Interactive Review: 2013 Scion FR-S

[William Maley]

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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[regfootball]

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

[A Horse With No Name]

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.

[regfootball]

maybe it at least is on par with a mid eighties 240sx?

[William Maley]

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.

[G. David Felt]

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?

[ocnblu]

An automatic FR-S is like going on a blind date with a blow-up doll.

[G. David Felt]

An automatic FR-S is like going on a blind date with a blow-up doll.

At least you never have to listen to complaints afterwards no matter how good or bad it was!

[regfootball]

alpha camaro will be 3x better than this. alpha camaro may also have 2.5l four as standard equipment.

[A Horse With No Name]

alpha camaro will be 3x better than this. alpha camaro may also have 2.5l four as standard equipment.

May very well be the case....

[Drew Dowdell]

1.6T

[William Maley]

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.

[regfootball]

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.

[Drew Dowdell]

the 1.6T has the grunt where the 2.5 doesn't.

[regfootball]

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.

[Drew Dowdell]

The 2.5 doesn't have the grunt at 1600 rpm that the 1.6 does. Muscle car buyers won't be opting for either 4-cylinder, so it doesn't matter to them which 4-cylinder it has.

[Robert Hall]

A 4cyl Camaro sounds like a very strange idea, but I can see it happening...will give GM a coupe to fit the niche abandoned after the Cobalt coupe, I guess...

[Drew Dowdell]

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

[ocnblu]

Code 130RS

[Robert Hall]

Code 130RS

Something like that would make more sense than a 4cyl Camaro IMO as far a small cheap sporty Chevy...

Edited December 26, 2012 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[ocnblu]

Make the Code 4 cylinder only, keep the Camaro bigger and with V6/V8. Priced accordingly.

[A Horse With No Name]

Make the Code 4 cylinder only, keep the Camaro bigger and with V6/V8. Priced accordingly.

Agreed!

[Robert Hall]

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.

[regfootball]

that Code car is dreadful ugly.