GTP Cool Wall: Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S

  • Thread starter BKGlover
  • 65 comments
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86/BRZ/FR-S

  • Total voters
    106
  • Poll closed .
BKGlover

BKGlover

6,120
United States
Texas
Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S nominated by Yauma9

scion-fr-s-01.jpg


Stats that Matter:
Production: January 2012+
Style: 2-Door Coupe
Engine: 2.0L Flat-4 (200 HP)
Transmission: 6-Speed Automatic, 6-Speed Manual
Layout: Front-engine, Rear-drive
Name per Region: Scion FR-S is US and Canada only; Toyota 86 is Japan, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand with GT86 in NZ and Europe, and FT86 in Jamacia; Subaru BRZ is everywhere.

My Take: It's a cool car. It might have been cooler if it wasn't a tribute that people had been demanding for over 20 years. Still, a FR 4-banger that looks good. Maybe tribute is cutting it short, after all it isn't a hatchback, it isn't a market-holder like the AEs were, and with Toyota and Subaru tuning the suspensions differently, switching between the two wouldn't be an altogether automatic ordeal. Very cool, but not SZ.


Wikipedia

Nomination Thread​
 
Cool. It's a nice looking car with decent performance, but only 200 HP? I would expect a little more atleast.
 
Meh. Doesn't really do anything for me. If the engine had 300+ hp from a turbo it would be much more interesting. The body lines are nice, but overall it's not something I'd actively seek out or purchase. Then again, it wouldn't make a nice contender for my sport, drag racing, so it doesn't fit my needs. For a modern sports car, I find the engine to be pretty gutless in that respect.

I'd give it a cool but it just doesn't stand out enough.
 
Slashfan
Meh. Doesn't really do anything for me. If the engine had 300+ hp from a turbo it would be much more interesting. The body lines are nice, but overall it's not something I'd actively seek out or purchase. Then again, it wouldn't make a nice contender for my sport, drag racing, so it doesn't fit my needs. For a sports car, I find the engine to be pretty gutless in that respect.

I'd give it a cool but it just doesn't stand out enough.
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Even if it is modifying, given the right person, anything can be made into a drag car. What about all the Civics. I know I've seen some questionable drag vehicles.
 
BKGlover
Even if it is modifying, given the right person, anything can be made into a drag car. What about all the Civics. I know I've seen some questionable drag vehicles.
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If you take into consideration modifications, yes, anything can be made into a drag car, but aftermarket for this I'm thinking is probably quite little this early on in it's production run. For a modern sports car, this car in a stock class would stand little chance against much. I have seen them run the strip and they are not quick. I have ridden in them, and they are not quick. They are nimble little beasts, yes, but not for my use. That said, it doesn't make it bad, but it wouldn't fit my needs and that led to a majority of my vote. It just lacks the get up and go, throw you in your seat, oh my god this thing is stupid fast feel. It just doesn't turn heads unless you are a car enthusiast who knows about them.
 
Very cool cars, Lightweight and fun. Shows how are Toyota has lost there way as a maker of fun cars.
 
Slashfan
If you take into consideration modifications, yes, anything can be made into a drag car, but aftermarket for this I'm thinking is probably quite little this early on in it's production run.
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There's already a ludicrous amount of aftermarket parts available for this car. If you think there's an aftermarket following for Mustangs, you should check out the Japanese sports car scene! They know afteramarket like nobody else.
 
Beeblebrox237
There's already a ludicrous amount of aftermarket parts available for this car. If you think there's an aftermarket following for Mustangs, you should check out the Japanese sports car scene! They know afteramarket like nobody else.
Click to expand...

Really $5 says the Mustang aftermarket is way more extensive, its way bigger than you think. You can make a complete classic mustang including the body from the aftermarket I bet that isnt possible in any car in the Japanese market. SEMA is way bigger than any of the JDM auto salons or what ever they call there aftermarket shows.

Sorry for going off topic. The BRz/FR-S does have a big following in the aftermarket for such a new car.
 
