2015 Frs Release Series
HIGHLIGHTS
TORQUE
151 lb.-ft. @ 6,400RPM
THE PROS & CONS
What's Best: superb balance, precise handling, good power-to-weight ratio
What's worst: needs more rear legroom
What's interesting: co-developed by Toyota and Subaru
It's brash, loud, and transmits every crack in the pavement to your hands, feet and tuckus. Oh, and there are no usable back seats.
Indeed, the Scion FR-S is truly a niche vehicle, with traits that may be off-putting to the average driver – yet endearing to the enthusiast.
My sensible wife liked the form, but was no fan of its function (too noisy, where do we put the kids). I spent the week finding excuses to go for a spin.
My first brush with the FR-S was at the Autodrome St-Eustache, about 50 km northwest of Montreal. It was here, in the fall of 2012, where my colleagues and I had the opportunity to ride shotgun with professional drift racer Pat Cyr.
Knowing what was under the hood, a naturally aspirated, 2.0-litre flat four-cylinder "Boxer" engine (200 hp, 151 lb/ft), my expectations for tire-shredding sideways action were limited. Even with one of the best behind the wheel.
Nonetheless Cyr pulled it off, showcasing the car's capability, which at 1,255 kg (2,767 lbs) and with a go-kart-like centre of gravity, was beyond my usual experience in a production vehicle. In particular one starting at just under $27K.
Not much has changed since then, other than a few suspension tweaks and equipment upgrades, as this joint project between Toyota and Subaru is now in its third model year.
RELATED: 2015 Scion tC Review
The design was inspired by three past Toyotas that have earned some cred with enthusiasts: the AE86 Corolla (a small, rear-drive coupe introduced in 1983), the 2000GT from the late '60s and the Sports 800.
Classic muscle cars they weren't, but their ideals were passed on to the FR-S: light weight, excellent power-to-weight ratio, low centre of gravity and superb balance.
FR-S stands for Front-Engine, Rear-wheel-drive, Sport. In regards to the latter, this ride definitely walks the talk in terms of its shape and sheet metal.
It has classic sports coupe proportions: long bonnet, short rear deck, with broad shoulders and tapered cabin. Seventeen-inch alloys with low profile tires nicely fill the pronounced wheel arches.
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It has a low-slung body, made to appear even lower with the TRD (Toyota Racing Development) front, side and rear skirt package as part of the limited edition Release Series 1.0, my tester for the week.
This model, which is nearly a $6K bump over the current $26,670 base price, provides some additional exterior and interior upgrades that make the most of its athletic form.
In addition to the full aerodynamics package are HID headlamps, and more items from TRD: three-piece rear spoiler, quad-tip exhaust system, and side fender garnish.
Inside are a leather trimmed TRD steering wheel and shift knob, deeply bolstered GT86 sport buckets, smart key with pushbutton start, dual-zone climate control and logoed cargo mat.
The only transmission is a six-speed manual, which with its short, tight throws and just enough friction, is the perfect fit for this free-revving Subaru engine.
Some enthusiasts have griped about the need for more power, and I'll agree that a turbo wouldn't hurt. A larger engine, after all, would mess with its ideal 53/47 front-to-rear weight balance.
That being said, the FR-S is still plenty quick. And because you sit so low and feel the engine and road vibrations noted earlier, there's an acute awareness of speed. You don't need to drive stupidly fast to have fun, and there's just enough understeer to make it easy to kick out the back end. Ergo, cornering is a delight.
Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) keeps a rein on this, but allows the rear tires to slide out just a teensy bit. Sport VSC opens that door further, but still within safe limits.
Or you can turn it off altogether for the full drifting experience – which, of course, should be left to the track.
RELATED: 2015 Scion tC Release Series 9.0 Review
Inside, the vehicle is nicely put together with plenty of padding and faux leather-grained soft touch with red stitching throughout the doors, seats, shifter boot and centre console. The gunmetal carbon pattern in the lower dash and centre stack is a nice touch, as are the aluminum pedals with rubber inserts.
Even without the Release Series package, FR-S buyers get a decent monospec content list that includes auto up/down for all windows, tilt/telescopic steering, automatic headlamps, multi-info display, eight-speaker audio with 6.1-inch display, Bluetooth and a flat-folding rear seat to expand the 196-litre trunk, making it large enough for a few golf bags or a set of tires for the track.
Like the more functional, but less raw Scion tC I had just tested, the FR-S turned plenty of heads on a reasonable budget. Maybe even more so, considering its brilliant yellow "Yuzu" paint job that I feared would be a magnet for the police.
But it wasn't, and even within reasonable limits I had loads of fun on the highway and on twisty roads, rowing up and down through the gears, rewarded by angry snarls and pops from the quad exhausts.
Some people spend their extra dough on boats, bikes and RVs. Some buy a "summer" car. If you're ready to ditch the crossover or soul-destroying minivan for a few months, the FR-S may be just what you need.
The 2015 Scion FR-S Release Series 1.0 at a glance
BODY STYLE: Compact sports coupe
DRIVE METHOD: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, limited-slip differential
ENGINE: 2.0-litre, DOHC horizontally-opposed flat-four 'Boxer' engine (200 hp, 151 lb/ft of torque)
FUEL ECONOMY: six-speed manual – 10.9/7.9/9.6 L/100km (city/hwy/comb)
SUSPENSION: (front) MacPherson struts, stabilizer bar; (rear) double-wishbone, stabilizer bar
CARGO VOLUME: 196 litres
PRICE: $26,670 (base, with six-speed manual); $32,565 (Release Series 1.0, as tested)
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Source: https://www.wheels.ca/car-reviews/2015-scion-fr-s-release-series-1-0-review/
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