A far cry from every other car in the Scion lineup, the FR-S is downright stunning. The test car came in Ultramarine, which is a deep and fathomless blue. The color combined without the swooping lines created the illusion of liquid blue fire from every angle. And believe me, I did my fair share of circling this car.
From the long sweeping lines to the open wheel covers to the artfully crafted taillights, the FR-S looks more like a GT-R than anything Toyota Motor Sales has produced in a good long while. If this car is a peek at what the oft-called-boring automaker can produce, I have hope. And high hopes at that.
Especially considering that the base price for this beauty is $24,955 with the manual transmission. While that might seem high for a Scion (and it is), you have to consider what you're getting for this price.
The FR-S is a WYSIWYG, and other than some applique-and-trunk-mat-type options, you're not really going to be able to add anything to this car at point of purchase from the dealer. The cool red stitching on the seats and steering wheel is standard. The sport pedals are standard. The Bluetooth connectivity is standard. The bolstered sport seats with red accents are standard. Traction control? Standard. USB port? Also standard. Dual exhaust? You guessed it: Standard.
What you won't find on the FR-S: Leather seats, navigation, heated seats or any other luxury creature comfort. This is a bare bones sports car, and if you want anything cushy and luxurious, look someplace else. You won't get it here.
What you will get: A 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder Boxer engine. And, really, after 200 horsepower of pure glee, do you really need anything else?
Due to a very nice partnership between Subaru and Toyota, the FR-S gets the Boxer engine and the Subaru BR-Z gets some wicked styling. Both cars benefit. And the result: And affordable sports car that's full of fury, fun and fabulousness.
The test car came with an automatic transmission, and while I usually opt for a manual if one is available, I have to say this 6-speed sequential automatic with paddle shifters is really smooth. I almost didn't miss the clutch. Almost.
True to it's bare-bones sports car underpinnings, the rear-wheel drive FR-S has a very stiff chassis. Which I felt over every Chicago pot hole on Wells Street. But on the highway, the tight steering, stiff chassis and RWD combine to make for one heck of a ride. Fast, smooth and grippy in all the right places.
Another bonus: Fuel economy isn't awful. EPA estimates city/highway fuel economy of 25/34 mpg.
The interior of the FR-S is also bare bones. At first glance there doesn't seem to be a lot of creativity that went into the cockpit, but the simplicity itself is pretty thoughtful. The red stitching is flashy, but when it comes to gauges, dials and controls, there is nothing to detract from the driving experience. Which a purist might argue is as it should be.
I got into a fairly extensive argument on Twitter over the interior of the FR-S. One of my tweeps argued that it was cheap, while I argued what I just stated: It's simple and bare bones. The buttons and dials are plain. The radio isn't 4-color or flashy. The center stack and dash are a bit plasticky. But I still contend that doesn't equal cheap. I liked the look of the carbon fiber-like dash inserts, and nothing felt like it would fall off in my fingers. We ended the argument with agreeing to disagree. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all.
While I can fully appreciate this car for what it is, this is the point in the review where I tell you it isn't perfect. The seats, for one, are pretty awful. They're awkwardly shaped, and pretty much everyone I've talked to who's driven the car thinks they are uncomfortable.
I also have a problem with the less-than-matchy interior. The red stitching and seat inserts look pretty cool if you're only looking at the interior, but when you combine the red with a blue or orange exterior paint, it seems a bit off. Though it would look pretty great with the red, black, gray or white exteriors.
Plus, the sleek and sexy design doesn't make for very good visibility out of any of the windows. This makes parallel parking a bit of a challenge. Another negative: cargo volume. The trunk is tiny, and the opening is very narrow, which makes it difficult to carry bulky items.
In all, however, I think the good outweighs the bad. The FR-S drives like a sports car and looks like something that costs four times as much.
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