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The U.S.-market sister ship to the Subaru BRZ, the Scion FR-S, will go on sale this spring. It is an unusual car for parent company Toyota, or at least the Toyota of late. Before the creation of the FR-S, Akio Toyoda (president of Toyota and grandson of the company’s founder) asked himself, “Where is the passion in our lineup? I want to build a sports car.”
The Scion FR-S is that sports car. (It also will be sold across the globe as the Toyota GT 86 or simply 86.) Much has been made about the collaboration with Subaru. Toyota claims credit for the car’s existence and the idea itself, which is in direct opposition to what Subaru told us. Fight! Fight! Toyota says chief engineer Tetsuya Tada’s original concept called for a front-engined sports car with rear-wheel drive. Inspired by the rear-drive Corolla of the ’80s that became the darling of drifters, the new sports car would be light, agile, and affordable. After some internal resistance within Toyota and Subaru, a prototype was built in late 2007 using a Subaru flat-four and rear-wheel drive. The prototype changed minds; by early 2008, a sports-car program was born.
The report went on to say that a turbocharged BRZ is a possibility in the future, but there is no way the FR-S will ever receive forced induction. The source also mentioned that the GT 86 could potentially get some added PSI into the intake. The reason being, according to this “source,” is because the Scion is considered an entry-level sports car and a turbocharger would push its $24,930 base price to near $30,000. At that price, most Scion buyers may start dreaming of a BMW 1-series or something a little more upscale. The Subaru and Toyota, on the other hand, cater to higher-end customers.
Being the car buffs that we are and lovers of a little forced air, this is a depressing thing to hear. It also slightly confuses us a little, as we don’t quite see how adding a turbocharger can pump the base price up $6,000. Even if it did approach those higher cars, like the 1-Series, a boosted FR-S would certainly pump out more power than the base 1-Series and is definitely a more fun car to drive.
The Wait Is Almost Over
Pricing is very straightforward, as the 2013 Scion FR-S starts at $24,930 with destination when equipped with a six-speed manual. Heretics who insist on the six-speed autobox will have to cough up an additional $1,100.
Other accessories will be available à la carte in usual Scion fashion, the most substantial of which is the 340-watt Pioneer BeSpoke premium audio that features a novel app-based multimedia interface. This system will debut with iPhone capability only, with other device compatibility to follow in the coming months. Pricing for this isn't finalized yet, but it's expected to cost less than $900.
Scion says the FR-S will reach dealership floors on June 1st. That's not too long to wait for the most gratifying sports car to come along in years.source:topspeed.com,insideline.com,caranddriver.com
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