According to most car nuts, the best way to build a car involves five steps: little car, little engine, stiff chassis, manual transmission, rear-drive. It seems Scion looked at this list before designing their new sports-car, the FR-S. In fact, it looks as though they used these ideas as a checklist while building it as well.Let's do some checking-off. Is the FR-S little? No - it's tiny. It weighs less than 3000 lbs in any spec and is less than 14 feet long. Alright, so the first point is on the money.
Little Engine? Well, at two liters, it hardly tips the scales as a beefy powerhouse. But the engine is fizzy and perky and makes 200 HP all the way up to 7000 rpm's. So, there's no doubt that the car goes.
And joy of joys, the FR-S comes standard with a 6-speed manual transmission. A quick 6-speed automatic is also available, but I'd gladly sacrifice a few tenths for the extra feel and control of a manual.
Rear - Drive? Yes. And thank all of the deities. I've been getting so tired of these new, feisty-looking cars bragging about their sporty credentials, only to find out that they are front-wheel drive. Finally, a car designed by an enthusiast.
So the Scion FR-S is what many would consider the ideal driver's car. I tend to agree, but I do think an extra 20 horsepower couldn't hurt. Slides are easy to initiate at any sane speed and are equally easy to end. But I do think that a little more power would make the slide easier to control. I'm sure aftermarket companies are already churning out turbochargers and other engine mods.