Badasp5.0
Really $5 says the Mustang aftermarket is way more extensive, its way bigger than you think. You can make a complete classic mustang including the body from the aftermarket I bet that isnt possible in any car in the Japanese market. SEMA is way bigger than any of the JDM auto salons or what ever they call there aftermarket shows.
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This. I can literally build a Mustang from nothing. I can literally start with a clean garage floor, and a few phone calls and internet orders later I can have a brand new, factory spec body, hell even a rolling chassis, of any generation Mustang, sitting in my driveway within a week. I can't even begin to comprehend how many parts there are just from one company, let alone the thousand major and independent companies there are that support this car, through every generation from start to finish. Every nut, bolt, fender, etc is replaceable on every single car over the last 50 years. Again not to mention the amount of companies backing the car, and every engine that's ever been installed in one.
 
Yes, thank you for over glorifying the Mustang. Again. Your comparisons are rubbish.

In the meantime, I give it a subzero. Highly anticipated, and Toyota delivered. I need not say more, we all know what this is. :D
 
I wasn't talking about parts like frames or original body panels, I'm talking modifications that change the car from when it was stock. A lot. Like this:

86-Style-2013-21.jpg


86-Style-2013-26.jpg


86-Style-2013-19.jpg


86-Style-2013-11.jpg


86-Style-2013-81.jpg


Gazoo-Racing-GT86-Goodwood-Festival-9.jpg


news-toyota-gt-86-frs-photochop-slammed-stance-scion-japan-drifter.jpg


toyota-86xstyle-cb-c-2_600x0w.jpg


toms-gives-the-toyot_600x0w.jpg
 
Downhill Dino
Yes, thank you for over glorifying the Mustang. Again. Your comparisons are rubbish.
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On what basis. :rolleyes:
Beeblebrox237
I wasn't talking about parts like frames or original body panels, I'm talking modifications that change the car from when it was stock. A lot. Like this:
*snip*
Click to expand...

There is a lot, I mean a LOT of that.

But lets not get any more off topic here. Back to the OP please.
 
Totally Subzero.

It's a lean, attractive, and no-nonsense machine in an era when too many performance cars are morbidly obese or stuffed with techno-gimmicks. It bravely defies the expectations of the power/torque/timeslip-obsessed crowd in favor of a philosophy based on having fun and delivering a fantastic driving experience on windy roads or a twisty racetrack, at an accessible price point. It's equipped to be relatively safe to play with on its stock tires, and that means if you want, you can unlock another level of performance just by replacing them (and the cargo area, while unimpressive, was designed to hold a spare set for track use).

The way Toyota/Subaru have held out, teasing fans and shrugging off critics with the lack of an in-house high performance variant, only cements the cool, self-assured demeanor represented by this car. It was built for taking corners and putting a smile on your face, "horsepower wars" be damned. I like that. Straight lines and laptimes are overrated.

If I won the lottery and could pick any of today's performance cars to own and live with, this is the one I would buy. Others are faster, and I'm sure they're fun too, but compared to this, I think most of them kind of miss the point. This car is a wake-up call to the industry, and I hope it inspires like-minded competition in the coming years. With all the "downsizing" going on, the Toyobaru's virtues make more sense than ever.
 
A rear-wheel-drive sports car in a world and price of FWD turbocharged hot hatches is Cool.

What's not cool, is the incredible hype train surrounding it. Anything starts to lose its cool factor when every man and his dog has one.

However there is a caveat with this rule, and it is for this reason that I'm rounding it out with a Meh. The Toyota GT(S) 86 has something like a 6:1 (IIRC) build rate over the Subaru BRZ. Therefore the BRZ remains cool, as it is rarer, while the 86 slips to Uncool. Since this is involving both versions of the vehicle, they cancel each other out.

What's further Meh-inducing is the stock power. Everyone who drives one without driving back-to-back with similar vehicles for the same money will tell you "yeah it's got enough power; it's all about how you use it, etc. etc."

I can say having driven it back to back with a Honda S2000 (of course the comparison involving a used S2000, a 2006 AP2 specifically), the Honda has exactly what the BRZ lacks. While it has a very similar power delivery, the Honda has more of it, and it feels better for it. Not to mention you get the same sort of satisfaction tipping it into corners.

I understand modifications are already turning this into an incredibly tailor-made and adjustable machine but I prefer to give my opinions for these polls on the stock vehicle, no modifications involved.

Would I prefer it turbocharged? Yes, but that is missing the point of the car of course. However, I would have liked to see a little more power tickled out of the FA20 stock.
 
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Fun to drive (Well I wish I had first-hand experience :( ) LOTS of aftermarket. RWD. Lightweight. 100HP per liter (glass half full). Low center of gravity. Near perfect weight balance. And it has nice looks (IMO) All for a (relatively) low price, when new.

