After this week's reveals of the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ in Japan, it was only a matter of time before the States got some love in the form of the Scion FR-S (Front engine Rear wheel drive, Sport). We weren't exactly on the edge of our seat for this one, considering how similar the BRZ and 86 are, we expected the FR-S to be little more than the 86 with Scion badges. And that's exactly what we have here.
Like the looks, we knew what the specs would be, too. 200 horsepower, 151 pound-feet of torque from a 2.0-liter Subaru-built boxer engine (with bore and stroke of 86mm) with a Toyota-built D-4S direct port injection system. The 166.7 inch long FR-S rolls on 17s with the same crap inexpensive all season tires as the 86 Michelin Primacy HP summer tires (Sorry, had my Primacy tires confused. There are other Primacy tires -- MXV4, MXM4-- which are all seasons.) and sits on a 59.8 inch front track and a 60.6 inch rear track. The FR-S has a 101.2 inch wheel base. Transmission options include a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic with rev-matching. We did not expect this car to have special 86 badges on the fenders, but it does.
They didn't reveal pricing (expect that at Detroit) but Scion boss Jack Hollis said that they've bumped up the release from summer of this year to spring.
Jack Hollis also announced that the Scion FR-S could hold four tires and a floor jack making track days that much easier. He didn't mention if it would hold a passenger with all that stuff, but it's still neat to know.
gtrguy2012 says:
10:41 PM, 11/30/11
Wait... then why does it have the "86" badge on it?
louiswei says:
10:49 PM, 11/30/11
Autoblog has the official press release with specs, everything is the same as the Toyota 86. For those who REALLY want a 86, all you have to do is get two Toyota badges and take off the FR-S emblems then you are set. Like gtrguy2012 has noticed, even the 86 badge is there already...
windsor5 says:
11:00 PM, 11/30/11
Lol my 94 camaro I had in high school had a better interior
kyolml says:
11:42 PM, 11/30/11
absolutely nothing look special under the suspensions. all tuning and good architecture then
cubozoan says:
04:45 AM, 12/ 1/11
Awesome! Can't wait for this to hit the market. And very pleased they left the 86 badge on the fender. This is a phenomenal car. Never thought I'd ever desperately want a Scion, so kudos, Toyota!
_feloniousmonk says:
05:35 AM, 12/ 1/11
As much as I would rather this be sold here as a Toyota (I was a fan of the original AE-86), I did notice something to get excited about when perusing this car on Autoblog: it looks like there will be a bare(-er) bones base model. No headlight LEDs, no auto climate, no toggle switches (sucks!), no nav... the lack of fancy(-ish) stuff means less weight (admittedly, probably not much) and, hopefully, lower cost.
Also, kudos to the Toyota/Scion suits in North America for not un-assing the boxer-86 fender badge. That's easily the coolest simple little touch I've seen on an automobile in a long while.
rsholland says:
05:59 AM, 12/ 1/11
MIA from the cars shown at Tokyo:
Heated seats
2-zone auto climate control
Fog lamps
Also apparently missing from all these cars (86, BRZ, F-SR) is Bluetooth, which I find astounding.
cr_driver says:
08:03 AM, 12/ 1/11
Wow, what a nasty and horrid looking interior.
titancrew says:
08:25 AM, 12/ 1/11
"Also apparently missing from all these cars (86, BRZ, F-SR) is Bluetooth, which I find astounding."
This car is made for driving, not for talking on the phone. Thumbs up to Toyota for this.
ed124c says:
08:36 AM, 12/ 1/11
We don't need the FR-S. Just call it the Scion 86. For some reason, this 86 logo is a knockout and needs to be an integral part of its name. In fact, all three cars should be called the same: Subaru 86, Toyota 86, Scion 86. Sounds good to me.
ed124c says:
08:38 AM, 12/ 1/11
By the way, is there a Scion badge somewhere on the car?
cjasis says:
08:39 AM, 12/ 1/11
Not really car related but... am I the only one that is absolutely shocked that in our litigious society the energy drink company that makes FRS hasn't sued Toyota yet?
inlinesix says:
10:06 AM, 12/ 1/11
Great looking car and I like the interior. Im ready for a simple interior. The major difference between this and a 90's Camaro interior is that this interior wont fall apart in 4 years. I know from experience.
sherief says:
10:39 AM, 12/ 1/11
There was a diagram somewhere showing that an FR-S can hold two tires stacked on the fold-down section behind the front seats, and two tires side by side in the trunk. So yes, it can hold all that and a front passenger.
coolb944 says:
12:22 PM, 12/ 1/11
I hope people commenting on the interior are not basing that opinion on the terrible picture taken here from the reveal event.
If you want to see better pictures of the interior, look at those shown in the First Drive published a few days ago on this site.
Sure the interior is not overly detailed or complex in its design, but that's not really what you'd want in a car whose purpose is for concentration on driving, it looks great for a sports car interior, and at least seems to look well put together. I can't say for a fact until I get a chance in the spring to check it out myself, but the pics seem to indicate an interior that shouldn't be any worse off than that in any other modern mainstream Japanese car.
understeer says:
09:14 AM, 12/ 8/11
Scion version is the cheaper alternative so it will be bare bones and cheaper. People looking for HID, heated seats and over all better interior has the Subaru. This way they don't cannibalize each others sales and won't have redundant products.