Riding in the car with a friend we started in on the discussion, “Whatever happened to Toyota’s sports car?” True, there is the Scion TC; a great and affordable 2.5 litters, 180hp, and FWD car that can hold its value with the best of them. But, in remembering Toyota’s esteemed racing history some other cars come to mind, like the Toyota 2000GT or the Toyota Supra, cars that are no longer in production. It is said that 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.”
Enter the Scion FR-S.
For those of you who don’t know, Toyota is the parent company of Scion. The Scion FR-S has begun production and will be ready to go on sale in the spring. It will be RWD that has a modest horizontally opposed four-cylinder, D-4S injection, DOHC engine with 200hp @ 7,000 rpm and 151 lb. –ft. of torque @ 6,600 rpm. These stats alone might not cause auto enthusiast to rush to trade in their Mustangs and Camaros but much like its predecessors it relies not on an imposing amount of horsepower, but rather technology and inspired engineering. One major key point is its ultra-low center of gravity. To give you a reference point, it has a considerably lower center of gravity than Porsche’s Cayman, Nissan’s GT-R, Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution, and Subaru’s STI. Also consider this vehicle will be surprisingly minimal weight, just over 2600 lbs. Another great attribute will be its highly rated “Aisin” transmissions: a three-pedal manual, or a conventional torque converter-equipped automatic with paddle shifters. If you are still not sold on the specs; know that they have left room under the hood… you may say enough room for a turbo. Over all it has received exceptionally high reviews, both for its performance and its sleek interior and exterior design. Fun and exciting to drive is the phrase that I saw constantly by those who were lucky enough to get an advance test drive. To put it another way, you just might have to get in line to drive this much anticipated Scion FR-S, maybe behind me at Lowe Toyota and Scion of Warner Robins.
References:
http://wot.motortrend.com/on-the-line-2013-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-production-begins-180371.html
http://www.scionfirst86.com/specs/
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-scion-fr-s-first-drive-review
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1112_2013_scion_fr_s_first_look/viewall.html
http://www.insideline.com/scion/fr-s/2013/2013-scion-fr-s-10-things-you-dont-know.html
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