Seriously, it's all I want in a car, so Sub-zero from me, though if I could I'd rate it higher.
 
Its stats would be cool, a little RWD N/A coupe, but I ccan't get over how BORING the front end looks.

The rear is a little better, but now everytime I see one, it's just a "meh".
 
It will become cooler over time, but for now it leaves me uninterested. Though I do appreciate what they tried to do.
 
Can't vote "meh" because it's actually nice to drive, but can't give it a sub-zee, because, honestly, it's just a bit overhyped. The MX-5 is almost as capable (without being as ungodly stiff), has better balance, and has better steering, to boot. If Mazda would simply consent to building a cheaper fixed-top version of the MX-5, it would give the Toyobaru triplets a run for their money.

Might change my mind if I get to drive the BRZ variant, but that's another problem... the badge-engineering. Granted, the cars are different in execution, but it's difficult for anyone but fans and owners to tell them apart. And if you have a good suspension setting (note: they're all stiff, so what's the point of differentiating?) that gives optimum performance, what's the point of artificially limiting the abilities of one of the cars? (The FRS/86) The slidey suspension is supposed to be fun, but it just feels like there's too little grip, both front and rear... even considering the tires... which are similar to those on some NC MX-5s.

Rates a "cool", but not any more than that.

Badasp5.0
You can make a complete classic mustang including the body from the aftermarket I bet that isnt possible in any car in the Japanese market.
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The 64 Mustang isn't a competitor, and it isn't a valid comparison. Besides, I don't see companies making brand new Fox Body tubs. :D

You can buy a brand new BJ40 Landcruiser reproduction. You can also buy a brand new LC60 Landcruiser and a 1970's Suzuki Samurai straight off the factory floor... if we're going in that direction. (Also, the Eagle Jaguar E-Type, but that's British)

Reproduction parts are available for many classic Japanese cars, like the 240Z, various Mitsubishis, etcetera. That there are classic vehicles so popular that this is possible has no bearing on the aftermarket support for brand new cars.

Badasp5.0
SEMA is way bigger than any of the JDM auto salons or what ever they call there aftermarket shows.
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SEMA features parts, suppliers and companies catering to all sorts of cars. Has no bearing on whether American or Japanese cars get more love.
 
I like the looks of them. I've seen some of these that have had some "nice" not "rice" additions put on them that compliment the overall appearance of the car, making it a even more appealing to look at. Driveability / performance factors are something that I am not to aware of on these cars. So it has a 2.0 / 200hp engine mated to a 6 speed and RWD which should be fun (probably not overly exciting) to drive.

Typically I'm not a fan of smaller 4cyl. cars, but this one (IMO) has that little something that makes me sort of like it. Not near enough to go out and buy one, but still, overall, I find this car to be a solid cool.
 
GranTurismo916
I don't get why everyone hates Scions so much. :indiff:
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It's because, like Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, GM, etc., it's posing as something. Lexuses are Toyotas in grandeur, Scions are hip Toyotas. That wouldn't be a problem if the cars were brand exclusive, like the LFA, but most are cars the main company doesn't want to directly associate in whatever country these are in.


Brief announcement: Next vote opens Friday. I may not post or show until then and maybe some after. GRID 2 has screwed with my head.
 
On gut feeling I'd say cool.

To enthusiasts, it represents accessible performance and emphasis on fun.

To non-enthusiasts, it's still a sporty-looking car driving down the street, but just subtle enough that you're more likely to get an eyebrow-raise than a raised middle finger.

Combined, I'd say that makes it cool.
 
Very good car, if a little overhyped. Buuuut...

Colossal gestation period meant I was bored of seeing it before it went on sale, it's actually quite a dull and conservative shape (may as well be a Gen6 Celica), throughout the entire development it was a £20k essence of driving bargain until it went on sale at £25k and... worst of all... badge swappers aren't cool. The prestige version owners get precious about it being the prestige one and the guys in the cheap seats make out like it's the prestige one.

And the ones I have seen were being driven by portly, greyed, middle-aged chaps.


Uncool, but not seriously so.
 
This is a good looking, quick little sports car for a very reasonable price. It already has a big following and many tuning options available making it another hit amongst the JDM fans. And there isn't many other cars in it's price range that can handle and look as good as this. This gets a solid Sub-Zero from me. I'll take a Subaru version, in Blue.
 

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