My First Encounter w/ an FR-S

[nickthaskater]

Absolutely stunning little (and I mean little) car. There's nothing short of a Z06 that I'd rather have for the money on sale today. Happily, the one on the lot is exactly how I would have mine as well.

A neat detail I noticed looking in person that I never caught in photos is how the character line from the "snout" (where the Scion badge is) extends up over the roof and ties into the top of the trunk. It's actually quite an attractive touch once you notice it.

It feels like Christmas Eve waiting for tomorrow to go have a proper test drive

Edit:
I finally got to drive one today; a white auto w/ premium audio. Unfortunately, the dealer was selling them as quickly as they were coming in (there is currently a 3-month waiting list), and the only demo they had was the auto (the asphalt one in the pics below was a customer car). Anyways, I wasn't about to pass up the chance, especially considering the auto is getting good reviews.

Before I even got into the car, the saleslady (whom was looking quite nervous) asked me quite pointedly, "Are you going to drive like a dink? I don't want to fear for my life again...". Apparently the majority of people testing the car have been trying to do burnouts, drifts, and generally just driving like assh*les. I assured her I just wanted to see how it drove and off we went...

First things I noted were the seats, which were fantastic and some of the best I've sat in from an OEM standpoint, and the headroom, which there was enough of for me and a helmet (I'm 6'2" with an upper body bias; 32" inseam). I went and checked out some MX5s afterwards to compare the seats and they aren't even in the same ballpark; the FR-S takes the cake.

I drove the entire route in "manual" mode, and the transmission lives up to the positive reports; it's hard to believe it's a traditional torque converter as the shifts are extremely quick and very smooth. There was negligible delay between pulling the paddle and the transmission responding with a buttery change up, or a nicely rev-matched downshift (the car sounds fantastic on downshifts). If my left leg ever fell off, I would have no qualms with taking the auto, it truly is a great piece.

Taking the car into an industrial park with some snaking roadways, I got a chance to finally test out the highly touted steering, and it delivered in spades. There is absolutely no "slop" in the wheel; the car reacts to the slightest touch, but without feeling nervous or difficult to keep on-centre. The weight is perfect, and the feel is above average. It succeeds wonderfully in making even low speed driving feel exciting, and eggs you on to just keep driving.

Finally, the power. I took it up an overpass, and to my surprise and relief, I didn't die, and I even overtook another car. Really though, there is more than enough giddy up on tap to put a smile on most anyone's face, and when combined with the dynamics of the rest of the car, I couldn't care less how quickly or slowly I was travelling; rather, I was just enjoying the drive. The outright fun the car manages to deliver in virtually every driving scenario is second to none.

I met my hero and only fell more in love; I can only recommend you do the same.

Pics for clicks:


Scion FR-S - Front quarter by nickthaskater, on Flickr


Scion FR-S - Side profile by nickthaskater, on Flickr


Scion FR-S - Rear quarter by nickthaskater, on Flickr


Scion FR-S - Front by nickthaskater, on Flickr


Scion FR-S - Rear by nickthaskater, on Flickr


Scion FR-S - Interior by nickthaskater, on Flickr


Scion FR-S - "86" badge by nickthaskater, on Flickr