sunroof / etc...)". From what I am gathering in his review you might as well purchase an older Toyota offering if you are a Toyota person and spend the money on that to make possibly a better car for the same 25k as you would out of the gate with the FR-S.

[why?]

Originally Posted by fnkngrv

You are right in that the handling department is a big key factor, but to say that his comparisons and the rest of the review don't really matter is a bit skewed. He provided his comprehensive impressions. How does that not matter? A very valid point is raised if on many levels if the other cars in its price range provide more/better quality/options.

Case in point is the shifting. Handling doesn't mean too much if the shifting is less than what it should be especially where spirited driving is concerned. There has been tremendous hype about the car and what it should do and what it is designed/intended for. If a competitor at the same or similar price point is providing something better that is critical right off the lot then to say
"The shifter can and probably will be modified" is silly in some regards. Why the hell should I pay for something inferior just because it can be modified at that price point? The baseline should be at least something sufficient. In this case from his review it appears that it is very possible that Toyota has failed just as they did with the manual Yaris. The difference here is that the car costs 10k more than what I paid for my 07 S!

I haven't driven the Genesis yet, but I have the Miata. I have ridden in the Genesis 2.0T with a friend who owns it and he is pretty good at very spirited cornering, etc. Granted the 2013 of the Genesis has gone up by 2k so that the base model is sitting at 25k, but if it comes better equipped with the important aspects then you could very well have a better platform to start from. This is of course not always the case, but can still be easily applied.

He makes a point to discuss the fact that he has driven cars from the lower end to the top and that is all. At the end he states that he would not have an issue with purchasing something else which he lists in the same price point, "
For the use that 95% of owners will put it through (slightly aggressive and "sporty" daily driving) , personally I'd take a Veloster turbo / Focus St / Civic Si Sedan / Genesis Coupe 2.0t etc... Especially when you consider that all of those cars absolutely SMASH the FRS as far as equipment is concerned (NAV / Heated seats / Full bluetooth / Sunroof / etc...)". From what I am gathering in his review you might as well purchase an older Toyota offering if you are a Toyota person and spend the money on that to make possibly a better car for the same 25k as you would out of the gate with the FR-S.

First off, his impressions do matter, but the most important thing is handling in a sports car.

And that is how people differ. I think the shifter in the Yaris is just fine. More importantly, from how I read what he wrote, it seems he is mad the car doesn't feel silky smooth like a luxury car or have all the latest and greatest options. And you are right, to some people the bigger picture and every little thing matters a ton.

But to me, especially coming from someone who says he has driven a ton of cars, How does it handle relative to other cars? That is what this car was suppose to be about. Does it handle better than a miata, or a genesis, or even a Porsche Cayman?

I doubt I'll ever have a chance to really drive any of those cars, and I'd love to know if the FR-S can really live up to what all the journalists are saying.

And you are also right, no way I can afford this brand new. At least not right now. It really isn't about being a Toyota person. I'd love to be able to get into an EVO or an STi or a GTR or a Lotus or one of the mid 90's Japanese supercars. If someone has driven a good percentage of these and other great sporting machines, I'd love to know his opinions on how the FR-S compares handling wise.

The press seems to love it. But the press will take cash for a good review as well.